Saturday, January 18 was the start of my next, much needed trip away from Boise. In November of last year, Alaska Airlines started direct flights to San Diego from Boise. I didn't have any problem getting a seat, so I sat back and waited for the 2 1/2 hour flight to end.
When I stepped off the plane I was greeted by the hot warm sunshine. It felt nice to sweat. On the approach to the runway I had spotted the USS Midway berthed at the pier. That was my destination for the afternoon. I hopped onto a bus that runs loops between the airport and downtown San Diego, and got off near the waterfront.
I bought my ticket to get inside the ship. The majority of the tour involves headphones and a remote player. As you progress through the different areas of the ship set up for viewing, you push a button and listen to narration. It was enjoyable. Scattered throughout were veterans, or other experts to answer any questions you had.
It took me a couple hours to explore everything below decks. The anchor storage, crew quarters, mess halls, ready rooms, medical bays, ordinance storage, machine shops, etc. It seemed to go on forever.
After I was done below decks, I went onto the flight deck. There were a lot of aircraft and helicopters set up to view. It was basically showing the different types that had served aboard the Midway during its career.
I could see another carrier across the harbor, and later on a guide explained to us it was the nuclear powered USS Ronald Reagan.
I got in line to get my tour of the deck superstructure. It was limited to 20 people per group. This part of the tour was led by an actual guide. It was a nice change, compared to the rest of the ship. It took about 30 minutes to go through, and then we exited. Overall, it was a great day on the Midway. I wasn't in any frame of mind to run myself ragged, so I pulled up my GPS on my phone and made my way to downtown and checked into my motel room. I was here to relax.
The next morning I got breakfast and then my plan was to go out to Cabrillo National Monument for the day. I hopped on one of the trolleys, then connected on a bus that took me to Shelter Island. I waited around for the next and final bus to go out to the Monument. Another couple was doing the same. I soon figured out, however, that the bus didn't run on weekends. So I wandered around looking at the expensive yachts that rich people owned, before taking the bus back to downtown.
Now that my day was suddenly freed up, I decided to take a trolley down to the International Border. I got off in San Ysidro, and I felt pretty uncomfortable being almost the only white guy. I got something at McDonalds there, and wandered around looking at the wall separating the U.S. and Mexico. Then I decided to head back to downtown San Diego and go to my motel.
The next day was my last day in San Diego. My direct flight back to Boise didn't leave until 5:35, so I again slept in, and then walked down to the harbor again. I decided to explore the San Diego Maritime Museum. It encompassed old sailing ships, a couple submarines, an old steam ferry, and some luxury yachts. The big stars of the Museum are the Star of India...
And a Russian B-39 submarine from the Cold War
Forward Torpedo tubes in the B-39
Inside the steam ship Berkely, were were able to go below decks and walk through the massive boiler, engine, and furnace rooms.
When I was all done I bought some souvenirs, and then proceeded to the bus stop to eventually make it back to the airport. It was a holiday weekend and flights were filled up. However, I had a high enough priority I had no problem getting a seat for the flight back to Boise....
Next time I plan on making sure the bus to Cabrillo is running so I can see the lighthouse and open ocean coast... Until my next flight, adios!
No comments:
Post a Comment