Thursday 24th October 2019

And so, the final stage of the holiday draws near. A 90 mile hope to Houston, a fairly straight run; what could go wrong?

We shall see.

And on the way, we would call into the Space Center for some rocket-based fun and frolics.

We packed up one last time, our collection of clean clothes getting ever smaller. And with one last trawl round the room, we leave and check out. We stop for coffee down in the lobby, but not breakfast, as microwaved egged based rubbery omelette things and meat-based sausage patty thing is just not food.

We would find somewhere decent on the way. So I said.

We drive out of Port Arthur, fill the car up as it had been several hours since we had last filled it up. The car stopped bleeping at his. For a while, though it did keep telling me I needed a break. We had only just started?

Anyway, Jools took over driving duties, so I could take shots from the passenger seat.

Now, I am not normally one of a nervous disposition, but trucks hammering by either side at 70mph is quite hair raising. But we do reach the outskirts of Houston safe enough.

The sat nav then took us on a grand tour of the suburbs and gated communities. Most worryingly is the total lack of signs pointing to anything like a Space Center. I mean, you would think one or two signs would mention it. But no.

It wasn't until we turned onto NASA Drive or something, we guessed we were in the right area.

Oh, there it is, a Space Shuttle making sweet love to that Jumbo Jet. We paid $5 to park the car, the lady smiled as she took our money.

We park a good two minutes walk from the entrance, mainly so I could take shots of the shuttle and 747. The day was crystal clear, so made for fabulous shooting conditions, and it was a target-rich environment.

We walked to the entrance, paid another $29 each to go in.

Beyond, there was a huge space filled with things for children to get engaged in, but also scatted were real spacecraft that had been used in one of the programs.

There was a Gemini capsule, a mock up of Skylab to show how big it actually was and a diorama of a moon landing. Further on there was a film of the whole space program, dating back to the 60s, and once you had seen that, you were free to go to "Enterprise Plaza", to walk under, round and in both the Space Shuttle Enterprise and the 707 underneath.

I realised how much I was enjoying this, I mean, one of my first memories was watching a moon landing on TV at school. It was watch TV or do maths. It was a choice I would carry on making right upto my exams a decade later. Explains my poor grades!

As well as a constant series of photographic opportunities, it was edumacational too.

To round off the visit, there was a tram tour round the site, with a guided walk through of the training area, and finally, the hangar containing an unused Saturb V rocket.

It is huge, it goes without saying. But I'll say it anyway.

I took dozens of shots. Although the other couple of hundred people on the tour kept getting in the way. Are we all photographers now? Yes we are.

We decide to leave as it was now packed, so after buying a t shirt(!) we go back to the car, Jools programs the sat nav, and we drive into the centre of Houston.

The main road into the city, I450912 or something, had 5 lines in each direction, with two more on an expressway, and two more on a local road running parallel. On both sides, 15 miles of strip mall stretched on and on. It looked horrible. While in the distant somg haze, downtown rose into the sky. Our hotel was somewhere in there. Somewhere.

Once near to downtown the sheer number of off and on ramps, we missed our turning, and so had to go round the inner ring road, filled with sheer terror at the number of roads joining and leaving.

We turned off, and suddenly, we were in downtown, a simple turn onto Texas Street brought us to the hotel.

Shellshocked, I let the guy park the car for us.

We take our luggage in, check in and we go to our room on the 4th floor. It is most splendid, but then should be.

After freshening up, we go to look for somewhere to eat, and on the opposite corner of the junction is a fine looking Tex-Mex place, Irma's.

Inside there is just one other table being used, so we get fantastic service, we order cocktails. I had wild game combo, made with wild boar. It was fabulous. As was the second and third cocktails I had. Spiked lemonade, which was very, very nice.

After that, we go for a leg stretching walk, which takes us to a bar. I order an IPA, and we sit at a streetside table and watch the world, and trams, go by. I have a second and third beer.

It is all very civilised.

In a beery kind of way.

We were waiting for the sun to set so I could get shots in the warm light before walking back to the hotel.

It turns out we couldn't be bothered to go back out, so we sit in the room and listen to the radio, write and I edit pictures.

As you do.