6th August 2013
OK so a blog covering two days – though in actual fact yesterday was pretty much a non-event other than driving over 300 miles from Mooresville to Norfolk Virginia.
That said there is always something to see on the road in the USA and yesterday was no exception. The highlight was probably seeing a truck (pickup to those in the UK) on the Interstate with two men sat in the back as the truck barrelled along at 70mph.
We had an uneventful journey but perhaps that was due to our friends in Mooresville praying for us when we dropped off the keys to the parsonage with them.
Today we did some sight seeing. Firstly, we went in to the centre of Norfolk to visit the Nauticus centre. This houses a US Navy museum and, moored alongside, the USS Wisconsin – a World War 2 battle ship. A really interesting place – though our visit to the Wisconsin was curtailed a bit by heavy rain. We got very wet wandering around the decks.
One of the guides in the Navy Museum was very interesting. He had captained an ocean going tug for a while and consequently had worked around the coast of the UK putting oil rigs in to position. He showed us a model of USS Texas and told us an interesting tale about it.
When the Texas was commissioned before the First World War, children of Texas were encouraged to give one day’s lunch money to help “buy” the ship on behalf of the state. One young boy called Archie Ludlow did so giving 25 cents. Shortly afterwards Archie moved to Britain with his family where he remained.
Subsequently Archie joined the Royal Navy and on D Day was captaining a minesweeper off the Normandy beaches. Archie’s ship came under attack from shore batteries but a battleship fired on the batteries saving Archie and his vessel. Later Archie found out that the battleship was USS Texas. He later remarked to a journalist “that quarter had to be the best investment I ever made in my life.”
http://www.texasescapes.com/CFEckhardt/King-s-Texan-and-USS-Texas.htm
The guide also had a link to the USS Texas. After World War 2 the Texas was brought to Texas and he remembered as a boy being able to visit the ship.
After lunch we had a drive around Norfolk visiting one or two historic sights before we went for a drive over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge & Tunnel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesapeake_Bay_Bridge%E2%80%93Tunnel
This is quite incredible. Especially as a third of the way over its 23 mile length you can stop at a view point and look out at the Bay on one side and the Atlantic on the other. And see mighty ships (navy and commercial) coming and going from Norfolk. (In fact on our return journey we saw a submarine on the surface as well as a sea eagle perched on a lamp post.)
The bridge leads from Norfolk to Delmarva Peninsula's Eastern Shore of the state of Virginia. We drove up the peninsula for a while until we found the small town of Cape Charles. As today was Tom’s 21st birthday – when he could legally drink here – he said he fancied a beer. So we found a little pub in Cape Charles and he was happy. (A very friendly place called Kelly’s Gingernut Pub.)
On getting back we went out for dinner to a microbrewery so all in all a good day.
Tom also got a phone call this morning from his grandmother in Wales and several texts from Mooresville friends. So I think he’s enjoyed his birthday – especially when we told him we’ve got tickets to see the Manic Street Preachers in September.
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