The VAB, again. My biggest complaint was that the two NASA tours offered have some overlap.
Apollo 14 command module. I saw 12 in Virginia, and 11's in the Smithsonian.
US 192 is the highest-numbered (last-two-digit-wise) east-west 3-digit route, clinchable in an evening, like I did.
I was at Universal Studios bright and early for Day 4.
"The Simpsons Ride" replaced "Back to the Future: The Ride" in 2008. Awww. I will say that the new ride is a fun experience.
The "San Francisco/Amity" area attempts to be both coasts at once, complete with this "480" marker on the "Embarcadero." Which might be all well and good, except that it was I-480, the Embarcadero Freeway was elevated, and it was torn down nearly 20 years ago.
Tucked away in one section is the Time Train from BTTF 3. Without a ride to accompany it, it had to go somewhere.
I take this picture, turn to my left...and there's "Doc Brown" with the DeLorean! OPEN!
Ten minutes of furious picture-taking begins...now.
I consider myself really lucky to have these pictures because "Doc" wasn't there all the time.
So I didn't put any Islands of Adventure pictures in here, because I didn't take many. I got both parts of Universal done in one day instead of two, partially because I never had to wait more than three shifts for a ride!
On the shuttle bus back, I found out that I was literally blocks away from a Titanic exhibit. Hello, beginning of Day 5!
This exhibit is not artifacts, but rather re-creations of parts of the ship. This is the wireless room.
Honor and Glory Crowning Time (First Class Forward Grand Staircase)
"The Captain may, by simply moving an electric switch, instantly close the doors throughout and make the vessel practically unsinkable." -The Shipbuilder magazine
Forward promenade, starboard side of A Deck. The iceberg would have glided right past, popping rivets and bending steel plates in the ship's side.
The Des Moines Capital after the sinking
Model of the bow as it is today
From Orlando I drove to Gainesville to see the University of Florida. The home sites of the 2006-07 basketball AND football champions are right next door to each other.
The stadium was open, and on the nice day many people were walking around. This nice stadium, the largest in Florida, is a "Swamp" in name only.
Sadly, though, when it comes to recruiting, if your options are a stadium like this and a 30,000-less-capacity place in Iowa that offers a bonus of playing in 40-degree November weather...it's no contest.
I stayed the night in Gainesville and planned a next-day trip that would take me up and down Florida.
Very odd place for an arrow on an advance BGS.
I significantly increased my mileage on I-10; prior to Day 6 of this trip I had 1% of the entire national route. (And now I have one mile short of 5%. It's still more than I had. :-)
Florida's current capitol is a skyscraper. No tours and three floors open to the public, one of which is an observation deck. Boring!
Florida's Supreme Court
One of the few statehouse-style trappings of the building. The legislative chambers were viewable only behind the galleries.
Voting machine from 2000
Florida's Old Capitol had all the history and exhibits. But when you go from being the state with the lowest population of the Confederacy to a political heavyweight (or laughingstock, see left), you're gonna need a bigger building.
