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| Standing in front of a rocket engine at NASA - feel the irony? |
Another day on the road, rolling through the bayous of Louisiana and the petroindustrial hellscape of the Texas Gulf Coast (no offense to any Texans out there).
We started the day trying to take a look at the Tulane University campus and pick up some gear, but we had to go off-roading on Audubon Blvd and then we couldn’t find a place to park, since there are all of four parking spots for non-students. How are we supposed to show support for the Green Wave? (No offense, Emily M. and all other Tulane alums).
Naturally we stopped for a quick photo op at the Louisiana State Capitol bldg in Baton Rouge. Interesting that it's an office building rather than a classic legislative building (dome, gold statue on top, two wings, etc.). It was VERY quick, because the heat at 10 am was unholy. Also, the roads in the entire state of Louisiana are in poor to awful shape - and we know because we've driven a lot of them! (No offense, Sarah H. and any other Cajuns out there).
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| Which floor is the governor on? |
We were finally able to get a good photo of the stateline sign coming into Texas, where they are kind enough to put it on the grounds of a rest stop. The next sign down the I-10 says "El Paso 847". It is a shorter drive from Los Angeles to El Paso than from the eastern end of Texas to El Paso!
When we finally arrived in Houston, we zipped over the the NASA Johnson Space Center for some good space learning.
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| Rockets, rockets everywhere... |
We ended up on a very "touristy" and somewhat disappointing tour around the JSC in a tram that felt like they got it used from Universal Studios. Blythe and Allegra felt that it was very watered down and that NASA needs to jazz it up, make it more like Disneyland. It was cool to see the Mission Control room from the Gemini and Apollo missions, refurbished to its 1960's glory, but those consoles are primitive! And the seats in the observation gallery are clearly original from 1965.
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| Has anyone seen my slide rule? |
We also got to stand next to an actual Saturn 5 rocket, which is unbelievably massive.
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| I can't even see the other end |
Blythe said that, from an art history perspective, the Apollo 8 mission logo had the greatest impact. Allegra and I agreed.
While at the JSC, where every tour guide was bemoaning the end of the space shuttle program (the last launch, of Atlantis, is scheduled for July 8th, we heard about 59 times), I was expecting to be accosted by someone for my choice of shirt, but it never happen (no offense intended to any space shuttle program veterans out there).
We finished the day off at dinner with aunt Mary Beth, her boyfriend Lou and her son Androsh. We had a very fun night out, and a late one, too - until 9:30!
And after that late night, time to sign off. More Presidential Library-ing tomorrow in College Station, so we will talk to you later!
