Titusville Trip Day Eight | Bella Rossa Fabrica

Day Eight

Launch day had finally arrived, and barring technical problems, it will go zoom. Breakfast at the hotel was eggs, taters, and toast (unfortunately they only had white bread). I got an espresso around the corner at Black Cat Coffee; the place was very busy. They were nice enough to pour it into my cup. While I was packing the cup back into the car, a public works truck pulled up, and one of the guys said while walking by, “Audi TT, I love those cars!” I responded, “You missed something.” And closed the trunk so he could see the emblem. When he spotted the TTS badge, he asked, “A sport?” to which I smiled and nodded and headed on my way.

Saturn V Rocket

I drove to the space center and took the bus to the Saturn V exhibit where the launch viewing area is located. I snuck in the back way through the gift shop. There is a Saturn V rocket hanging from the roof, and it is huge; it took me 5 to 10 minutes to walk the entire length. There is also a lunar lander and a command module. I then picked up my complimentary lunch and gift. Rice, beans, guacamole, and nacho chips with churros for dessert. The gift turned out to be an insulated bag, which I can actually use.

I set up my chair on the lawn and sat down for the 90-minute wait for liftoff. A guy said something while walking past me. I caught a glimpse of the shirt he was wearing and asked him to turn around. It was a Dodgers shirt, so we talked a bit about how the Dodgers break our hearts every year by getting so close to winning and then choking. He told me he was supposed to go to the west coast with his family, but the hurricane changed the plan. They went to Orlando instead, and he discovered that NASA was launching a rocket and bought tickets the day before.

The launch was very interesting to watch, but the best part for me was the rumbling and explosive sounds. I had expected the earth to move like an earthquake, but it was mostly a large vibration in my chest. The rocket was out of sight in a few minutes, and it was over. I described it best in a text to my friend Lance like this: “The launch was like sex; you anticipate it for weeks, and it is over in 2 minutes.” At this point they closed all the doors to the Saturn V exhibit and then herded us back to the buses.

I checked out the rest of the visitor center. The standout attraction was the Atlantis exhibit. The shuttle is suspended from the ceiling, and I could walk all around and under it. Very cool. From there I got in the 45-minute line for the shuttle simulator to experience a blast-off. I picked up a nice heavy hoodie, which will get plenty of use over the winter. That was it; it was all over. It took a week to get there, and it was over in minutes. It's all good; I firmly believe the more important thing is the journey and not the destination.

Dinner was at The Tiny Turtle in Cocoa Beach. It was a quiet night, just me and Tiffany, the bartender. I ordered a burger that came with fried plantains, rice and beans. As I previously wrote, I’m mostly a vegetarian, but sometimes I just have to have a burger. After a short time, a waitress walked up behind me and in a fake New York accent, said, “I got your burger, here.” Tiffany asked, “What did she say?” I joked, “I think she was making fun of the way I talk.” The waitress was shocked and came back and said, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t even hear you talk.” Tiffany burst out in laughter, and the waitress smiled because I had got her good. I thought I ordered a half-pound burger but when it turned out it had two huge patties. I did my best to eat that monster with my hands, but I finally broke down and used a fork. I topped it off with a slice of Key Lime pie and a double espresso. Both were good. When I couldn’t finish the pie and I made Tiffany take it away, she suggested I take a walk to work it off. I drove to a beach and took a twenty-minute walk along the surf. The waves were breaking over my feet, and it was as warm as bath water.

There was a Falcon 9 launch scheduled at about 1:30 AM, so I set an alarm for 1:00 AM. I got back in the car and headed back to the space center. It was closed, so I just drove slowly around it. I gave up around 1:45 AM without seeing anything and returned to the hotel. I had no idea at the time if it ever launched (Edit: It launched at 2:10 AM).