Over the Christmas New Year period (2006 / 2007) we drove down the east coast through Kitty Hawk, Myrtle Beach, Charleston and Savannah. However our first point of call was Norfolk. It is about 3 hrs drive from Washington DC and it gave as a good opportunity to test out our new car (having only picked it up three days before).

US highways are completely different to those in Australia. The major interstates are a minimum of two lanes each way, with some having three or four lanes each way. Something else you notice here is that there is always cars out on the road, no matter what the time of day or the weather conditions. I guess that is what happens when you're living in a country of over 300 million people.

Something else that we noticed early on was that you were never far from the next petrol station (or gas station as it's called here). It seemed about every few miles there was a exit to multiple gas stations, as well as fast food stores. It's the land of convenience. We still haven't seen the signs like in Australia advertising "Last fuel for 100km". I wonder if they exist here?

Norfolk is a major military centre, with an extensive naval complex. The headquarters of the 5th Naval Dist, the Atlantic Fleet, the 2nd Fleet and the Supreme Allied Command are all based there. The operating base is the largest in the US and includes a naval air station and other facilities. The Norfolk navy yard is in Portsmouth.

Of interest in Norfolk are St Paul's Church (1738 and the only building to survive the burning in 1776), Fort Norfolk, General Douglas MacArthur Memorial, where he is buried and the USS Wisconsin and US Naval museum, which is what we stopped in to see as we passed through.

The USS Wisconsin is one big battle ship. There were four built this size and I believe they were the biggest ever built. The gun barrels are massive and in one of the photos you can see Carol standing at the base next to a projectile. The projectiles these things use weigh as much as a VW Beetle and can through it over 22 miles. Not a bad effort. The ship is extremely impressive but with the introduction of standoff weapons and the force that can be projected by a single aircraft carrier, they have unfortunately passed their used by date.

The USS Wisconsin last saw active duty in the first Gulf War		Looking aft from the bow (like the nautical terms?)		Carol is standing under the right gun barrel, next to a projectile
	The flag is at half mast due to the passing of President Ford