Atlantic Launch, May 14, 2010

We left about 11:30 am to drive to Titusville, where we would have a good vantage point to see the shuttle launch. Britt had researched on the Internet and located a great spot, away from the biggest crowds and still with a good view. The shuttle was scheduled to launch at 2:20 pm and we arrived about 1:45. We weren't the only ones who knew about this location but it was still far away from the glut of cars and people trying to get a front row seat. We saw folks walking from blocks away from where they had parked. We drove into this side road, parked, and waited right there. Several folks walked up onto the sand pile but they didn't get any better view than we did. The shuttle took off right on time and we were able to see it almost immediately. This had been of some concern to us, that we wouldn't be able to see it clearly because the actual launchpad is about 12 miles away. Britt assured us that we would definitely see it and to just look for the "big wad of fire behind it". That brilliant scientific observation worked perfectly because there is a BIG wad of fire! It wasn't as loud as I thought it would be but it definitely got your attention. We watched it until it was only a small spot in the sky. I was awed by the power it takes to get this rather small shuttle up into space. Although these shuttle launches have become rather routine to many people, I thought it was amazing. I'm really glad that we went to see the beginning of Atlantis' final flight.






























































After the launch, we got back into the car and simply drove onto the highway and headed home. It took some folks two hours or more to get out of the parking snarl.
Yay, Britt!!!

On the way back we went through Sanford and stopped beside Lake Monroe.
Sanford is not a large town but very clean and neat, a mixture of old and new. There were several street-side cafes and many cool-looking shops. It is the kind of town where you can just walk up and down the sidewalks and find lots of great things to look at. There is a long and wide walkway beside the lake and maybe we can go back there and spend an afternoon just ambling around.

I have been mentioning that in our pictures of springs that the color of the water doesn't show true. In the pictures below, Lake Monroe appears blue but in reality the water is black as can be. It was sorta windy!