Kennedy Space Center Tourist Complex was our destination today. The KSC part was okay but expensive and an inordinate amount of standing in line was required to do anything – see the IMAX show, ride the tour bus, return to the original destination on the tour bus or eat and the food was nominal at best.
However, there was a launch of a Delta IV rocket with a GPS satellite on top that went off at precisely the time specified and it was spectacular. Despite having multiple family members that worked for JPL/NASA, I had never seen a launch, other than on TV, and found it was a lot like a NASCAR race. You just can’t appreciate a TV version of something after you have seen it in real life. I had no idea it took so little time for something to get out of Dodge when propelled by big rocket engines. You see the stream of hot fire coming out of the launch vehicle, then the noise starts about the time the column of fire starts getting smaller and a minute or so later all you can see is a really hot-looking dot in the sky and then it disappears. It is much better than the skyrockets I have had and I admit I have had some really big ones.
On the way back to the KOA and the Invader, we took another pass through the MINWR and again spotted tons of wildlife. Today we saw three more armadillos and a Glossy Ibis was added to our list of identified birds. Even if one was to omit the KSC debacle, Merritt Island and Canaveral Seashore are worth the trip to this part of the world.