Cara's scanned vacation photos #2 - Cape Canaveral

Darcy recently toured the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral on a field trip with her class.  They participated in a special education program with an astronaut, and got to ride in a rocket simulator, which Darcy announced wasn't as good as the one in DisneyWorld.  As I went through my category of "vacations" in my photos that I'm scanning, I came to a pile of pictures of my various trips to the Kennedy Space Center.

Our later trips to Florida always coincided with my brother's golf tournaments during Thanksgiving, Christmas and Spring breaks.  We liked traveling through Cocoa Beach, Florida to see the Atlantic Ocean, and because the Kennedy Space Center isn't too far from there it was our first site seeing stop for educational value, of course.

It has been years since I've been back to the center, and it is one of those trips I keep suggesting we make with the kids, so these pictures are just re-enforcing my enthusiasm.  But in looking at these older photos I'm sure things have changed a lot.  I don't really remember any of this trip with my family. 

The next time I went I went with a high school friend named Tammy, but I didn't take any photos at the Space Center.  We stayed at  Cocoa Beach and drove over to Ft. Wilderness in Disney so that she could ride a horse...not a favorite thing of mine to do.  The next year I went with my neighbor and friend Michelle to the same place.  I did take photos on this trip, and actually remember a bit of the trip.

It wasn't the best trip because I was overwhelmed with responsibility and grouchy.  I was the older one and it was my car we drove down in so I was too worried to relax much on the trip.  I don't know what I thought was going to happen to us, but her mother made me promise to take care of her and I took that literally.

Back then they had tour buses that would take you out to the launching pad so we signed up for that.  I think Tammy and I did that as well, and I think the time she and I did it there was actually a space shuttle on the pad.  I don't think they do this tour any more, or if they do they don't take you as close to the pad as they use to.  But I don't really know any of that for sure, and I don't trust my memory.

I think that was my last visit so I'm definitely do for another one.  Perhaps I will schedule some Florida week day trips with the girls this summer.  If so, I'll be sure to photograph and blog!