Tuesday, October 31, 2017

USS Yorktown | Charleston | South Carolina


SS Yorktown was used in World War II in the Pacific. 


The stern of the ship, where the planes would start to land.

 
The bow is also squared off at the top for more room.
 
 
Following is a panorama shot, which is about the equivalent of 3 regular photos.  In order to get some kind of perspective, here are the statistics on the original construction:
 
820 feet at the waterline, and 872 feet overall
The beam is 93 feet, which is from one side to the other
Draft (depth of the keel) is 28 feet, which is unloaded
Top speed was 33 knots
The ship and crew earned 11 battle stars in the war

 
This next photo shows the contrast of a small sailboat against the SS Yorktown.  Of course, the ship is actually quite far from that little boat.
 
 

The ship is so massive that it took about 3 hours to tour the boat, up and down what seemed like dozens of these stairs.
 
 
The flight deck had multiple aircraft of the type that might have been used in the war.
 

 


 


 
 
Inside, there were exhibits - more aircraft.
 

Replicas of the Apollo capsules, the originals of which were recovered by the USS Yorktown in 1968.


 
The bridge, where the ship would be piloted. 


These hatches divided the ship between areas.

 



I bet this was the brig. 
 
 
These bunks could not have been comfortable!
 
 
Office work must be done, even at sea!
 

And the crew still had to have haircuts.


There was a little shop for extra treats.  Check out some of those prices.

 
Laundry had to be done at sea. 
  


 
And, of course, weapons for the war.
 
 

The galley, where all the cooking was done.  This shows just a small portion of the area.
 

Dentists!


You need doctors at sea.

 
  
 


Saturday, October 28, 2017

Fall City area | And a drive through mountains | Washington State

 
This is Snoqualmie Falls - in the fall.  I was told that in the spring, that entire space between the trees would be totally full of water coming over the cliff.  It was quite impressive as it was, but I'm sure it would be amazing when it was larger.
 
 
We found a small gathering of elk in a meadow, but unfortunately, they weren't very close. 
 


This is one of the rivers that meet at the Snoqualmie Falls and you can see by the riverbank that it was low water when I was there.


This is an old railroad tunnel.

 
We took a road trip through the mountainous areas - the scenery was breathtaking.  It was early October, but there was still snow on the peaks.

 






This footbridge is part of a State Park.
 
 
There are many rivers in the Fall City area and they seem quite calm right now.  By the time spring comes, they will be raging.
 


 


 
Moss decorates most trees in the wooded areas, growing conditions are quite good.
  

The Rockies!