Florida: October 2018
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October was an ideal time of year to experience some of both the man-made and God-created treasures that Florida offers. We marveled at the innovations displayed at Kennedy Space Center, strolled the cobblestone streets of St. Augustine, and explored the natural beauty of Biscayne National Park, Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve.
Kennedy Space Center is the permanent home of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. It launched like a rocket and landed like a glider while transporting astronauts to space and back for thirty years. Steve learned how to dock and land the shuttle with training simulators, and we both "experienced" a landing by riding the re-entry slide to the first floor of Space Shuttle Atlantis.
Our "Lunch with an Astronaut" allowed us the opportunity to meet Jerry Ross, a veteran of seven Space Shuttle missions. These seven flights comprise a world record Ross now shares with one other NASA astronaut. Both his number of spacewalks and time on spacewalks are the all-time second highest among NASA astronauts.
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Every man who stepped foot on the Moon launched from Kennedy Space Center atop a Saturn V rocket. In the Apollo/Saturn V Center, we walked beneath a real Saturn V moon rocket. At 363 ft. long, it is 60 ft. taller than the Statue of Liberty. A total of 13 Saturn V rockets were launched between 1967 and 1972 and this is one of only three remaining in the United States.
Our next destination was St. Augustine, known for its Spanish colonial architecture as well as its beautiful white sand Atlantic Ocean beaches. We looked forward to exploring its historic sights, but first, dinner. Salt Water Cowboys was highly recommended and we were not disappointed with the food or the view.
Below: Juan Ponce de León statue; coquina block city gates, erected in 1808; the oldest wooden schoolhouse in the USA; Steve, up to no good.
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The Hotel Ponce de León, built in 1888 by Henry Flagler, is now a National Historical Landmark.
Strolling the streets of charming, historic St. Augustine; sampling fudge at Whetstone Chocolates (and taking some with us...had trouble resisting the key lime fudge); picadillo and caldo gallego soup for lunch at the Spanish Bakery.
Everglades National Park has long been on our bucket list. Our airboat ride was serene, but then maybe not that many people choose to get up before dawn and watch the sun rise over the vast sawgrass prairie. We were glad we did! We saw alligators, blue herons, egrets and more, and got to feed the grackles that hopped into the boat. Our guide, Lorenzo, was knowledgeable and passionate about the region's animal and plant life.
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We could not drive by "Robert Is Here" without stopping. A produce stand like no other, "Robert Is Here" has been operating since 1959, when Robert Moehling's father set up a coffee table on the side of the road, full of cucumbers for six-year-old Robert to sell. Now there are exotic fruits and vegetables, an animal farm and play area, and live music.
The key lime milkshakes were irresistible! Then we drove to Key Largo for seafood (and key lime pie) at Hobo's Café.
Next we visited Big Cypress National Preserve, which is a freshwater swamp ecosystem. We learned that the neighboring Everglades are dependent on the water that flows from Big Cypress Swamp.
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