I made it to Florida. It was a long day but everything went relatively smoothly. Going through the TSA line didn't go smoothly, but it never does. The scanner broke down so the entire line had to move to another scanner. They didn't believe my phone was a real phone because it was in a weird looking case. As always, my bag had to be opened because my little container full of computer connecting cables, WiFi hotspots, and camera batteries looked suspicious. I got picked for a random security check too, but somehow the agent forgot to check me when she was inspecting my phone. All is well that ends well though. After this short delay I put my shoes back on, and headed for my gate.I like flying Southwest because they don't have nearly as many delays as American Airlines. Most flights leave right on time. If you pay a little more, you can board the plane first so you can be sure there is still space in the overhead bins for your bag. I don't know where the people who board last put their bags. These planes are always full. There were a lot of kids on today's flight. I guess that makes sense. We were headed for Disneyland after all.
The rental car folks at the airport talked me into upgrading to a car that had GPS navigation. It wasn't a hard sell, because I'm totally lost without GPS. It was an easy drive to Titusville, which happens to be the closest town to the space center. My first impression of Florida was that basically the entire state is a giant swamp. A little girl in the seat ahead of me on the plane asked her dad if she was going to see any alligators. "I'm sure you will," he said.
My plane got in early enough that I was able to have dinner with several of the other people who will be attending the launch. As always, NASA assembled a very interesting group of folks. I met a guy who ran an independent radio station in Nashville, several entrepreneurs who started their own software companies, a retired physics teacher, a photographer, and several other writers. Everyone was curious about what was going to happen tomorrow, but nobody knew for sure. Nobody, including myself, knew exactly why they were selected to attend this event, but we were all glad to be here.
It's just as hot and humid in Florida as it is in Texas. After sitting outside for several hours at a local brewpub, I'm glad to be back in an air conditioned building. I think I'll go to bed early tonight. It's going to be a very busy day tomorrow.
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