Day 19 - Texas

Day 19

Nov. 2

Corpus Christi

My Dear Miss Smith,

We have just returned from our adventure on the USS Lexington. Astounding! I could have spent several days there, and there is no doubt that both Joseph and Levi would have loved to stay as well.

USS Lexington

No one except myself seemed too interested in the USS Lexington until they caught a glimpse of it out in the bay. Miss Smith, it fairly took my breath away. Having run the dogs earlier and left them in the RV, we headed to the aircraft carrier. We had to wait a few minutes as we were early.

As we walked up the gangplank, all I heard were gasps of amazement. Did you know, Miss Smith that this carrier is as tall as a nineteen story building? And did you know that you can have three games of football all playing simultaneously on the flight deck? Of course if you were to lose the football over the side of the ship . . . The first place we went to was the hanger deck where we picked up our card and decided which tour we would take first. The tours are all self guided and the four of us thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

We got to see everything from the flight deck with several fighter planes on it, to the “island” where the captain fought the battles, to the hangers where the planes were serviced. We got to see the quarters where the crew slept, And Miss Smith, we discovered that if we got a group of at least fifteen people together, we could spend the night aboard Lexington and sleep in those berths! We saw the ship’s hospital, the dental room, barber shop, galley, guns, everything!

One of my favorite things was the flight simulator. It was as though you were actually in a plane and flying it during “Desert Storm”! I wasn’t so good the first time I tried it. I crashed the plane. But, I did it again and managed to destroy one tank before I crashed again. I think I will stick with driving an RV for now. Amy didn’t do as badly as I did when she flew the plane, but Levi was the best. And did he love it!

Popular Virtual Battle Stations

The other favorite among us was the virtual battle stations. There you had a screen that looked like the cockpit of your plane and you had the controls. There were enemy planes and friendly planes flying by and you had to shoot down the enemy planes or get shot down yourself. Then you had to land your plane on the flight deck. Poor Amy got shot down five times. After that she gave up. I shot down everything I could. I didn’t pay much attention to friend or foe. And, when I tried to land, well, I didn’t do so well for I overshot the plane, knocked six guys into the water and crashed my plane. Levi did fairly well, but Joseph, well, he was an ace.

We finally all got hungry and went to the Mess Deck Cafe for lunch. While we were eating I mentioned that if we were going to visit the Texas Museum, we would have to leave as soon as we finished eating.

There was a long pause and then Joseph remarked that he’d rather just remain on the ship. Levi agreed with him and much to my surprise, Amy did too. She remarked, “We haven’t gotten to watch the films in the Joe Jessel theater yet.”

That was true. The theater is an impressive three stories high! Since it wasn’t time for the films to start, Joseph and Levi headed back to the simulators and virtual battle stations while Amy and I wandered around a little more.

Meeting at the doors of the theater, we found seats and the show began. Miss Smith, you know people have often wished they were a fly on the wall, well, if you really wish to experience that feeling, visit the Joe Jessel Theater on board the USS Lexington. With the screen so large, you feel as though you are no larger than a fly and may be squashed at any minute. We watched Legends of Flight and Fighter Pilot. Both were very interesting.

There was an exhibit commemorating Pearl Harbor which I found to be very sobering. There is a chapel in the ship which we visited along with many other places.

I learned some interesting facts about Lexington. She has traveled more miles and served longer than any other aircraft carrier in the world. She has more telephones than a city of 5,000. And she carries enough gasoline to drive your car around the world 132 times! Tokyo Rose dubbed her “The Blue Ghost” during World War Two because the Japanese never could sink her. Her crew took the slogan “Tarawa to Tokyo” because the first battle she was in was Tarawa and her last battle was the Battle of Tokyo.

From having been at the Pacific War Museum, I have learned that President George H. W. Bush was shot down in the Pacific. What I didn’t know until I came here was that he crashed a second time. This time it was because of engine trouble and he was picked up by the USS Lexington where he remained for a few days until he could be transferred to his “home ship.”

All too soon five o’clock came and we had to leave since it was closing time. We all walked slowly back to the RV, talking about all that we had seen. It certainly is amazing, Miss Smith, that four people can see the very same displays but all notice and remember different things. Well, it certainly was an educational experience for us all and if we were not on a schedule, we would most likely be going back tomorrow. Levi wants to practice his flying and Joseph would like to shoot down more planes.

And now, Amy and the boys are back from the grocery store. They walked there to replenish our stock of food, and they took the dogs with them. Penelope and Timber have been wonderful dogs to take along. The boys have had a great time with them, though I have noticed that they no longer sleep with them.

I forgot to mention that I purchased a pin for my fifty-state-hat at the Alamo. It is a “Texas Ranger” pin. Very appropriate we thought.

You have heard from Grace and Mikayla, haven’t you? It is only two more days until we meet them at the airport in Houston. I’m sure further adventures lie before us in the state of Louisiana. But, we still have two more days left in Texas. After we eat, we will drive to Port Aransas. That is where we plan to be tomorrow.

Now, I smell the macaroni and cheese and Amy says it is nearly ready, so I had best put my writing things away and drain the noodles. Then I will set the table and call the boys and dogs in from outside.

With love,

~ Priscilla