USS Silversides...

Mike and I have been home from the sub for about an hour now. We left the Hilton parking lot at exactly 4:00pm last night and got to the sub at 6:45.

With in 5 minuites of arriving on the site Mike found one of his class mates, and that was that. They where glued together the rest of the night. Even so much so that when we found a room with only 4 bunks Hayden and his Dad ended up in the room with us. On the bright side Hayden was one of the more well behaved kids at the place. He didn't scream and yell, or climb on anything that they where not supposed to. And when it was bed time he went right to sleep.

Mike appeared to have a really good time there, with a lot of boys around his age and a huge sub that they where allowed to climb all over, and play with how could they not. There where parts that where roped off with do not climb signs on. But we where told by the people that worked there it was okay to climbs up. The signs where there for 'normal' visitors, not the over nighters.

Once we got there we had about an hour to wander around the sub, get our bunks and generally just play around. After that the pizza showed up and we all got to hang out and eat food. After the pizza they handed out some awards and badges. Mike got both a patch and a certificate for staying at the sub.

This is Mike, proudly displaying the certificate proclaiming him an honorary crew member of the USS Silversides.



And this is Mike standing in front of the sub, when we first arrived.



Our little gunner, getting ready to blast the tour ship passing by.



Mike and Hayden looking for their bunks.



This is a plaque dedicated to Mike Harbin, the only person to ever be killed on the Silversides during a tour. The camera turned the photo and I'm too lazy to fix it.

For the most part I think the trip was really good, although I'm not sure it was worth the 3 hour drive up there. And sleeping in the sub, on the hard ass bunks was not very comfortable.