Sometimes, dreams do come true!
One of the places the boys put on our itinerary was the Navy Seal Museum in Ft. Pierce. They’d heard about it from the Rush Revere book series. Pulling into the driveway, it was again a dream come true for them. Not just because we were there, but because in the yard, there were all kinds of Navy Seal transportation vehicles. And then rounding the corner, there it was – the obstacle course!!!!!!!!!! We spent time soaking in all the museum had to show us. And on Flag Day, nonetheless.
The man on the screen was only eighteen when he volunteered to be part of a team that would go ahead of convoys landing on Japanese beaches. He and his buddies were to clear the way of landmines, bombs in the water, and enemy soldiers. They were unofficial SEALS. SEALS later would be commissioned by JFK.
That’s Ean, standing next to the actual lifeboat that Captain Phillips was in when SEALs rescued him from Somali pirates.
Then it was time for the O-course. These boys were ready!!!!!
When we were done visiting the museum, we headed to the beach. The entrance was right there across the parking lot.
Fort Pierce is historically significant to WWII. It was the training ground for the soldiers who cleared out landing sights such as the Normandy beaches and Pacific front. They practiced in the water off the coast. The very waters we were privileged to swim in.
And what a treat that was after a hot and sweaty run through the course.
These obstacles were used for training by Frogmen during WWII. They were placed here on the beaches of Fort Pierce between 1943 and 1945 and were removed from the beaches in February of ’91. Four types of obstacles were found on Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944 – D-Day. 1. Tetrahedron – placed on the beach to halt troops and armored vehicles. 2. Ball – placed at the high-water mark to stop vehicles during an amphibious attack. 3. Hedgehog – located at the beach lines to stop vehicles and troops during an invasion. 4. Horned Scully – located in 6-8 ft of water to impede landing craft approaching the beach.
As the afternoon progressed, we made our way north, going at a beach life’s pace. It was beautiful and sunny as we passed through village after village. As early evening approached, we arrived at Cape Canaveral. That was an awesome thing. To be out where such incredible space history has taken place.
You can find alligators in waters like the ones above.
NASA’s version of Dance, Dance, Blast-off!!
This is considered the second-most famous clock in the world, after Big Ben in London. It has counted down all of NASA’s missions through the decades, and will continue to.
In case you can’t read NASA’s caption, this was taken by the Hubble telescope. That’s a bunch of galaxies. How awesome. But, it gets even more awesome. Here’s how.
That’s our Milky Way Galaxy, circled. One tiny galaxy among innumerable galaxies. Imagine you and I are in that tiny circle, and yet somehow, God knows us. Thoroughly knows us, just as he knows all other galaxies and creations of His. He loves us and wants to be with us. He died to save us. One tiny speck inside millions of others. That’s awesome.
We saved $250 and decided just to walk around and see what we could see for free, then headed west into Titusville for the night.
We spent the night in a Home Depot parking lot. While making dinner and getting ready for bed, we got dumped on. With thunder and lightening, of course. It was a spectacular show. The thunder broke right over us for a while. Soon we were joined by other truckers and RVs.
Some closing thoughts for the day…
What a great reminder for boys and keeping their room clean…
A Malo Walkabout 