In the morning, Dax and I sampled about 8 miles of trails.
From glorious waterfalls, courtesy of the monsoon rains,
to a once hidden derelict truck forgotten in the woods.
Between the natural beauty, the resulting fatigued puppy, my daily cardio, this adventure gets a 4.5... 1/2 point taken for the bitter wind and rain, but I suppose that builds character.
Afternoon adventure consisted of striking something off my Must See List: The National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Imposing building with almost 200,00 sq. ft of exhibits. Too much to take in on one day, let alone an afternoon.
The exhibits range from the first military engagements of the fledgling country to today's preeminent military powerhouse.
You want to stop and read everything and watch all the gripping documentary shorts.
The smartest thing to do is to avoid rushing. Absorb what you can and make plans to return to finish touring the exhibits.
A new feature of the museum is the interactive combat simulator.
My first attempt at providing cover from a Blackhawk helicopter to a hostage rescue mission was going not too badly until, in my excitment, I shot the hostages and ground support. Oops. Newbie mistake, my bad. The attendants strap you into the helicopter seats because the incredible real feel of the simulator goggles can make you fall off your seat or lean out the door too far to take a shot.
My next mission was to provide support fire for a convoy of Humvees crossing into enemy territory to rescue humanitarian aid workers... without any friendly fire this time.
From my perch in the commander's seat of the Humvee I did better than average, making 35 head shots and 101 kills (far better than my helicopter massacre).
Exhilarating on one hand...
Humbling on other. Because I got to walk away unscathed. The museum proudly showcases all of America's military ingenuity and prowess, but discretely and profoundly leaves you wishing non of it were necessary.
Unequivocal top rating of 5.0.
