Tour the USS Turner Joy in Bremerton
Thursday, July 12th, 2007
When was the last time you toured a Forrest Sherman Class Destroyer? I bet it’s been a while (or never).
If you enjoy naval history, or you have a kid that digs ships, then it might be worth a ferry trip over to Bremerton. From the ferry, you can easily walk down the Bremerton boardwalk to the home of the USS Turner Joy.
The 418 feet long ship was the last Forrest Sherman class destroyer built. “While some of these ships were later converted to guided missile destroyers, Turner Joy remains close to her original 1959 configuration. The destroyer has been restored to reflect the appearance during her active years.
“Turner Joy’s distinctive service included a double-duty role as flagship for Destroyer Squadron 13 and Destroyer Division 131 with several tours in the Pacific. She also stood air-sea rescue duty near the Marianas Islands for President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s visit to several Asian nations. In terms of history, this vessel is most remembered for her participation in the Gulf of Tonkin incident which escalated the United States involvement in the Vietnam War.”
The ship has been on display in Bremerton since 1991 when it was made a public attraction and a naval memorial.
Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for children.
Hours, information, and history of the destroyer can be found at http://www.ussturnerjoy.org/
In Seattle, if you’re around any festivals, you know Seafair is the Granddaddy of them all. Portland’s own summer festivities can be found in the Rose Festival. For me, one of the more interesting things about a city is it’s history. If you’re headed to Portland in the next couple weeks, you might consider checking out the History & Roses tour 
Truly one of the best ways to appreciate the landscape of Seattle and western Washington is to take a seaplane tour. If you’re not familiar with a seaplane, it’s a small, (usually 2-8 seat) plane that has pontoons on the bottom so it lands and takes off from the water! This kind of plane can take you into locations that no one else can. Believe me, there is a certain thrill to taking off from the water that you just don’t get in a normal plane. In order to hear the pilot, you’ll end up wearing headphones like you see in old movies to block out some of the noise from the propellers. This is one experience I think that everyone should have in their lifetime. 
Lunch on a raft, with a chance to observe the rugged scenery of the north Cascades? Stopping off for a picnic lunch and wine tasting at the Glacier Peak Winery? Sounds like a nice way to spend the day to me.