Moon, space, blue skies....

Our Location: Magic River Rv Resort, Long Beach, Mississippi

(this is yesterday's post)

Another wonderful night followed by another excellent day for weather. We're loving this warm weather and the warm nights are just what we would ask for if we dared. ~laugh~ Windows and vents open all day and night, the big door open while we're home and I can tell you we didn't close it until about 9 pm tonight and it's still nice and toasty in the Igloo. Just right for sleeping. 

US 90 bridge into Bay St. Louis from Pass Christian

I woke early, around 4:30 am and just kind of puttered in time until around 6 am when I decided I'd head up to the fire pit and build the morning fire but Mac was just starting to get to it as I was heading up. It was a nice fire that managed to attract all the same faces, Mac, me, Paige, Mike, Pete and Robert. After I left about 8 am I think Billy and Pat showed up around the outer ring as well. 

Still the same bridge as above...

A bagel for breakfast and we were off to the track to walk around 8:30 am. Riley put in her 2 miles and I danced around for one more after that before leaving a bit before 10 am. We both discussed the fact that we can stop or keep going to fill our needs at this park and so we may just walk here most times. Seems to be easier to make that decision than any other or maybe we're just lazy and it's easier to do the 'norm'. ~laugh~ 

This is the bay side of the bridge, note the different colours int he water.

Dogsled nose was heading south until turned onto US 90 West, stopping at Wally's place to get some diesel for the big Dog. Just under a quarter of a tank of fuel left and it took over 27 gallons, so I know we have a big tank. Fuel was $2.22 per gallon but I seen it later down the road for $2.18 per gallon, if only I'd waited. Our nose pointed west we drove about 40 minutes passing thru the little towns of Pass Christian, Bay St. Louis, and Waveland on our way the Louisiana/Mississippi state line where we dropped into the Infinity Center at Nasa's Stennis Space Center located in the Pearl River area. 

 

Entrance way to the space center.

Our visit here included the bus ride to the off limits parts of the Nasa base where they test rocket engines for the space exploration programs. We needed to show our passports in order to get on the bus tour, it lasted for about 40 minutes and took us to see 3 engine test facilities as well as a rolling monologue from the driver about the scene outside the window.  The base has it's own little 'town' that includes things like post office, gas stations, restaurants, college campus', fire department, security guards, as well as numerous office buildings and research labs. It's a community all of it's own and the only thing that isn't found on the base is housing, no one lives there, they commute each day except for the training center in which they are housed in a dorm like building for a week while in training. An interesting place with a few guard shacks that require ID to enter the base which the average individuals do not possess. The area of testing is located in the middle of 215 square miles of Nasa owned land. The large tract of land is necessary due to the noise and possible damage the testing of rockets can cause to an individual who is unprotected. The test facilities structures are massive in size and at one time they test fired 5 at once, now it's only at a time. 

The Infinity Eagle at Stennis.

Also on the base is a set of locks that raise the water level 17 feet from the lower to the upper river. Also this river and lock system is where special forces practice for clandestine work in areas that include locks.  It's an ideal training area as it's very private and well guarded.

The lower side of the river before the locks..

After our guided bus tour we entered the Infinity building to take a walk around. A number of exhibits were interactive in nature and there was a bit of reading to go along with each activity. We checked out a few but weren't interested in others. We both did a test flight in a stationary simulator, we both crashed. ~laugh~ However we did not go into the hydraulically controlled simulator that required rider participation to steer, nor did we enter the hurricane like room in which you experience the effects of the wind during a hurricane. Fred Hayes who hails from the town of Biloxi, Mississippi is featured in the center as he was one of the three astronauts aboard Apollo 13 which barely made it back home to earth. Among some of the items on display is his space suit from that trip, along with a suit worn by Neil Armstrong while he walked on the moon. The local home town hero is very much loved by those at the Infinity Center.  

Booster Rocket

The Stennis Space Center  and an air craft carrier are named after John C Stennis a governor from the area. It's always nice when local folks remember where they came from when they get into positions of being able to help their small hometowns. 

One test site facility.

We left there under blue skies and enjoyed the drive along I-10 back to exit 28 a short distance from home. At one point we had a slow down on the drive as tail lights became a constant stream ahead of us. It bottle necked from two lanes to one lane as police did an auto accident re-enactment for measurements and determination of what happened. Took about 5 minutes to get thru and back up to highway speed.

Two test sites in this pic with the control room in the small white building between them.

Back home about 2 pm we managed to find some lunch and then spent the rest of the day just being lazy. You know the kind of things we do like reading and talking on the phone and reading. ~laugh~ I managed to read for the entire afternoon and in fact Riley was the one that prepped everything for dinner tonight. She did an excellent job!!!

An office building on the Nasa Base.

About 6:30 pm I was still sitting outside reading when Miss Riley asked me who was going to BBQ dinner. ~laugh~ I took that as a sign she was hungry. I BBQ'd dinner and we were inside eating about 7:30 pm. JD Smokehouse BBQ Chicken breast, orange zest veggies, and Garlic potatoes with onions. I know it always seems like we have the same thing each night but it's not always the case, with different BBQ sauces on the chicken the taste is very different, we often change up the veggies too and the potatoes are often times spiked with different spices to add a wee bit of a variation in flavour.

Rocket engine peeking from around the building edge.

A quick clean up inside and out then we headed up to the fire pit for an evening fire. It was a wonderfully warm night but the mosquitoes were out and about in full swing. Good conversation around the pit and a few laughs as well as an education about some 'southern' food that I truly wish I didn't know!! ~laugh~ However it was a good time. Magic the camp cat hung around as well, sitting on Miss Riley's lap for a while. The evening fire crew included Mac, Mike, Trish (Mike's wife), Billy, Charlene, Riley, myself and Pete came along too.

Home around 9:15 pm I shut the big door and called it a night. Started writing my blog but I fell asleep once and decided to finish it today. So that's why it's late. ~laugh~ Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment. Until next time...be safe, take care...