Williams Arizona Via Route 66

We left headed to Williams Arizona along Route 66.  It was a neat drive. After leaving Los Angeles County, we found ourselves out in desert terrain.

 We crossed the California->Arizona border after crossing the Colorado river.

 The terrain changed quickly as we got closer to Williams.

Once we arrived it was much cooler and greener with pine trees everywhere and snow on the mountain peaks.

Williams is nostalgic town with lots of tourist shops and neon.

There was also an old gas station converted to a museum.

 

 

Some Random Updates

Here's some updates from news around the Schnittker house over the last couple weeks.

Our cat had kittens on Easter Sunday.  Kittens are doing well. 

 Here's mama kitty taking a break from her demanding kittens.

 

The weather has been warm so everything is blooming and growing.  Our blackberry bush is blooming with white flowers.   This particular bush is grown from a cutting that came from my Grandfather's house.  My kids are probably the 5th generation to get berries from it.

 

Kids have been spending time outside.  Brandon has been practicing riding a large 26 inch bicycle.  He only started riding a bike a few weeks ago. 

 

Emily has been practicing the drums.  Here she is at Guitar Center.  The kids love going to Guitar Center because they get to play the instruments but Ben loves it the most.  Ben plays the drums, guitars and keyboards/pianos while he is there.

 Sarah recently played Penny in her school's production of "Urinetown".  She did a great job. Here she is on stage with her fellow classmates.

She also had her Junior prom on May 8th. 

 We are heading to the Grand Canyon next.  We'll have more updates soon.

Ships To Visit In Long Beach

We headed down to Long Beach, Ca to visit some of the historic ships; Battleship Iowa,  The Queen Mary,  and  Scorpion, a Russian Submarine.

Battleship Iowa

USS Iowa BB-61 was launched in 1942 and participated in WW2.

The 5 Inch guns were capable of firing 15 rounds per minute.

The bridge contains a 17 inch thick armored conning tower. This protected the helmsman and commanding officers.  

There was also an armored admiral's bridge where the admiral could exercise strategic control of several ships.

The tour includes the captain quarters were a bathtub was installed for president Roosevelt. The president traveled on the ship on his way to and from the historic Teheran Conference in 1943.

We enjoyed exploring the many different parts of the ship.

The Queen Mary

The Queen Mary was launched in 1936.  She also participated in WW2 as a troop transport.  She was a luxury passenger liner until 1967 and is now a hotel.

The inside is a marvel of Art Deco splendor.

Russian Submarine

Next to the Queen Mary is a Russian Foxtrot Class Submarine named Scorpion.

 Radio Room.

Kids really enjoyed the periscope.

Fire Torpedoes!

Working in cramped quarters.

 Sonar Room

A Visit To Construction 129

While visiting  San Francisco, we drove over to Construction 129, a WW2 era fortress that was never fully completed. It's now a park where you can tour what would have been the highest artillery battery in the bay area.

After walking through the tunnel, you arrive at one of the gun placements. This was to be the mounting place for one of the two 16 inch guns.

We then walked up the hill to the mountaintop above the bunker.  The views are stunning.

There are also lookouts and more placements for smaller guns.

You can see down to the parking area.  It was full the entire time we were there with many waiting for a space.

Some of the fortress is underground and not accessible to the public, but there is still lots to see. Here's an old plan showing some of the under ground area you can not access.  Though, the main large tunnels to the guns are open.