We met Don and Nancy from Missouri. Hope to see you next summer and thank you for the plaque. We hung it in our RV and see it every day.

The National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL was wonderful and free. We had a former Marine pilot as our tour guide who was very knowledgable. Since my dad was a helicopter mechanic while he was in the Corp, I especially found it interesting.

Something of interest was the Black Sheep Squadron led by “Pappy” Boyington. These marines were asked to fly planes nobody else knew, learn them, then explain how best to use them to other branches of the US services and also foreign pilots during WW II. They were also the basis of the old tv show Baa Baa Blacksheep starring Robert Conrad.

You may have seen avaiators with white scarves and wondered why. We found out that it was to clean their goggles as the oil from the propeller would fly back into the pilots’ faces.

Our guide also told us the story of one of George H. W Bush’s air missions during WW II. Apparently, after a successful bombing mission he was forced to eject from his plane and was later recovered by a submarine where he spent several months before it returned to port.

The Blue Angels also practice here, but they were in California during our visit.

There are a few old forts in the area. One is Fort Morgan which was used to protect Mobile Bay from attack. Fort Morgan was commissioned to be built in 1818 and was completed in 1834. In 1864, the Confederate forces surrendered to Union Naval forces in the Battle of Mobile Bay.

No visit to the Alabama Gulf Coast would be complete without visiting the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park. The USS Alabama was commissioned for battle just in time for World War II. The ship is well preserved and you can spend a day exploring the ship with well marked paths and exhibits. During the height of the war as many as 2,500 men served on the ship. After a tour, you really get a sense of the sacrifice these men made. In addition, to working 12 or more hours a day, the conditions on the ship were both hot and cramped. This is especially so with the USS Drum, the submarine that is also housed at the memorial. Thank you to all who have served.

We crossed the bay on the ferry with our bikes to Dauphin Island. This is a small island with about 1,200 residents. As we rode around on our bikes, nearly every home that borders the Gulf was for rent. Fort Gaines is also here. It is best known for its role in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the American Civil War. Exhibits include the huge anchor from the USS Hartford, Admiral David Farragut’s flagship on which he gave his world-famous command, “Damn the torpedoes – full speed ahead!”