Barry & Joyce's Adventures: December 2, 2012

11/21/2012

We've been here at Anastasia State Park for almost a month already. Time flies….., etc.

Since Anastasia is located in the city of St. Augustine, it is very busy both in the day use and campground. The park is old and as such, not really "big rig" friendly. There are a few parking sites that are adequate for larger RV's but not many and you better be good at backing your rig. The majority of our camping sites are on dirt with a few cement hardstand ADA sites.

Our duties usually only takes two to three hours to complete each day with the exception of Sunday and Monday, the major check-out days. Even then it only adds maybe an hour to the schedule, still making the days relatively short. One of the great things about our schedule (in addition to the three-on/three-off days) is when were finished with the daily duties, we're done. No selling firewood or hanging around the campground to help park guests.

On the 17th Harold and Michelle had a party for our grandson Skyler, celebrating his first birthday.

With his mustache binkie!

11/29/2012

We went to see two movies since I last posted. Denzel Washington is an outstanding actor and his performance in his new flick Flight, was fantastic. If you are a history nut or just interested in the Civil War then the new Steven Spielburg film Lincoln, staring Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field should not be missed.

One of the attractions that has been on my bucket list for a long time and being the aviation nut that I am, I went to the Kennedy Space Center last week. We got my tickets at NAS Jacksonville which included lunch with an astronaut and a up-close tour of the complex. Joyce had visited the Space Center some years back with her grandfather so she took a Casino Cruise out of Port Canaveral.

I have flown into the Cape Canaveral Skid Strip a few times but never was here long enough to tour the Space Center.

At the Center I saw all the exhibits including The Early Space Exploration, the Rocket Garden and the Space Exploration. I also saw two IMAX 3D films.

My next stop was at the Shuttle Launch Experience which is actually a combination launch simulator and arcade ride. During the "experience" you learn a lot about a shuttle launch, from being suited-up to arrival in earth orbit. Very cool!

My lunch was with Dr. James "J R" Reilly who flew three shuttle missions. He gave a slide show presentation and then opened the room up for questions.

After lunch I boarded the tour bus which took us out past the Vehicle Assembly Building. The 526 foot building is huge and is now under renovation, preparing it for the next generation of rockets.

Our next stop was at Launch Complex 39, comprising pads A & B. Our tour guide gave us a lot of information about the early years of space launches and a even more about a shuttle launch sequence.