My wife and I were invited to the Launch of the Kepler Spacecraft on a Delta II rocket with 9 solid rocket strap-ons. I thought it would be nice to be "in the environment" one last time and if we included a side trip to Key West it would be special for her as well. I re-learned the old truth that "you can never go back" and found that Key West was the high light of the trip. Our Motel was a block from Duval Street in Old Town and I suspect that it has the appeal for many to visit. We are past that phase in our lives but found some very interesting things for us to do. We took the Old Town Trolley Tour to get an overview of the island city then we picked points of interest and activities that we were curious about. Some were not that special but Truman's Little White House tour with a lady named Audie (she said her mother had a crush on Audie Murphy) was special. We have taken enough tours to appreciate how critical the guide is to the enjoyment and the endurance of the memory - she was classical. We toured Ernest Hemingway's house and that was an interesting tour. While we were there we took advantage of the opportunity to ride in an open cockpit biplane. There is a fellow there (I believe his name is Josh) that has an office and a Waco with a bench seat for two in the front on the other side of the vehicle gate from the FBO. All flights have a fixed rate for two and there is no stick in the front cockpit. Now after $150 spent I have another priceless experience added to my life bag. There are many extremely highly rated restaurants but we seemed to pick modest eating delights. I flew our RV-6A IFR down there and back selecting V3 for my flight plan route. In both flights I was routed over open water from west of Fort Myers (essentially a 180 degree magnetic course from Lakeland) to Key West and from Key West direct to Melbourne on our way to Titusville. They seemed to ignore the slant uniform equipment suffix and survival equipment was not discussed - be prepared. It was a memorable trip.
Bob Axsom
Bob Axsom
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