Kennedy Space Centre, Cape Canaveral, Florida

A couple of hours south of Saint Augustine is Cape Canaveral, Florida. We spent two days learning all we could about the United States’ Space Program at the Kennedy Space Center and the Astronauts’ Hall of Fame. We saw some 3-D IMAX films about the International Space Station and lunar landings. We also went on a simulator of a shuttle-launch…..quite the experience. We were just 5 days late for seeing a real launch of the space shuttle, but were kept up-to-date on what was going on at the International Space Station. We saw where Canada’s ‘Dextre’ was being built; it’s a two-armed Canadarm type of machine that is due to be added to the International Space Station in the future. We actually met an astronaut named Story Musgrave who went into orbit six times on the space shuttle (more than anyone else). One thing that was repeated often during our Space Center visit was to strive for the impossible, because through hard work and perseverance those dreams can come true.

Saint Augustine, Florida

Once in Florida, we went to Saint Augustine, the home of a fortress named Castillo de San Marcos. This was Spain’s northern-most stronghold in the New World. Built in the 1600s, the fortress is original and is still in wonderful condition. In fact, the Castillo was never taken by force, but exchanged hands (ie: was handed over to British and later to American control) only through peace treaties. Not only has the fortress withstood military attack over the centuries, but it has had to weather many tropical storms. We experienced one when we were there.
Kennedy Space Centre, Cape Canaveral, Florida
A couple of hours south of Saint Augustine is Cape Canaveral, Florida. We spent two days learning all we could about the United States’ Space Program at the Kennedy Space Center and the Astronauts’ Hall of Fame. We saw some 3-D IMAX films about the International Space Station and lunar landings. We also went on a simulator of a shuttle-launch…..quite the experience. We were just 5 days late for seeing a real launch of the space shuttle, but were kept up-to-date on what was going on at the International Space Station. We saw where Canada’s ‘Dextre’ was being built; it’s a two-armed Canadarm type of machine that is due to be added to the International Space Station in the future. We actually met an astronaut named Story Musgrave who went into orbit six times on the space shuttle (more than anyone else). One thing that was repeated often during our Space Center visit was to strive for the impossible, because through hard work and perseverance those dreams can come true.

Fort Frederica, Georgia

Our highlight in Georgia was Fort Frederica National Monument. Fort Frederica was the closest English outpost to the Spanish holdings to the south, in the New World. The fort consisted of a small military establishment, as well as a grid-plan town of ‘blocks’ of buildings. Only the foundations of the town continue to exist now.

As with many of the national park sites, the rangers at Fort Frederica were wonderful. Ranger John involved Morgan, Elise, and Mason in his musketry demonstration. He had them marching and participating in rifle drills. They looked like a mini squadron. The kids may have been out of their comfort zone, but still seemed to enjoy the experience.

South Carolina

From Kentucky we bee-lined it back to the Atlantic coast. It was fun staying at an RV Resort called Pirateland at Myrtle Beach. The rain showers we experienced there kept us out of the ocean waters, but the pools were fun for the kids. Allan and I enjoyed strolling along the beach, watching the surfers, water birds, shore fishermen, and waves.

Our travels took us southward to a city called Georgetown, where we toured the Rice Museum. Interestingly enough, the Georgetown area used to be the world’s largest exporter of rice, with about 40,000 acres under cultivation. The success of the rice production was due to tidal irrigation; flood gates were opened during high tide, when the fresh water from the local rivers backed up and entered the diked rice paddies. For we Alberta farmers, this type of agriculture was very interesting

From Georgetown, we went to the historic city of Charleston, South Carolina. We crossed over the Cooper River on the beautiful new Arthur J. Ravenel , Jr. Bridge, which opened in 2005. It is now a ‘landmark’ of the city. Of course, after the numerous Civil War sites that we toured over the past couple of months, we felt it necessary to visit Fort Sumter in Charleston. Actually Fort Sumter is on an island in the Charleston Harbor, and is famous for being the location of the first shots fired in the Civil War. The fort itself was very interesting, but so was the 35-minute boat ride out to the island. We saw lots of sailboats and dolphins plying through the water.

Mammoth Cave, Kentucky

From Tennessee we travelled north to Kentucky in order to see the world’s longest known cave, Mammoth Cave. Although 367 miles of the cave have been surveyed, they estimate that it may have as many as 600 miles of length. The cave is made of eroded limestone, but there is a sandstone ‘cap’ over top of most of the cave, which has prevented water from percolating down and forming cave formations. Because of this lack of water, the majority of Mammoth Cave has no stalactite/stalagmite decorations. Its huge size is what is impressive.

An hour’s drive (through picturesque farmland) from Mammoth Cave is the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site. This famous president came from very humble beginnings, and his humble attitude continued throughout his life. The site included a museum and also an impressive stone building which contained a replica of the cabin in which Lincoln was born.

The rain we experienced in Kentucky was the most constant rain we’ve had on our entire trip. It makes a person appreciate the sunny times.

Great Smocky Mountains and Dollywood

After leaving Cape Hatteras, we travelled west in North Carolina, past the state’s capital city of Raleigh (which we Albertans remember as the home of the Hurricanes, who stole the Stanley Cup away from our Edmonton Oilers a couple of seasons ago). We continued west to Great Smoky Mountain National Park, which is a park shared between North Carolina and Tennessee. We did several hikes in the park, and saw some of the old cabins of the mountain pioneers. It was wonderful to see the beautiful colors of the fall foliage in the foreground and the hazy greys and blues of the ‘smoky’ mountains behind.

On the north edge of Great Smoky Mountain National Park lies the city of Pigeon Forge. It is a tourist town designed for family fun. Probably its biggest claim to fame is that it is the home to Dollywood, a theme park featuring Dolly Parton and her Tennessee mountain upbringing. While we were there, Morgan and Mason enjoyed the roller-coasters and the water-rides. Elise, Allan, and I explored the ‘Craftsman’s Valley’ where we watched demonstrations of glass-blowing, carpentry, weaving, soap-making, candle-making, and wood-carving. We also took advantage of the country music concerts offered at Dollywood and saw T. Graham Brown perform in person. It was also very interesting to see how Dolly Parton herself rose from humble beginnings and still has a strong faith in the Lord.