NASA's Johnson Space Centre

Thursday, Nov 1 was a laundry and grocery day but Friday we headed to NASA's Johnson Space Centre.  Spent about 5 hours going through various exhibits, listening to a former astronaut tell us about his trip to space and then took a shuttle tour of the grounds.  

Lots of pics so lets get started with our day.

At the entrance we were greeted with a replica
of the Space Shuttle piggybacked on top of the
actual plane used to transport the Shuttle.

The crew quarters about the size of a small closet.
Toiletries velcroed to the wall.
Sleeping bag is tied to the wall so you don't float around the room

Dr John-David Bartoe, Astronaut, Astrophysicist.  His list of
accomplishments and senior positions at NASA to lengthy to list.
Was on Space Shuttle Challenger in July, 1985
In January 1986 Challenger blew-up 73 seconds after launch.  Eerie.
He provided a very informative talk and some of the pics below are from his mission

This is the heel of the boot of Italy.

Here is a shot of Houston from space

Unique Coke and Pepsi cans custom made for use in space.
Press the button and it sprays the drink into your mouth. 

Space balls of Pepsi

Lights of New York and Long Island at the middle right.
Philadelphia and Washington, DC next light clusters to the left.
Further north are the great lakes and one of those clusters is Toronto.

A shot of the Space Station.  The Red, White and Blue line is the horizon at sunrise.

I took this shot of one of the displays.
Check out the dude with the guitar.
Wonder if he was singing Bowie's "Ground Control to Major Tom"

Astronaut training centre.
Each of the modules simulates part of the space station
and is used for training. 

Space Suit

Orion capsule used for training for the next Moon and Mars missions.
Dates to be determined. 

These guys were getting a much more hands on tour than us.
We took the wrong shuttle tour. 

MRV - Modular Robotic Vehicle

Space Robot.
To be used for routine and dangerous maintenance tasks.

Above description applies to rocket below.

Above description applies to pic below.

One really big rocket with 5 F-1 engines described below.

The top of the same rocket

Lori looks sooo small next to this beast.

Above description applies to the red topped rocket below

A Space Shuttle replica perched atop its ride

Cockpit of the Space Shuttle

Another shot of the piggyback

Another display had an example of summersaults in a weightless environment.
Thought he was real at first.  A very lifelike mannequin. 

Having a shower in space

Here is our setup in League City, Tx.  Mark & Jan's motorhome to the left.
Our sites are ok although no wifi.
Very few RV sites.  Mostly rundown mobile homes.  Not the best part of town.  

Thats it for today.  Tomorrow we are off to Galveston.  Currently Galveston has been invaded by a few thousand bikers.  Going to be very busy.  Hope we can find a parking spot for the truck. 

Waco Day 2

Tuesday, Oct 30.  We started a little later as we weren’t in a rush to get to the Magnolia Table for breakfast.  1st stop was the Suspension Bridge and then we  made our way to the small town of McGregor to find the Magnolia House (their Bed and Breakfast). We stopped at a gift shop called Irene’s and it was all decorated for their big one-day Christmas Sale that was happening this coming Sunday. Lots of nice things!!! 

We found our way to Jimmy Don’s Iron Works, remember him from Fixer Upper, the metal sign guy.  We met Mrs. Jimmy Don and her future daughter-in-law, wedding is this coming Saturday. We drove to the town of Valley Mills and found the future site of a Magnolia Bed and Breakfast. We also drove by, what was reported to be Chip and Joanna’s house, unfortunately we never saw them in our travels.  We also made a stop at the Dr Pepper museum however were too late to take the tour, instead we dropped by the malt shop for a much too sweet Root Beer float.  

Wednesday we were off to League City, which is half way between Houston and Galveston.  Took us about 4 hours with the last part right through downtown Houston in a driving rainstorm with traffic and lots of construction.  The last hour was a bit hairy to say the least.  Once we got set up we checked the weather reports on the news to see what we drove through.  There was a series of heavy thunderstorms rolling through the area which included Tornado watches.  Not something you want to see at the best of times but when your housed in a trailer it gives one an eerie feeling.  At times the traffic on the interstate was down to 25 MPH due to heavy rain and lack of visibility.  

Checked into our site however no wifi so am currently at Starbucks writing and posting this blog.  Lori is next door at Barnes & Noble so I have lots of time.  The next few days we will hit some of the attractions in the Houston and Galveston area before we head south to Corpus Christie.    

A tribute to the settlers along the original Chisholm Trail

Suspension Bridge

River flooding its banks with all the rain

Some places have Wishing Wells where you throw coins for good luck
Here you throw a Tortilla from the bridge and try to put it on the landing area.
Some have had success.  We forgot to bring any Tortillas'

There is a very nice riverwalk but its well below water level now.

Peek a boo!

Jan, Mark and Lori.
Took 3 pictures.  Lori's eyes were closed in all 3.

Them's big cables. 

Its very pretty along the riverbank.
Too bad its underwater. 

The home reno'd for the managers of the Bed 'n Breakfast in McGregor

The Magnolia Bed n' Breakfast in McGregor.
If your fans of the show you know what I'm talking about. 

Anybody like Purple

Home of a future Magnolia B & B.
Right now its a saw mill in Valley Mills

Jan taking a picture of Chip and Joanna's residence
We thought she was going to climb the fence.

Hard to get a good pic.
Some of these pics are from Lori's iPhone.
Poor quality but download much quicker. 

Dr Pepper delivery truck

Buc-ees Truck stop.  Was like walking into a mall complete with food court.

Lori wanted to stay and shop.
I wanted to get back on the road and beat the rush hour traffic.
I won but the traffic was still crazy. 

Cutest Camper Ever

Our stay at Cedar Valley RV Park included a glimpse of the cutest camper we have ever seen.  The paint job gave it a 3D effect.

Entrance and Clubhouse at Cedar Lake.
Nothing fancy but has level concert pads and spacious sites. 

The cow on the front looks very real.
They even had a matching table, chairs and umbrella

Notice the painting of the boy looking out the back window.
Even a couple of retro looking bikes. 

They even painted the door to look like an old wood door.

Other than saying hi and compliment the owners on their paint job we didn't get a chance to talk to them.