There
were some substantial rains after dark, but we were safe and
warm. Next morning broke overcast, but warm. Our
plan was to travel to Milford, PA to spend a few days with
Kathleen's brother and then roll on to visit our friends Mike
and Barb in Waterford.
The photos below are what we saw.
We
decided to visit the creek before our departure. Since the
campground is named "Clear Creek" presumably this is Clear
Creek. Only a portion of the trees were turning autumn
colors.
Small
sections of trees were turning colors resulting in nice hues of
yellow and red.
Downstream
portions of the trees were turning color.
We
traveled from Clear Creek State Park to Rickett's Glen State
Park. Once we got Thor settled-in for the night, we walked
down to the lake. The trees on the far side of the lake
were starting to show autumn colors.
Patches
of bright colors were present in the far forest.
We
spotted a patch of brightly-colored fungus on this rotting stump.
We
traveled from Rickett's Glen to Milford, PA to visit Kathleen's
brother. We stayed in Milford for a few days and then
continued east toward Connecticut. In a city along the
way, we spotted this nice brick clock tower that was visible
from the elevated viaduct. Sadly, we were there during
rush hour so traffic was very slow.
Ten
minutes elapsed between the previous photo and this one.
This is a very nice brick tower.
On the
south side of the viaduct we spotted a nice stone church.
We
passed substantial infrastructure that was needed to deal with
the many rivers in the area. Above is a large vehicle
bridge.
We did a
fuel stop and while off the highway we spotted this pond next to
the road that was choked with funky green algae.
More
infrastructure: this is a railroad bridge across the river mouth
near Old Lyme.
A huge
vehicle bridge across the Thames River carries traffic for
I-95. Note the lower railroad bridge with the elevating
center section.
Our
buddy Mike is an ex sub mariner and he suggested that we visit
the submarine museum in Groton, CT. Outside the museum is
this Japanese mini-sub that was used during the attack at Pearl
Harbor.
Next to
the mini-sub is the USS X-1 mini-sub. Built in 1955, this
sub was intended to enter enemy harbors and deploy swimmers.
The X-1
was diesel electric and could travel at 6 knots underwater.
The sail
of the NR-1 was on display. The NR-1 was a unique
nuclear-powered ocean engineering and research submarine built
by the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics in Groton,
CT. The NR-1 was 150 feet long and was in service from
1969 to 2008. The NR-1 was used for a variety of military
and scientific missions.
The
remote gripper for the NR-1.
A WW-II
submarine deck gun.
A
locking hatch assembly that covered ballistic missiles carried
by the submarines.
The
locking ring was engaged with a hydraulic motor.
Inside
the museum there were many displays of old submarine
equipment. The object above is a rescue bell used to
remove sailors from sunken subs.
Outside
the museum was the SSN-571 "Nautilus", the first nuclear
submarine and the first submarine to cross the north pole under
the ice.
The sail
of the Nautilus had a variety of antennas and periscopes.
The Nautlius was
attached to the dock via a complex mooring arrangement.
Tours were allowed
inside the Nautilus, but as one might expect, space was at a
premium so photos were difficult. One bit of equipment
that caught my eye was this water-tight door assembly.
Quite complex and necessarily so to maintain water-tightness.
The rotating handle
turns a shaft that turns a gear that moves a lever that
engages the latches.
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Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2017, all rights
reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.