Guess Where I Went Today?

I had been thinking about going to the Bremerton Navy Yard for a while now, and today was the best timing. Everyone else was busy and I had no plans or commitments. I took along my GPS device (especially since I was driving a way I had never been before) and it wanted to send me to the Fauntleroy Ferry, but I kept on going south to Tacoma and then went across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (for the very first time) and then up the peninsula from there for a total drive time of about an hour and a half.

I arrived in Bremerton just after noon, went straight to the USS Turner Joy, a local historic destroyer from the 1950's. Most of the ship is open to self-guided tours and I had a grand time. The 2nd pic is me trying out one of the enlisted bunks... and you could walk all through the engine room! I was very glad of the directional signs posted to help you find your way back to the sunlight! What a maze! Also very cool was the walk-in gun turret on the ship's stern. In the gift shop I got the hat (pictured) for only $6.55, a "Don't tread on me" decal, the ship's crest patch and a navy flag. I wanted to get a USS Missouri poster, but forgot about it. On the way over to the Puget Sound Navy Museum across from the ferry terminal I saw the "Lone Sailor" statue they recently installed on the end of a pier, copying the famous one from DC.

The museum is on the corner of the Bremerton Navy base. Some of it is dedicated to talking about engineering and ship building, since Bremerton has had a ship yard for decades. The rest of the exhibits were all about life on the USS John C. Stennis, the only aircraft carrier based there. There were short videos playing, interviewing sailors about their various jobs. I found it very interesting, even though it was so small. There was a sample bunk to lie on, and lots of information about dining, recreation, medical treatment, and various other stations aboard. It only took me about a half-hour to walk through it. And surprise, surprise, they had that same Missouri poster I wanted for a couple bucks cheaper! The Missouri used to be based in Bremerton before it was sent to Pearl Harbor in 1998.

I spent just over two hours total at the waterfront. And that's what I paid for in parking, so I decided to get lunch somewhere else. My GPS again wanted to send me to the Southworth/Fauntleroy ferry, so this time I obliged. I stopped at Sheri's Restaurant near Fernwood, had a chicken and bacon sandwich (that was grilled with a little too much butter - but it was very good), and then I kept on to the ferry. I didn't have to wait for long at all... and then we made a stop at Vashon Island (just to the south) and then made for South Seattle.

I played around with black & white photography and gazed at the crystal-clear Olympic mountains while on the short ferry ride. As we docked, I looked longingly at the "Private Beach" signs. I shouldn't have worried my head... a half mile from the ferry was a beautiful beachfront park. I walked the entire length on the pebbles, looking at the washed-up seaweed and shells. On the way back to the car I gazed at the surf and the sunshine as I walked the wide, paved path back.

What a gloriously fun time! And lots of fresh air!
Jp