The USS Midway

There is a philosophy among nomads traveling on a budget, which states that you must save money in every way possible. But there is also the realization that to deprive yourself of every attraction, luxury, and new activity, makes no sense. There are just sometimes you have to bite the bullet and shell out the cash for something fun. And so on Friday last, Richard and I drove to San Diego to tour the USS Midway, a decommissioned aircraft carrier anchored in the San Diego Bay.

Built in 1945 and retired in 1991, the Midway was active through wars in Korea, Vietnam, and in the Middle East. Pilots based on the Midway shot down several MiGs during the Vietnam War including the first and last. The carrier was particularly important for its contribution in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm, and played a large role in helping to defeat Saddam Hussein and his army.

Richard Midway

Dale on Midway

It was expensive to park and purchase tickets for the tour, but relatively speaking, for a whole day’s entertainment and enjoyment, well worth the price. We arrived quite early but there were still many tourists and schoolchildren wandering the decks and climbing through the maze of passageways. I say tour but the term may be misleading. Everyone was issued a small player that hung around your neck and was fitted with headphones. There were numbers to follow where you could activate the recording and learn about different stations throughout the ship, a self-guided tour to be more precise.

To see the whole ship took several hours and lots of walking. We got to see where and how the men aboard the Midway lived, how they spent their time, and what it may have been like to spend several months at sea. It was really a small city floating on the ocean, and just like in civilian life, it depended how important you were as to how you lived. Enlisted seamen slept in cramped bunks and were fed at a chow line, while officers had better bedrooms, ate at tables, and were served by waiters. The Admiral and Captain had the nicest quarters but also the greatest responsibility for the welfare of thousands of men under their command.

Unless you see it and walk through, it is hard to imagine the size. Numbers in thousands of tons, acres of flight deck, millions of gallons of fuel, and thousand of crew, are meaningless to comprehend, and it seems amazing that something built for $90 million and overhauled for $260 million in 1970 would become obsolete and discarded 20 years later. Two nuclear carriers were anchored across the bay and we could only imagine the changes to electronics, computers systems, and propulsion system. And we are probably talking billions to build them.

We thought it was a good touch when we walked through the dentist’s office. The restorers had pumped the smell of the drill through the room along with an animated patient squirming in the chair, and it made you cringe from memory of unpleasant visits to the dentist. We also liked the talk by a former pilot as he told the story of being launched from the deck by catapult.

Famous Pic

I guess Richard and I were still thinking about saving money because we resisted the $8 hamburger at the snack bar. It was well into the afternoon as we left the ship and headed back to our park in Temecula. We stopped at a Carl’s Jr. for a late lunch and ran into a little Friday afternoon traffic coming through Escondido, but still made good time home. Richard would make the same drive in the morning to pick up Dianna coming back from Texas while I would move back south a few miles.

It was great spending a few days with Richard again. I helped him move his car a few miles from an RV park in Aguanga, and he took me all over Temecula looking for a new stove. We would hang out each night watching TV and even went to see a movie. It is not often that a movie comes along that we both are interested in, but the story of Jackie Robinson was just out and something we both wanted to see. We said goodbye on Saturday and I drove back to Blair Valley while he and Dianna headed towards Arizona. They will eventually travel to Texas, Tennessee and beyond.

This coming weekend is the kickoff for PCT hikers. Lake Morrana near the start of the trail has a big party with several outfitter venders, speakers and information about the trail. I plan on going down for a day to see what it is all about. It’s always fun to be around hikers and talk trail with them. I remember the optimism and excitement that you feel before starting the journey of a thruhike, and it’s fun to see it in the faces of those just beginning the dream. I’m hoping that summer will begin soon after that and I can begin my travels further north, too.

6 Responses to “The USS Midway”

  1. Don says:

    I’ve wanted to go see the Midway but there’s no way my wife would be able to do it. Maybe I need to find someone else that’s interested.

    Don’t forget we’re here in LA anytime you need a spot for a few days or even just feel like dropping in.

  2. Dick says:

    The great thing about our lifestyles is that we can spend time together in far flung places. Who knows when and where we may meet again before next winter. Good times.

  3. Donna says:

    Glenda and I toured some docked ship in San Diego once, but looking at this, I’m sure it wasn’t the Midway. It was much smaller. This looks pretty cool.

  4. Daryl says:

    I remember when you started the AT last year, you said you were just going to “see what it is all about”. You’re not planning to start north on the PCT are you?

    I’d like to see the Midway too. Don, maybe when I come to LA some time, we can leave our wives to sew, cook and clean while we go have some fun.

  5. Karen says:

    I was thinking the same thing uncle Daryl! Umm hmm…just going to “check things out”…..
    It was great catching up on your adventures Dad. Keep exploring! XOXO

  6. Dale says:

    If I were a little younger and healthier I would be on the PCT right now, but I’m pretty sure my body would soon tell me I was in over my head. Maybe next year I will be younger.

    Don – I would love to stop and see you and the family. Ill let you know when my trail passes by.

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