Home Sweet Home Michigan: June 2019

Thursday, June 27, 2019

Padre Island National Seashore

We spent one afternoon at the Padre Island National Seashore state park.

Fun Facts:

North Padre Island is the longest undeveloped barrier island in the world (70 miles long)
The island itself is divided into two parts; North and South Padre Island.

They had a great exhibit about sea turtles, which they help protect during their migration to/from the beach. A program (Kemp Ridleys Sea Turtle Program) was started in 1978. In 2007, a record 128 turtle nests were identified along the beach, with a record 10,594 turtles released back into the wild along the beaches of Padre Island. Kemp Ridley sea turtles are still the most endangered of all sea turtles.

Lazy Beach Brewing

One eveneing, we visited a local craft brewery; Lazy Beach Brewing and ate street tacos from Jefe's Food Truck.

It was a full moon after getting back to the house

Corpus Christi Aquarium

After visiting the USS Lexington, Brian and I walked across the bay and visited the Corpus Christi Aquarium.

(Stock photo from on-line of the Aquarium taken in the evening)

USS Lexington

Brian and I spent one afternoon while in Corpus visiting the USS Lexington (CV-16), which is a US Decommissioned Aircraft Carrier (in 2003). Construction on it started in 1940, it was launched in 1942, and commissioned in 1943. It is currently docked in Corpus Christi, Texas and is a museum.

Fun Facts:

There has been 7 USS Lexingtons':

1776 (a two masted sailing vessel)
1825 (a warship with a single gun deck which carried 18 guns)
1861 (a timerclad gunboat)
1917 (SP-705; a patrol vessel)
1922 (CC-1; a battle-cruiser)
1927 (CV-2; a Lexington-class aircraft carrier)
1943 (CV-16; an Essex-class aircraft carrier)

It was originally build to be named the USS Cabot, but in 1942, the shipyard crew petitioned to have its name changed to the Lexington, as the shipyard originally built the USS Lexington (CV-2 [1927])
Nicknamed The Blue Ghost by the Japanese as it was rumored to have been sunk several times and then would reappear shortly after and fully functioning.
In 1980, the USS Lexington became the first aircraft carrier to have women stationed abroad it.
It could carry 110 aircraft.

A Pearl Harbor exhibit aboard the ship

Before and after pictures of ships docked at Pearl Harbor

The USS Lexington (1776)

The USS Lexington (1943)

The aviation history of planes (model airplanes)

Father's Day (Houston Astros vs Toronto Blue Jays)

We began our vacation to South Texas with a quick trip up to Houston. Brian has a bucket list of going to every Major League Baseball Stadium. In total he has 18 more to go. Of those left, 5 are new stadiums/Brian went to the old stadium already.