Red Rock Canyon, OK

On a recent trip to see my mom, the girls and I decided to hike some trails near Oklahoma City.  We researched several in Lawton, but the best ones were closed due to COVID-19.  We found another just 45 min. NW of the city called Red Rock Canyon.  

It was surprisingly beautiful and scenic!  The July heat and afternoon sun gave us a good sweat, but the exercise and views were worth it.

The trail was well-marked until you hit the huge rock openings.  Then, it was almost impossible to find where the trail picks up again.  To make matters worse, each huge rock formation looked like the one before it, so we ended up navigating the ridge using the park below as an occasional guide.

We packed plenty of water, which was key.  And we got super dirty with all the red sand.  The reviews said to wear long pants or boots and to watch out for snakes, but fortunately we just saw lizards.  

It took us about 2 1/2 hrs to hike in & out since we didn't want to complete the last mile of the trail loop using black-top road. Overal, a fun afternoon with my girls.

Charleston - Bridge

The Cooper River Bridge was too tempting to pass up on this trip.  So before we headed home, we got up early to get some exercise with the most breathtaking views around.  Fun fact, it's also the 3rd longest in the Western hemisphere.

We started at a park in Mount Pleasant, then followed the trail to the bridge.

Once on the bridge, Ashlyn and Eric pulled away to start their run.  I decided to take it a bit slower and enjoy the views.

The Little One stayed with me for most of it and pushed my walking speed until I was out of breath.

Loved the huge cables and beams!

My favorite picture of the Charleston Bay.

Then just to the left is the USS Yorktown.  

Great trip!

Charleston - Beach

The next morning we headed to the beach.  First, a little play time while freshly exposed beach from low tide provided the perfect opportunity for hand stands.

After pitching our umbrella and setting down the bags, it was time to hit the water.

As the day progressed, more people came out to this little stretch of sand.  But it never got more crowded than a handful of swimmers and shell seekers.  lt was so relaxing!

Our exhausted medical student melted into a coma for a well-deserved break.

We simply enjoyed family time.  And shade.

And a bit of surf.

Charleston - Aquarium

After our morning at Patriot's Point, we headed for a great lunch at East Bay Deli.  We  just stopped here for convenience, but realized quickly why the locals love it so much.  With signature sandwiches like the Citadel, the Carolina, and the Club Calhoun, it was amazing.

The heat of the afternoon was spent indoors at the Aquarium.  

We saw lots of birds and reptiles native to this area, but our favorites were the jellyfish, sharks, and sea turtles.  They have the best sea turtle hospital here!  Outside, they had a nice area to watch the stingrays, Eric's highschool mascot.

He enjoyed petting the baby sharks, too.

This bald eagle named Liberty has a broken wing and can never fly again.  They are occasionally spotted in our state, although a bit smaller in size than their northern counterparts.

At 4pm, we had to depart to pick up our daughter on time at the testing center.  But first, we stopped by the hotel for a quick nap and clean up.  Ashlyn got out at 5:30 and was mentally drained.  She wanted to stretch her legs, so we walked around the mall a bit then ate some dinner.  Fingers crossed (and lots of prayers) she did well!

As a follow up, Ashlyn not only passed the medical board exam, but she also scored high enough for a surgery slot!  Her dream of being a surgeon since she was 8 years old is now coming true.  So proud of you, girl!  All your hard work, late nights studying, sweat, tears, prayers, and much stress were worth it. 

Charleston - USS Yorktown

Ashlyn had her medical board exam in Charleston, but didn't want the stress of driving 4 hours to get there.  So, the family decided to drive her and make a vacation out of it...our first since quarantine. 

While she was busy with her 10-hour test, we decided to tour the naval ship USS Yorktown in the Charleston harbor.  This aircraft carrier served in WWII through Vietnam (1943-1970), and was named after an earlier aircraft carrier that sunk at the epic Battle of Midway (June 1942). 

 

On the top deck we saw machine guns and lots of airplanes that flew off the carrier during its active tour.  One of my favorite planes was the Skywarrior, the largest and heaviest aircraft to regularly operate from an aircraft carrier, earning the nickname "Whale". It was used as a bomber.  To this day, it still holds the record for the heaviest catapult launch from an aircraft carrer (84,000 lbs) in 1959.

Another of my favorites was the F-14 Tomcat. This was a fighter Navy jet with advanced weapons systems.  These were the planes featured in the Tom Cruise movie "Top Gun."

A super cool fact I didn't know about this ship is that it recovered the Apollo 8 space capsule in 1968.  We couldn't go inside due to COVID restrictions, but it was neat to see.

Down in the belly of the ship we saw what it was like to be a sailor for months on end.  Here is where the payroll, finance, and other administrative functions took place.

Since Ashlyn was busy taking her medical exam, we snapped a picture of the ship's operating room for her.

Their sick bay was huge!  I can just imagine the chaos if the ship was under seige and all the injured were filling up the beds.

The dental area was neat.  With Eric's dad being a dentist in the Navy during WWII, our little one wanted her picture in one of the chairs.

The engineering room was filled with pipes, valves, and gauges. 

A quick selfie with the family showing our masks.  These were required in enclosed areas.

We then toured the USS Laffey, a destroyer that often accompanied aircraft carriers to protect them in battle.  The submarine onsite, the USS Clamagore, was closed due to COVID concerns.