JyRO

Howdy Fellers,

Just wanted let you guys know that I'll be heading for Cape Canaveral after this weekend. I'm going down there to watch the shuttle launch that is scheduled for the 7/13. I'll be towing my 33' 5th wheel camper. My only concern is tires ... I'll be taking it as easy as possible on them. They look OK, but they are 5 or 6 years old.

I'm leaving the Montgomery, AL area this Saturday (7/9) first heading toward Savannah, GA to drop off my mutt at my mother-in-law's house and spending the rest of Saturday and Sunday there. Then Monday morning we will head down the east coast to the cape. Tuesday I'll scout out one particular area because it was too late and too expensive to get tickets into the John F. Kennedy Space Center visitors viewing area. The Space Center viewing area is about 8.25 miles from the launch pad. Where I'm going to scout where I want to be will be about 10.5 miles. So I should have a spectacular view of the launch.

I've never seen a shuttle launch before, nor has anyone in my family. My 2 oldest sons (5 and 2.5 years old) should love it. Plus, we're camping at Jetty Park Campground and there are supposed to be very large cruise ships coming by the park frequently. Again, my boys will love that.

Does anyone have any questions, comments, suggestions, concerns? If anyone knows anything smart they want to tell a dummy (me), I'm all ears.

- JyRO

electrifried

My family and I watched the next to the last shuttle launch. We had spent the day at Kennedy and did the visitor center thing, which was realy neat because of it being a launch day. Although, there was a lot of the regular tour cut off because the shuttle was on the pad fully fueled. the closest that a Kennedy viewing pad is about three miles away. You are right those seemed awfully expensive. When we finished our day long tour, we went back into Titusville, got something to eat and proceeded to look for a place to park to watch the launch. Everybody in that town that has a spot in their yard wants to sell you a place to park. Including the city parks, especially anything near the water. I don't remember the name of the street or the road, but if you go north next to the water from the northern Burger King, you will go into what I remember as a nature preserve, or almost into it. Along that road, there were campers and cars parked everywhere. It was a beautiful spot to view the launch. Be real attentive about the time. We heard all day about an 8:50 p.m. launch and I syncronised my watch to their time, but about five minutes before that the sky turned yellow and it was the most amazing sight watching that fireball ascend into space. I was probably tenmiles away from the launch, but by the time that thing reached about three oclock in the sky, you could easily read a newspaper from just the light off of the fire. We had spent the week at Disney, a day at Universal, but this launch is the only thing that my kids really remember of that whole trip. Enjoy it!

JyRO

electrified - Just too cool! I hope my boys remember it and the big ships forever! I've been reading that the launch time is 2:51 CDT. Why in the world they put it at CDT when they're launching in EST I don't know. But when I get down there I'll confirm the timing. I'm hoping a radio station will be airing it and doing a countdown. I'm so pumped to see this thing!

Do you think the tropical storm Dennis could scrub the launch? I don't care if it get's delayed ... as long as I still have some vacation time I'll burn every bit of it, if it means I'll get to see the launch.

Are daytime launches quite as exhillarating as a nighttime launch?

justcampin

I saw a shuttle launch a few years ago that was about 2 minutes after sunrise,it was great we took a boat ride out to within about five miles of it.. totally amazing

crobtex

Tires: There was a post awhile ago by fiverbob addressing the XXX year rule on RV tires. He didn't follow it, blew a tire and done a lot of damage to the fiver. Just something to consider.

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...threadid=66737

JyRO

I am concerned about the tars. I don't have time to put new tars on there before this weekend. Plus, I am a big believer in filing an insurance claim. If it does $2,600 damage to my 5'er if I blow a tar, I'll claim it ... no problem. But I don't like the idea of possibly losing control or having to put on the spare on the side of the interstate. That gives me nightmares. As long as nobody is in danger, I wouldn't care if the blame camper burned to the ground. Its just sheet metal, wood and nails. I'm not that attached to it. Don't get me wrong fellers, I'm not trying to sound like an a$$, but damaging the camper does not worry me ... only damage to people does.

Note: I'm purposely mispelling tires. I'm living in the south now ... I'm allowed to call'em tars!

- JyRO

apache

Ive had the experiance of watching it land in the deserts in the Mojave area. Used to ride dirt bikes out in the area and rode to the fence line where we were escorted away by MP`s with big guns well say. Still were pretty close, what a sight to see. I still am amazed to have seen it flying piggy back on the 747? The true meaning of a flying brick.
Bring a good camera. Something you`ll never forget.

electrifried

Is'nt Houston on CDT? Most of the real "control" is done by Houston. I have no experience with daytime launches, but the nighttime was the coolest thing I have seen in a long while. Do not rely on radio or TV for the countdown, We thought of that while we were there. I found absolutely nothing on the radio, as my son was finding nothing on TV. As we were looking my daughter asked what was the fireball for.......

electrifried

Oh yea What a traffic jam when it was over. Not much real roads out of there. I wanted to go thru the preserve but the ranger said no way.......

jman

that sounds so cool being there to see the launch, I might just run down there my self , heck I might have to run away from the storm haha, might as make it a fun run
jman

Bob H

Jetty park campground is one of the PRIME areas to view a launch from. Radio stations will do the count down and there will be 20 or 30 people with boom box's tuned in. Have seen 4 or 5 launch's from there.
Bob H

JyRO

Yes I think Houston is on CDT. That would explain it. 2:51 pm CDT boys ... that's what time the shuttle is set for.

It looks like Hurricane Dennis will head up toward Mobile and then on toward my house and pass on through this way about Sunday. Meaning if I head east on Saturday morning like I've planned, I may get out of the path of that mess and likely it won't have much effect on FL, at least not the east coast. And be cleared out by Wednesday. It looks like the launch may still happen. I'm getting pumped!

- JyRO

HappyGA

Hey JYRO,
Best wishes during the hurricane. Maybe it will tear up the lady's yard for yah.

I hate to say it, but the mobile home industry is starting to struggle again, and needs the hurricane to stop a MH depression of sorts.

I hate to even say that, but you will see a lot of mobile home plants close in the next year if demand does not pick back up.

JyRO

Hey fellers - I meant to reply sooner but wanted to let you guys know that we got back from camping.

I had absolutely no problems from the truck or camper. MOF, the truck got somewhere around 11.5 mpg towing. I was happy about that, and the fact that it tows so relaxed, the truck was telling me this at 65 mph, "it ain't no big thang!" I went all the way from Brunswick, GA (I-95) to my in-laws house, and then on to my home in the Pike Road, AL without refueling. That's somewhere around 372 miles. It was dang thirsty when I got home though.

As for the shuttle launch, that was a bit dissapointing. The day before it was scheduled, I went driving around to find a better place to watch it from than Jetty Park Campground. I really didn't find a good spot. Later that day I talked to locals and from all I gathered, it wouldn't be worth getting out in Cape Canaveral traffic the (next) day of the launch. I forget the number of cars they expected to show up during the day (maybe 200,000 including Titusville and all surroundings) and they said they had nearly 75% more than they expected. I had decided to stay in the campground due to, a) not finding a particularly good place closer, b) everything I had been told about the traffic, and c) that I'd likely wind up idling my truck from 9 am until 5 pm to have some AC if we went out somewhere and waited (no shade). I've got a 3 month old, and babies can't deal with heat, so the A/C would've had to stay on.

So I stayed in the campground, and very glad I did. We were sitting in the camper with the AC going (of course) letting the boys take a nap so they wouldn't be so tired/grumpy for the shuttle launch, and listening to the radio (about 1:30 pm) when the announcement came about the delay.

Better safe than sorry ... I'd hate for my sons experience watching the shuttle launch to be an explosion.

Lastly, I did have one trailer tire that looked like it had a belt (or something) broke circumferentially maybe about 1/3 to 1/2 the way around the tire. So that means I'll be investing in some new tires soon. They're due age-wise. Too bad I couldn't just keep the old tires and make dual wheel assy's to ease the stress per tire. But the rolling friction of that mess might drag me down the 8 mpg.

Sorry for the long post!

- JyRO

ds1rider

I saw a launch a few years ago. We were walking out of Olive Garden in Daytona one night and saw everyone looking up at the sky. Never seen something so cool in my life. Never really agreed with nasa's spending, but that was pretty impressive.