Camp Lejeune

July 10- 12, 2010

Overcoming the bad directions of my GPS I managed to get from Bragg to Lejeune and to finally find the RV park. Got my space and am only about 150 yards from the beach.

I am also pretty close to a training area and have been hearing howitzer or mortars [I’m no Special Forces guy who naturally could tell the difference by sound alone.] and automatic weapons fire, Apache helicopter gunships and a V-22 Osprey overfly. No flights since sunset but the guns keep on booming. Plus “Tank Xing” signs all over the roads.

But the Osprey flyovers continue each day, the Osprey has a distinctive engine sound.

There are British troops training here and is a bit strange to see their vehicles and equipment around the Base; the MCB newspaper has a story saying they are the 30th Commando IX (Information Exploitation) Group, 3rd Commando Brigade, Royal Marines using Lejeune’s urban terrain facility.

SUN = beach day, and I think the water temperature is a bit lower than on the Gulf and at the Keys. However this place is great and the best military beach I have ever been at. MCB Camp Lejeune Onslow Beach, http://www.militarycampgrounds.us/component/content/article/51-north-carolina/157-onslow-beach-campsites-and-recreation-area . If you are active or retired military and want a beach vacation spot this place is a great place to just hang-out.

After the beach I walked over to the fishing pier that is on the Coastal Inland Waterway and watched the folks pulling in little Croppies and the bait of choice seemed to be chicken.

Kit, you’d like this place, there is a Duncan Donuts drive-thru at the exchange complex and they have iced coffee.

More beach time and more time on my bike and today was time for the Navy to use the firing range. While I was at the beach I could see two destroyers about 5 or 6 miles offshore firing over the beach and the Intercostal Waterway and into the Lejeune impact area. I could also see 4 Navy Amphibious ships off a bit south training with Marine helicopters and air cushioned tank carriers called LCAC, makes for a lot of noise.