Day 4; “I think i’ll Wear this outfit today”

May 19, 2021

We make it to Kennedy Space center

When touring, I normally have one on-bike outfit and one off-bike outfit. So it’s ironic when I’m getting ready for our rest day at Kennedy Space Center and I put on my off-bike outfit and tell Kath, “I think I’ll wear this outfit today.”

The Lyft driver we booked last night arrived right on time and Craig whisked is away to KSC. We collected our tickets and immediately booked our bus to the Apollo launch sites. I’m in complete anticipation heading towards the site as I was into rockets and satellites and aviation in my youth. I remember the Apollo missions, and especially the moon landing where they drove a car around the moon (but no bicycle - how cool would THAT have been?)

I am so giddy with anticipation, boarding the bus to the Apollo launch site!

Actual control room from the 60’s and 70’s. This is too cool! Such memories of watching documentaries and shows about this

I was familiar with the size of the Saturn 5 rocket, but It was something completely new to Kath and just HUGE. Imagine the rocket, 36 stories tall, with a small capsule at the top to carry astronauts into orbit, the moon, and back to earth. And 95% of that rocket is fuel. Un.be.liev.able.

The booster goes on and on and on. Guess you need a lot of power to get into orbit and to the moon. Probably a bit more than cycling into the wind....

To return to the main portion of the KSC we had to rebound the bus and ride back. That enabled us to pass by the rocket/shuttle assembly building. This thing is massive. They put everything together for launch and then track it to the launch site. You can see this building across the bay from the picture we shot yesterday. It’s THAT massive. Maybe not as large as the national debt, but still HUGE.

By the time we returned it was already 12:00 and we decided to get lunch before heading off to the Atlantis exhibit. They had a really good entry into Atlantis. They displayed a movie of the shuttle launch in a theater, and watched all the activities the shuttle could do (launch satellites, repair the Hubble, dock with space station, etc) and then return back to earth through re-entry. Then the screen was backlit and you saw the actual shuttle through the screen in the next room. The screen then lifted into the ceiling and you walked through the portico to see the orbiter. Just totally fascinating. I’m just in awe at the whole thing.

Atlantis. The 4th orbiter. And last one to fly, July 2011

Amazing this vessel performed 33 missions - such a workhorse!

I could post more pictures, but how many would I have to post before you say, “ok, Paul, we see it. It’s a space shuttle” but’s to me it’s such an engineering marvel and I marvel at its achievements. There’s a launch simulator, exhibit space on eating, sleeping, exercising, and performing many earthborn activities in zero-gravity. With all the successes, there were still two tragedies, Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003.

Pieces of Challenger (which exploded on launch during MaxQ) and Columbia (which burned up on re-entry due to missing ceramic tile). 14 souls who deserve to be remembered for their “trailblaze-ness”

Still opening up post-pandemic, the entrance was practically empty on our way out 3:30

I could write so much about being here but if it’s not your bag, it’s probably not that interesting. Understand I was so excited to be here and see these marvels of engineering. I am a happy boy tonight!

Speaking of being empty, we return to Titusville with Timm, our Lyft driver. I ask him about how the space coast fared during the pandemic. He said it hurt the cruise lines that were docked at Port Canaveral, but there has been a lot of building since SpaceX has come to town. He told us what really put them on hard times was the cancelation of the shuttle program. That really hurt the community.

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Lyle McLeodHi Kath & Paul,
Really enjoying your journal, and it’s great that you’re touring together. Both Kirsten and I find having a ‘touring buddy’ essential gear.
We we’re at KSC waaay back in 1992, just before our daughter was born. I had pretty much the same reaction to the place that you have. Simply amazing. And as for posting more pics of the space shuttle …. I’ve got absolutely no problem with that as long as you continue to feature the Canad-arm and the Maple Leaf 😎 🇨🇦!
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3 years ago

Paul MulveyTo Lyle McLeodNo problem with the shuttle arm. I did see that and I thought it was. Great collab with the two countries for th space program.

Guessing your Canadian since you mentioned this. I would like to get to Canada and ride from Ottawa to mt Tremblant and onto Montreal and Quebec City once all this pandemic lockdown lifts. If you’re near the route we’ll try and look yo up.
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3 years ago

Lyle McLeodWe can vouch for a tour in Quebec as you’ve outlined. We rode the St Lawrence south shore from Montreal to Quebec City on our 2015 cross Canada ride ( https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/ltkk2015/) and it was great. We’ve heard from a number of people that the north shore is equally great.
The tour you’ve outlined starting in Ottawa is on our ‘short list’ for our next tour, but we’ll add on the Gaspe and Maritime provinces as well if we do it. With some luck that might happen in the fall but it has hot competition with a Pyrenees, French med, Italian lakes and Dolomites route.
As for looking us up if and when you do the Quebec trip, we’re a little bit off the route … about 3500 km’s west in the Rockies 😎! Kirsten did grow up north of Quebec City and in Montreal though before she moved west and hooked up with me.
Continued safe travels!
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3 years ago