July 23, 2014

Yesteryear
One year ago today: July 23, 2013, diets, prices, the first pod.
Five years ago today: July 23, 2009, contains DNA.
Ten years ago today: July 23, 2004, return from Ocean Reef.
Random years ago today: July 23, 2014, the spectacular non-launch.

           What do you see in this picture? I saw nothing. Because the launch was scrubbed with two hours and three minutes to go. Hello from Cape Canaveral, Florida. This view is from the Jetty (capitalized), the best spot between view and cost you’ll get. It is in northeast Port Canaveral. The admission is $15 if you are not a resident, another smelly rip-off. But my rate was $5 for a motorcycle. I quickly grabbed the best spot, unhitched, and spend the day touring Cocoa Beach.

           That crane on the left is not space equipment, but a river dredge. If you look back near the center horizon, you can just make out the tops of some gantry towers, about five miles away. The trees block the line-of-sight. The rocket would lift off slightly right of dead center. I got to this spot just before dawn after a relaxing and quiet night at Spanky’s parking, next to a noisy roadway. But the new pod fan blocks exterior noise well enough I no longer need white noise. (I installed a white noise generator but have not had to use it.)
           Ah, but you want details of the day. I stayed mostly on Merritt Island, kind of pricey. I found Gina’s, a little deli where I had an egg on rye, asking more questions about the launch view. It appears all the watch-for-free spots are now off limits. Even where the SLC (sight launch complex) is visible, the trees are being allowed to grow thirty feet high to block even the view from sitting on the roof of your RV. There are a few places that will let you park but won’t tell you the fee until you’ve wasted five minutes talking. Also, they will not guarantee you can see the launch pad, only the plume.

           On the regular launches, the crowd seems small enough. To find the Jetty, turn eastbound onto George King Boulevard. A few “experts” I asked gave me directions back to “barge road”, the area near the oil tanks I chose long ago. All you get is a wild goose chase, as the entire road is not clearly posted as no parking. At the Jetty, there is a second floor above the Bait Shop with the best view you’ll get. The river dredges are busy creating an island of dredge dumpings to block even this view. But at $280 for a hotel room, stick with the Jetty.

           Here is a shot of the oil tanks shown by satellite in the 19th, proof I was there. This town gobbles money, coffee alone is setting me back $13.46 per day. Return after I get home for a list of my actual expenses. Be prepared to triple your daily intake of cold liquids. Once I got my spot, I went on a tour of the town. I met a redhead who was “Queen of the Thrifts” who let me follow her to one with some books. There are no used book stores in Cocoa Beach.
           Around ten minutes into the conversation, just before I had to tell her I’d found the book of my dreams and could no longer chat, she let it slip out that she was married. It was now five hours to launch time. Most of the Thrifts are selling much the same things. She said the best was the Catholic Thrift, which is a regular house, so you go from room to room to find things. Don’t walk into the last room in the boutique without knocking, or you may see the side of some women you don’t want to see. I want to see everything about young women, nothing about old ones. There are exceptions, just not around here. I found a book on geometry, which was far more interesting than most married women, and took a walk to the end of the pier.

           The park maintains a fishing permit, so no license is needed to fish off the pier. The fishermen were quite excited to see a surfer hauling a huge “grouper”(?) ashore. Biggest fish I have ever personally seen anyone catch, but I don’t know the details of this one. I don’t know fish, but that looks like three months of fishburgers. I could hear then say it was good eating.

           The pier is quite long, and I hate to say it but even the young women are not as good looking as back in my day. Heavier set, not as defined, and any with a tramp stamp are instantly rejected. And even at the beach, they sure do pile on the makeup. Must be something they pick up from television.
           The launch. It was first set back from 6:00PM to 7:03PM. I carefully chose a Delta IV heavy lift as the one to see in case I only ever see one. This is an air force spy rocket, not a NASA event. Then, just after 5:30PM, the guy from the bait shop waves me over. The launch has been scrubbed, postponed for 24 hours. I had been joking for the past few days about the “conspiracy” to prevent me from seeing the launch. “They” tried everything, detours, bad Honda wiring, closed bridges, camper problems, you name it, but I was ready for their cabal, only to be defeated by a bad cooling center.
           It’s a version of Occam’s razor. He’s the monk that said pick the simplest explanation, in this case, a conspiracy. Was I joking? Well, not in one sense, because it was not the simplest explanation, but the simplest one that covered all the bases. Until further notice, I was jinxed. The net effect was a fizzled launch. I learned a lot, however./ I can’t stick around, but now I know where and where not to visit in the area. I know I only need six hours lead time, I know where to park, and I know how much it costs. Pay attention, because the locals don’t even know these points are important. Here I am, exhausted from talking to the masses.

           To make something of the trip, I asked how long it took to get to Winter Haven. Forty-five minutes was the usual response, which of course was a lie. More like three hours. I took the side road via St. Cloud, the type of country road I prefer. I had to drive through Kissimmee, where the fire department likes to ignore the big empty parking lot next door and block the streets during rush hour.
           I made into Winter Haven, through the sections of a big city I did not see last month. If I’d gone a single block further in most directions, I would have not taken it for a sleepy little town. The pod is now thoroughly tested, but not ready. I was hit by a flash storm that soaked everything. It takes nearly two minutes to open the hatch and crawl inside. By then, the rain got everything wet, including my mattress and sleeping bag, pillow and the Kodak camera. The road maps, my notes, all my clothes, all had to be left overnight. I was up at 6:00AM, I should point out that even when wet or damp, it is still warm overnight in Florida.

           To make this clearer, the camper pod did not leak. Rather it was the time required to get the camper open and crawl inside that caused things to get wet. And the same thing in reverse in the morning. The camper requires better, larger hatches. Preferably something that opens and provides a shelter. There is rarely much warning in Florida of a rainstorm, as the skies usually have rain clouds and it can downpour while the sun is bright.
           Exiting in the morning in fact takes longer. It's one of those things that was not important at the planning stage. It still requires a full twenty minutes, no shortcuts, to get the cPod buttoned up, including pack up time, the walk-around, and the light check. It was too early for Nell’s the spot I found last trip, so I had coffee at McDonald’s and began drying out my papers.
           So, how was your day?