Daydream's Great Loop: At the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis

This blog will chronicle our (Pat and Patty Anderson's)

cruising adventures on the Great Loop!

DAY 53 - May 23, 2017

After dog duty and breakfast, we paddled over to the Truxtun Park Dock, and with some trepidation about whether it would be there on our return, tied the kayak up to the dock, walked up to the road and fired up the Uber app. Within minutes, we had our Uber driver to take us to the U.S. Naval Academy Visitor Center, for about a third of the cost of the water taxi! Unless you are a taxi driver, you just have to love Uber for convenient low-cost transportation!

Our tour guide, Chip Seymour,
former Director of Admissions at
US Naval Academy

Our tour guide was Chip Seymour, the former Director of Admissions at the Naval Academy. He was a classmate of Roger Staubach, Class of 1965. There were maybe only 10 people in our tour group. The guided walking tour cost $10 each, and I cannot imagine going to the Naval Academy without taking the guided tour. Chip's explanations of everything were both informative and funny. He had to pause periodically, however, since the Blue Angels were practicing for tomorrow's big show. Those jets flying low are thunderous!

This is "Commissioning Week," where the graduating seniors will receive their commissions as either Ensigns in the Navy or Second Lieutenants in the Marine Corps.

We toured most of the major buildings, and got a great explanation of the lives midshipmen live at the Naval Academy. The chapel and the museum were both very impressive. Chip said if we were ever on Jeopardy, knowing about the the "Ring Dance" in Dahlgren Hall could be valuable! Most impressive, though, was the daily ritual of the midshipmen in front of Bancroft Hall before lunch. We got a nice video so you can get an idea of this!

We had lunch at The Alley, the restaurant at the Naval Academy Club, and went to Storm Brothers Ice Cream Factory for dessert!

Some more pictures: