Category: Fun

Before we left the Norfolk Naval Station, we wanted to drive through as much of the base as allowed and hopefully get a glimpse of the huge Navy vessels in port (picture gallery following this post).  Well, we got that and more!

There were a number of ships in the port including the USS Harry Truman, a nuclear powered aircraft carrier.  As we came alongside one of the many piers, Helen (adorable wife) spotted a submarine, the USS Boise.  Immediately she yelled “Stop! I wanna go on it!” Me, ever the sceptic, doubted that would be possible under any circumstances, but Helen, ever the diplomat, approached the sailor at the gate and asked if we could get a tour.  The sailor paused for a minute and picked up the phone. When he came out of the guard post, he said that there was someone available and willing to show us around.  Helen turned to me with that “never doubt me” smile and marched through the gate in step with the sailor.

At the walkway to the submarine (forgive me if walkway is not a proper Navy term–I’m Army, remember), a group of armed sailors met us and asked for our cell phones and cameras. We only had phones and handed them over.

Shortly thereafter, we were met by CPO Third Class Fred Kelly of Jacksonville, Florida who was to be our tour guide. We thanked him for offering to do this for us, but he assured us that he loved doing tours. It was obvious that this young sailor was very proud of his ship and was eager to show us around.

The USS Boise is a nuclear powered submarine and had just returned from a 33,000 mile mission before arriving at port in Norfolk. While waiting for CPO Kelly, one of the guards told us that they had spent as much as two and a half months submerged.  I don’t know if I could do that and realized that these were some very special and unique Americans.

We descended through the hatch into the submarine.  I was immediately aware of the low ceilings.  I am 6’4″ and may have had an inch of clearance above my head, again recognizing that this job is not something for everyone.

Since most of the submarine crew was enjoying some well deserved time in port and elsewhere, there were few sailors on board at the time.  We were shown the living quarters and small bunks which were shared depending on the duty rotation of the occupants. Since we were not permitted to take notes, I only have my poor memory to rely on, but I think we were told that the bunks were a little more than five feet in length–and they looked it.

Inside the small dining area, there were some delicious meals available on the steam table, including one very appetizing shrimp dish.  I always heard that the Navy had the best cooks!

Adjacent to the dining area, was a conference room of sorts, where staff meetings were held, and which doubled as a dining room for the Captain and the ship’s officers.  We were greeted by two officers, one of which was wearing a shirt which proclaimed him to be a University of South Carolina Gamecock.  We shared a few light jabs as SEC rivals, but in the end, wished each other well when USC meets Tennessee later this fall.

During our conversation, we were joined by Commander Christopher Osborne who had just been appointed as commanding officer of the USS Boise the day before our tour. Commander Osborne welcomed us aboard very warmly, and chatted with us for a few minutes before moving on to take care of the many responsibilities now under his care.  I have no doubt he’ll do well, and CPO Kelly said that everyone was very impressed with him.

Although there were areas of the submarine we could not visit, we saw most of it, and certainly enough to know that a nuclear submarine is a highly technical machine, and one that requires a high degree of skill, knowledge, and dedication to undertake the difficult missions assigned to it. Everywhere one looked there were valves, gauges, switches, digital monitors, pipes, couplings, and other things that are beyond my ability to describe. Teamwork is a very important ingredient in everything accomplished here.

As we neared the end of our tour, CPO Kelley stopped in front of a display board which bore the names of all aboard who had earned the Dolphin Badge.  This badge is awarded to sailors who undergo extensive training and evaluation, both oral and written. The Dolphin badge verifies a sailor’s knowledge and skill as an expert and accomplished submarine crew member. CPO Kelly wore that badge and was a justifiably proud Dolphin.

We were led back to the hatch and climbed the ladder back to the bright sunlight outside. We retrieved our phones and gave CPO Kelly profuse praise and thanks for the generous amount of time spent with us when he could have used it to regroup in port. He is one impressive young man and will do well.  We wish him nothing but continued success in whatever comes his way.  By the way, Helen gave him a big hug on the way out…might have embarrassed him a bit, but he was a good sport about it!

I send a hearty salute to the crew of the USS Boise.  We are a country blessed with incredible talent.  

Thanks to all who serve.  We’ll be Easin’ Along for now.

 

We had a delightful time on our visit to Norfolk Naval Base, our tour of the nuclear submarine, USS Boise, and our climb up the Cape Henry Lighthouse. We hope our readers enjoyed the visit as well. Now, we have the opportunity to tell you about the next new place we discovered and have been exploring for the last two days. It truly has been love at first sight.

We are staying at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station or “Pax River” as Navy personnel refer to it. It is located on the Patuxent River which is the longest river in the State of Maryland and feeds into the Chesapeake Bay. We arrived on Saturday (8/22), and checked into a lovely room in the Navy Lodge.  We’ve been on the road for six days now, so the task of sorting out what is needed, and which bags to lug in, is becoming less arduous than when we started. We settled in quickly.  Once we had everything place, we asked Desirae, our very friendly Lodge host, about her recommendations for dinner. Without hesitation, she said we needed to take the ten minute drive to Solomon’s Island…we’ll never repay the favor.

The drive itself is simply spectacular.  After leaving the highway adjacent to the base and following the signs leading to Solomon’s Island you soon come to a bridge that rises steeply and crosses the Patuxent River. Below the bridge you could see several marinas filled with sailboats and some beautiful waterfront homes scattered about.  We were traveling with the setting sun behind us and the view of the waterfront and the sailboats in our foreground is one we’ll not soon forget. Solomon’s Island was once a real island, but, at some point in the past, the northern end of the island was filled in with dredged material and the island became part of the peninsula. Also, once the causeway bridge was built, Solomon’s became connected to the mainland and saved its visitors a twenty five mile drive to a bridge to the north that would eventually allow one to reach the town.

On this Saturday evening the activity level was brisk as there were many families on the short boardwalk and fishing pier which runs along the Patuxent River. There are several public parking lots beside the boardwalk but I had to search hard to find a spot for us. As luck would have it, a van pulled out of a spot in front of me just as I was about to give up.

Solomon’s Island is both quaint and small so the restaurant choices are somewhat limited.  Helen had done her thing and decided that we would give Stoney’s Seafood restaurant a try based on the reviews in Trip Advisor. We wanted Maryland crab cakes, and all reviews led to Stoney’s.

We were seated outside on the deck over the water and things couldn’t have been more perfect. The weather was as good as you could want. Temperature in the low 70’s, no wind, setting sun. There were ducks floating around the deck and we spotted an occasional jellyfish checking us out during our dinner. We were greeted by our waiter, Joey, and ordered a craft beer that was brewed locally.  I’ve posted a link to Stoney’s here, so please check them out. Our meal was awesome!

After dinner, we took a stroll along the boardwalk to walk off our meal and found that experience equally delightful.  Lots of children were lined up at the soft serve ice cream stand and playing on the playground nearby.  We were taking pictures of the sky as the sun had dipped below the horizon, when a young man walked up and offered to take our picture.  We relented. We soon set out for our temporary home at the Navy Lodge, but resolved to return the next day.

The next morning, Sunday, we rose early and helped ourselves to the breakfast served at the lodge. We next did some exploring around this huge base which fronts the Chesapeake Bay. Pax River Naval Base was created in 1943 to test aircraft and aircraft parts for use in World War II. It still does some of that, but it also hosts a school for Navy test pilots.  We learned that the runway here is two and a half miles long and is the longest runway on the East Coast. We drove around it on this excursion then set out for the return trip to Solomon’s.

By now it was near lunchtime so we decided to go somewhat big for lunch and somewhat light for dinner.  Tough choices, but we do know how to rough it!

Again, based on Trip Advisor, we ventured to the Dry Dock Restaurant at a marina on Solomon’s Island. Our waiter was a nice young man who gave us his name, but I didn’t quite catch it.  I think it was Adolfo, but if I’m wrong, I hope he’ll forgive me because the service was super.  Helen (adorable wife) ordered grilled scallops served on quinoa, and I asked for fried oysters eggs benedict.  We summarized the details of our lunch in a separate post in the food segment of Easin’ Along.  Here is a link to that post. Trust me, we ate well.

After lunch Helen wanted to take a boat ride to tour this lovely area by water.  The hostess at the Dry Dock told us that the Calvert Marine Museum just up the street had just what we wanted.

We made it to the Museum with just nine minutes to spare before the next cruise. We paid our seven dollars each (senior discount rate once again), and hopped on the William B. Tennison for a one hour cruise of the Patuxent River and the Chesapeake Bay around the southeastern point of Solomon’s Island. We joined maybe twenty other passengers for a splendid afternoon on the water.

The ship captain narrated the cruise and did an excellent job giving us the history of the island and directing us to the many points of interest both on shore and off. One of the most interesting things he shared with us related to the boat we were on.  The William B. Tennison was built in 1899 in Baltimore as a two mast sailing vessel and used for dredging for oysters.  It was constructed from nine hollowed logs in the construction method prevalent in the the time it was built. Later, it was converted to a motorized vessel and moved to this area where it was purchased by the museum for tourism.

As we came back in to port we were greeted by a group of senior citizens who had gathered to pilot their remote controlled sailboats from the dock behind the museum. The small sailboats were impressive and you could tell that these fellows were having a grand afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A small piece of us now resides at Solomon’s Island.  Glad you could be there to share it with us. We’ll be Easin’ Along back to the Navy Lodge.