Saturday 29 December - Kennedy Space Center

Breakfast eaten and off to the Kennedy Space Center. Some problems with our navigation resulted in the need to pay some coin only tolls as we left and returned on intermediate ramps - Philip learned that not only are cars left hand drive but that the driver should be left handed to drive as he missed the coin bin with at least one of the coins on each occasion!

Finally reached the visitor centre and paid for parking (we're now used to this) and lined up for our entry tickets.

Alison and Jessica at KSC entry fountain

Alison and Jessica in front of the "Rocket Garden"

All the special encounters were listed as sold out on the ticket booth monitors but Philip asked anyhow and we scored a 3.40pm guided bus tour which would take us to the actual launch pad for the manned lunar launches and the space shuttle launches.

Alison with Jessica's travelling bears - Chris and Noel

Launch Pad 39A and ramp for rocket/shuttle mover

The tour also included a stop in the blast pit where the gas, heat and flames at lift off are directed.

Looking into the blast pit

Eventually made it back to the visor centre after a stop at the Apollo Mission display which includes a Saturn V rocket suspended in the building.

Lunar landing module

Moon rock

Thank heavens for this stop as Philip's stomach and other parts were "revolting" and he desperately needed a rest room. The main visitor centre was still 15 minutes away by bus!

Darkness had set in but there was one last ride that needed to be enjoyed. Alison and Jessica lined up for the Shuttle Launch Experience while Philip sat in a room watching the action and their reactions on a closed circuit monitor.

Other highlights of our day at Kennedy had been a very entertaining talk from a shuttle astronaut, seeing American Bald Eagles and their huge nest on the way to the launch pad,

Bald eagle on power pole and nest the size of a Queen Bed in tree to the right

seeing alligators in the wild right near the launch pad,

visiting the astronaut memorial and an iMax film about the Hubble Space telescope which inspired Philip to purchase three beautiful cosmic prints.

Back on the road and some mis-navigation by Jessica (can't blame Chuck the GPS this time) had us make a detour towards Miami which added 20km extra to our journey back to Orlando. Finally got "home" - now that we have mastered the 90B exit from the I-4 East! Alison and Jessica got takeaway from Applebee's again and the sick driver went straight to bed. Hence the one day delay in the posting of this blog entry.