So far it has been a great experience. Driving from San Diego to Newport has been a phenomenal road trip and I am thankful that I made it safe and that I was also able to catch up with my old and dear friends (whom I consider family) Martin and Elizabeth Griffin (yes Tristan, Dallas and the puppies too).
Driving through New York during early evening rush hour was not part of the plan, but it just reminded me how much I dislike traffic and also how much I enjoy smaller cities/towns.
On my ride across country, I was able to stop for a lunch break in Alabama at the Cracker Barrel. It was nice to have "good ole home cookin from the South". For the first time I was able to enjoy fried apples (it was more like a compote). It reminded me of the time I spent in Wichita Falls, and that food I got to enjoy there.
On Friday evening, I finally reached my destination, Newport, Rhode Island. This quaint little northeastern town reminded me much of my home back in Germany with many little stores and cobblestone streets. I checked into the Newport Beach Hotel & Suites for the weekend and had dinner in the hotel. I also went out to a local bar, Rusty's, to have a few beers and check out the local nightlife. I was surprised to see how expensive everything was here, given that it is now off-season, but Tracy reminded me that things are more expensive on the coast and to the North.
Saturday morning was spent with a morning run. There is a great little path that is goes along the cliffs here in Newport. The Cliff Walk runs south along the island on which Newport is located. It is a very scenic and surely a romantic (when it is not so cold and lonely - boo hoo for me) path that is well worth visiting again (maybe tomorrow on my morning run again).
Later on in the day, I located my storage unit and dropped of my things as well as found my way to the base to get an idea of what to expect as well as to get a haircut. The base is small and there are two older aircraft carriers sitting on the pier, fighting the good fight against rust and time. Two remnants of a pre-nuclear carrier Navy...
Around 4:00 pm, I made my way to the airport to pick up one of my fellow MSC selectees. Jennifer Nestor flew in from San Antonio, where she left behind her husband and 18 month old daughter. After I took her to King Hall (our residence for the next five weeks), we grabbed a bite to eat and talked about our careers to date as well as what we expect to get out of the next weeks in training. After dropping her off for the evening, I got a text from another fellow MSC selectee, Gary Burris, who was staying at the Hyatt. I stopped by the hotel bar and was able to shoot the breeze over a glass of McCallan Scotch (whew that was smooth).
Tomorrow will be the day I check in to ODS. I am not sure if I will be able to provide daily updates, but I will sneak online whenever I can to share my stories.
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