Wilmington
A quick weekend trip down to Wilmington NC over the Veterans Day weekend. Somehow I have lived in Raleigh for over 20 years and never taken the tour of the Battleship NC. Time to rectify that.
All and all a rather nice trip. While Wilmington NC is only a 2hr drive from Raleigh, it now marks the longest drive I've ever taken the truck. (Yep, in 23 years the farthest it has been to this point is Rocky Mt, NC about 90 minutes away). An easy drive down I-40, but I was missing cruise control by the end.
Wilmington was very nice for a short weekend. Some great bars and restaurants and the tour of the battleship was great for anyone that has an interest in history or engineering.
Highly Recommended.
Parade
Wilmington takes the Veterans Day Parade seriously. Marching Bands, Giant Flags, Cars, and even the train from the Shriners. A wonderful way to spend the morning.
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The Battleship
Taking good Battleship pictures is hard. Everything is simply not on a "person" scale. I found panoramic photos to be the only way to get close.
One of the more interesting things for me was the constant mention of "computers" on the ship. After much head scratching and some research it would be better to call them "computational devices" or even Babbage Engines. While many systems of the ship were electric, they were not digital. As a case in point, the fire control "computer". An incredible collection of gears, each on hand cranked to a value indicating the ships, direction and speed. When you dial all of the settings to your currently situation you can then read off and "electronically" send the result to the gun turret so they know what elevation to set the guns.
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The Blind Elephant
While there are many good bars and restaurants in Wilmington, I have to tip my had to my favorite, "The Blind Elephant".
Modeled on an old time speak easy, you have to want to find the place to get there. Only a small sign in an alley way marks the location. When you enter you are met with a wonderful old time bar, craft cocktails, and if you are lucky, a live piano. Pictures are devilishly and don't do it justice, but I highly recommend.
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