Day Three

Woke up just before 7am and headed straight for the pool. Another quiet dip which was very nice. Bigger and straighter pool allowed for better swimming. Back to the room and ready to go out by 9am.

Headed across the way to an IHOP for breakfast. Ann had some granola with bananas, strawberries and blueberries and I had pancakes. A good start.

We then headed directly east towards the Kennedy Space Centre. We had to cross the Indian River on the way to Merritt Island where the centre is. On arrival we made our way to the entrance and then had a choice to make about what kind of tour we wanted. We weren't quite sure but made an educated guess about what we wanted to see. I can tell you now that we made the right decision.

We got in to the centre about 11am and our tour didn't start until 12pm, so we wandered around a bit to pass the time.  Saw the Shuttle Launch Experience building so thought we'd give it a go. We had to put all our belongings into a locker before entering, which made us wonder what kind of experience it was going to be. We went in and then watched various videos in different rooms in the lead up to the launch. They were quite loud to the point that a little girl was screaming in agony at the noise. Wondered why her parents had brought her into the experience in the first place. Decided it was because they were stupid. Finally, we had to line up next to the simulator and wait to enter. Ann then told me she didn't want to go in. Told her to shut up and get on with it. Luckily there weren't many people in our group so we had a row of seats to ourselves. Went in, sat down and put seat belt on. Man made sure we were strapped in. Then he left. The pod we were sat in then tipped up vertically so we were sat looking upwards. More videos and countdowns until the point we took off. Then the whole thing shook quite alot for quite along time as the video showed everything that was happening and where you were in the flight. According to one former astronaut it is the closest thing to a real launch that he has ever been in. Made your face and neck feel very fat. When we finished Ann thanked me for making her go on it as it was her childhood dream to be an Astronaut.

Then it was time for the tour. We still weren't sure what to expect but just went and lined up and waited for the bus. Once we were aboard off we went. First we headed out on to the NASA Causeway which goes across the Banana River towards Cape Canaveral Airforce base. We stopped halfway so we could see an overview of the places where we were going. Started to get annoyed with other people on the bus who kept talking whilst the guide was speaking. They were mostly foreign. Told them to shut up. The first proper port of call was the Vehicle Assembly Building. You might recognise it. It is the place where they put the various parts of the craft - boosters, rockets, ship - together. Therefore it is very big. Apparently it is something like the fourth biggest building in the world in terms of cubic volume.

Its roof is an acre in size!

We then stopped and got to go inside.

Looking up

As you can imagine it is immense in size. The guide then said he had two special guests. One was a NASA worker who was going to talk to us for a while, the other was a lady who was happy to have her picture taken. He said if you come around this corner you can can snap away. We walked around the corner.

The lady in question was Atlantis. A real live space shuttle. Been in space and everything. Knew at this point we had made the right choice of tour. It was the only one that came inside this building so we were extremely pleased.

Back on the bus and we headed out to two launch pads. Next to the normal road was the largest single track road I have ever seen. It was about 200 feet across. A machine called a crawler carries the fully built Space Shuttle plus the launch platform out to the pad along the road. It moves at under 1mph, not suprising as it is carrying nearly 5500 tonnes.

The first launch pad we stopped at was 39A which is the most famous one. All the Apollo missions were launched from it as well as a lot of the space shuttle ones.

39A

Next was 39B. It is more infamous than famous. It is the launch pad that Challenger took off from in 1986 when it exploded about 70secs after take off.

39B

We now headed back to Saturn 5 centre, where the tour ended. On our way, we spotted out first alligator of the trip. The whole island is a protected area so there is an abundance of wildlife.

You can just see the head in the middle of the picture.

Most people on the bus were more excited about seeing an alligator than anything to do with space.

When we arrived at the Saturn V centre we watched a short video before moving into the actual control room that oversaw the take off of Apollo 8. Then a video sequence gave you the experience of being in the room at the time of take off. Even the windows shook.

Was pretty cool. We then headed into a big room which had an actual Saturn V rocket in it. They are the rockets which powered the Apollo missions.  To give you the scale of size I made Ann stand next to it.

Big Unit

We then decided to get some lunch. As we went to pay for it, I decided to throw my lunch and drink on the floor. Made a bit of a mess. Felt rather silly. The cashier laughed and and said 'I'm sorry for laughing, but that is really funny.' Got some more lunch. We sat outside. There were some dinosaur looking birds mooching about trying to steal peoples' food. Big signs said 'Don't Feed the Birds'. Watched a boy feed the birds as his parents sat there. Thought are people just completely thick?

After lunch caught a bus back to the main visitor centre. Decided to go in the big shop before we left. Bought some freeze dried ice-cream space food. Am eating it now in fact. Very nice. Ann bought a hat.

We left the space centre and headed back across the Indian river to the Astronaut Hall of Fame. Went in and wandered about a bit. It generally had the same sort of stuff as the main centre. Unfortunately whilst in there a big mother of a thunderstorm rolled in. Quite spectacular. On leaving ran very fast to the car. Got wet feet. Stopped at Subway on the way back to the hotel to get some tea. Ate it watching Top Gear.

Just seen Tom Daley fail on American TV.

Could tell you so much more about all the interesting facts we learnt today, but can't be bothered as this is already far too long. Going to bed now. Tomorrow we are heading north.

States visited - One.

Day Two

Woke up early this morning and decided to make the most of it by having a 7am swim in the motel pool. It was lovely and quiet and we watched the sunrise as we swam. Only company we had was a squirrel which was rooting its way through the bin by the pool.

Wandered out onto the small pier which went out into the nearby water. Saw a crab wandering along it.

The small pier

The motel from the pier

After breakfast and some skyping we packed up and got into the big car ready to start our days journey. We headed north on Highway 1 and after a while we switched over onto I-95. Stopped at an IHOP for lunch. We both had some quality pancakes. Decided that we are going to set up the equivalent chain back home called The Pancake Bungalow. Carried on heading north until we reached Titusville. Our first stop was at the Warbirds Museum.

http://www.vacwarbirds.org/

It is a place dedicated to the American Airforce and has lots of planes. We went inside and had a look around the nice exhibits before heading into the hangers to see the planes. One of the guides said he'd show us around so he took us on a tour. Now, I have been hot in my life, but I don't think I have experienced a heat quite like the one inside the hangers. Occasionally we got a bit of relief with an air conditioned room but boy was it hot. My knees started sweating. Ann said her eyes were sweating.

The Tico Belle

It was really interesting but by the end we just wanted to stand somewhere cold. Did you know, for example, George Bush Snr was shot down by the Japanese in World War 2 and, but for a US submarine in the area, would have been captured by a ruthless General who was renowned for killing his POWs.

A Huey helicopter made famous by the Vietnam War

We did happen to see the smallest plane in the world taking off. It is owned by a guy who works in the museum and he flies it in as it uses less gas than his car. It looked like a kids toy, but down the runway it went and off up into the distance. Having finished the enjoyable but ultra warm tour we decided to move on.

We headed to our hotel which is the Holiday Inn in Titusville. Very nice place. Very nice room. Sat for a while in the comfort of the air conned room. Headed out to Subway to get some tea and went back to the hotel to eat it. Watched Independence Day again.

Then fell asleep. Woke up and thought I'd better do the blog. Ann helped out by falling asleep and staying asleep.

Tomorrow we are going to the Kennedy Space Centre. Sounds good.

Before I go, here is the car as promised. It is a GMC Acadia if you are interested. Which you are probably not. Also I have remembered that I love driving in the US. It is great.

Unit

States Visited - One

Amendment to Day One

Forgot to mention that when we arrived at the motel last night, I started fiddling with buttons in the car to see what they did. Pressed one and it started ringing. Tried in vain to stop it. Man answered the other end.

'Please state the nature of your emergency'
'I don't have one. It rang itself'
'OK. Well we'll be here if you need us'

Panic over!!

Day One

Arrived in London on Friday evening in readiness for Saturday's flight.  Some sort of event happening which meant that there was a bit of traffic. Got to Alice and George's flat just in time to eat dinner and then sit back and watch the aforementioned event. Not criticising Danny Boyle but I could have sorted out the ceremony for a lot less cash. All it needed was Fatima Whitbread to throw a javelin that is on fire the length of the stadium into the cauldron which would be in the shape of a old fashioned pint jug, thus lighting the flame. Sorted. Anyway went to bed fairly late, 1.30am to be precise. Alarm set for 6.15am. Going to be a short night.

Woke up, got ready, said goodbye to Alice (No sign of George) and got a cab to Heathrow. Passed a lot of people called Steward on the way who were about to shut the road for some cyclists. Unlike last time we managed to check in our baggage immediately which meant we could go airside straight away. No issues going through security, although an eleven year old boy was trying sneak through. Sat down for a very long time. Got very good at Stick Tennis on the iphone whilst waiting.

Eventually boarding started and we made our way towards the plane. Just as we were about to board a stern looking lady decided that Ann looked like she was hiding something, so pulled her aside for another security check. I stood with baited breath wondering whether the woman would find the stash of yoghurt Ann had bought whilst we waited. As it turned out the woman had to be told by Ann which parts of the bag she should be searching. Ex customs officers - they never switch off.

Got on plane. Took off about thirty minutes late. Got a good view of the two Severn crossings as we headed out over South Wales. Then tuned into the in flight entertainment. Watched three films: 21 Jump Street, Man on a Ledge and This Means War; an episode of 2012 and an episode of Family Guy. Seemed to help pass the eight and a half hours. Also played more tennis. Thumped Anna Kournikova.

Soon we flew in over Miami Beach and landed in Miami (Miami Vice, couldn't think of any other films that were set here). Got off plane, saw a woman fall down an escalator and made our way to passport control. Stood for what seemed like longer than the entire flight waiting to be admitted to the USA. Actually was just a paltry hour and fifteen minutes queuing. Imagined our bags were just circling around the conveyor belt like lost children looking for a parent. Whilst waiting, thought about the saying 'Guns don't kill people, people kill people'. Made me think of Goldie Lookin' Chain's song - Guns Don't kill People, Wappers do - What happened to them? Did people just eventually work out they were crap?

Man at the desk asked us some questions. He said 'How much money do you have?' Ann got slightly confused and started telling him how much we earnt. Finally she realised he meant how much money did we have on us. I stared at her slightly bemused.


Anyway, eventually got past the man who said we could stay and found our bags. Then got through customs and made our way across the airport to get to the hire car place. Everything was fine and we went down to pick up the car. When we got down there it was apparent the type of car we had booked, Standard SUV, was in short supply as we were told to wait, presumably for some to be returned by people finishing their holiday. After about ten minutes of waiting, the guy came back to us and just pointed at a car and said take that one instead, same price. He scrawled over our paperwork to show that we were ok to take it, so off we went. So we now have a car which is as big as our house. The suitcases in the boot are in a different time zone to us.

Drove North on I-95 for an hour and a half and finally reached our destination for our first night. And here it is.

http://www.jupiterwaterfrontinn.com/

Think the boot of the car is still in Miami.

We checked in. Dennis on the front desk was very helpful and off we trotted to our room. Now for the entire time we have been planning the trip Ann has told me how on the first night was going to be great because we had our own private jacuzzi in the room, the perfect way to relax after a long flight. We get to our room, no jacuzzi. Go back and say to Dennis we paid for a jacuzzi, where is it. He looks up our booking. We had booked a room with a jacuzzi. Unfortunately they don't have any left. Oh dear. Dennis is very apologetic and says they will refund the extra money paid. We say OK, don't worry, to be honest we don't really feel like a jacuzzi we just want to go to sleep. Then he says I will let you stay tomorrow night for free, which would be great except we are moving further North and have already prepaid for that accomodation.

Went out into Jupiter for dinner. It wasn't great. Had a sprite which tasted of nothing. Ann had a caesar salad which apparently is just lettuce with something drizzled on it. Should be called Caesar Lettuce instead.

Back in the room now. As normal Ann has managed to find the film Independence Day on TV, which she seems to do with remarkable regularity.

Also, as was the norm with the previous trip's blog, she has fallen asleep whilst I am typing away.

It is now 10.45pm here, which is 3.45am back home, meaning in two and a half hours time I will have been awake for twenty four hours. Better go to bed. Picture of monster car in tomorrow's blog.

States visited: 1

2012 Test

Just seeing if this works still. Looks like it does.

Days Twenty Nine and Thirty

Put both these days together as to us they were one long day.

Got up and went out for breakfast at Lori's Diner. Came back to the hotel and finished our packing. Made sure everything was zipped away. Headed down to the hotel lobby at 12pm and printed our boarding passes. Hung around the lobby for an hour as flight wasn't until 4.55pm. Then at 1pm we took the hotel's town car to the airport. Arrived, checked our baggage then went through security. Got chatting to a man whilst waiting airside. He was going to be on our flight. He appeared to be a musician going to London, as he had an agent who came and spoke to him. Had long discussion with him about our trip. He was quite interested. Saw him later as we boarded in one of the upmarket seating areas.

Plane was delayed by an hour due to being late arriving, and then some technical detail, apparently they were waiting for confirmation of the plane's weight and their calculations for take off whilst we sat at the end of the runway. Presumed that was quite important. Eventually took off, and circled over the top of the bay giving our side of the plane a great view of the Golden Gate bridge and Alcatraz. Everybody else on our flight seemed to know each other which was quite odd. Think they were all Argentinian

Didn't manage to sleep on flight, but did watch two movies and some other stuff. Landed at what to us was 3.30am, but was now in fact 11.30am BST. Got rail-air coach to Reading station and waited. Got on train at 3.30pm, arriving back at Totnes at 6.15pm. Got home at roughly 6.45pm. Sat down. Put TV on, amazed to find Escape from Alcatraz was on. Pointed at screen alot going saw that, been there. Then made the best ever meal, mashed potato. Was delicious.

Writing this at 11pm BST, which means I have now been up for the last 30 hours. Feeling very tired now. Apologise for any mistakes in typing. Will write a final blog tomorrow to sum up the trip. Goodnight!

Day Twenty Eight

Woke up late as it was so dark in room. Got ready and left. Had to be at Pier 33 to catch 10.30 ferry. No time for breakfast. Just walked straight there. Lined up, got on boat. Set out across San Francisco Bay. First glimpse of our destination.

The Rock

Landed on Alcatraz. Headed up to pick up our audio guide which is included in the ferry ticket price. The guide which takes you around the cellblock is narrated by a former prison officer on the island and has contributions from 3 other wardens and 4 ex inmates. It has sound effects which bring everything to life. It was thoroughly fascinating listening to the stories and looking around.

Only when we had finished listening and went back to film the cells did we realise how quiet it was. This was due to everybody just listening to the earphones. Until that point we hadn't noticed that it was so silent. Most famous resident was Al Capone. Too many interesting facts to list them all. Most interesting story was one of the inmates saying that when he was in the pitch black isolation cell, he used to rip a button off his top and throw it in the air. Then he would go around in the dark on his hands and knees until he found it. Then he'd stand up and do it again. That is how he passed the time.

Got ship back to shore, seeing another famous landmark.

Once back on dry land we decided to have brunch as we were starving. Found an IHOP which was virtually empty and ate lots. Next we decided to find a place to buy a daypass for the local public transport system. On our way a man somehow started a conversation with us, just so he could tell us he'd been mugged when getting out a taxi and that he'd given them hell first, giving us details of his martial art background. Crossed to the other side of the street to try and lose him. We then boarded a cable car (like a tram) and travelled about. Decided it was fun so just went up and down another line later on.

By six o'clock we decided we were hungry again so headed back to the Pinecrest Diner that we went to yesterday. On the way there, a man who said he wasn't a bum followed us and told us a long winded story about how he and his girlfriend needed a couple of dollars to get bus tickets, because they had been robbed and that everyone he asked kept ignoring him like he had leprosy. He went on for about a minute as we walked, when he finished I told him that I didn't have any cash on me, which actually was true. He left and started bothering the people behind us.

Having been to New York, Washington, Las Vegas and LA and seen hardly any, San Francisco has a massive amount of homeless people. They have been everywhere we have gone. Tried to work out why we have seen none anywhere else. Are the other cities just better at hiding them than SF? Or do they do more to help them? Most ingenius sign of the day. 'Why lie, need money for beer'.

Whilst eating dinner we agreed that we had now got to the point where we are done with seeing things. Looking forward to heading home, not because we don't want to stay, could easily spend much longer here, but we are now at the point of being fed up with constantly moving. Looking forward to being in one place, not having to constantly repack and move on.

Now back in hotel sorting out everything for tomorrow's flight home. Making sure we have got it all!