Weekend in Fort Lauderdale

After the Scout Show, we hit the highway for Fort Lauderdale. The drive down was long, and as the miles slipped by, so did the sunny sky. By the time we reached our exit, we were under an overcast and there was evidence of rain on the ground.

As we drove south of West Palm, we started noticing signs indicating Tri-Rail stations. I hadn’t heard of Tri-Rail, but it piqued my interest. We needed something to do before the air show the next morning, and maybe a train ride would fit the bill.

We exited the highway and drove through Boca Raton while heading toward the beach. I was blown away by what I saw. The condos along the beach were stunning. The landscaping was gorgeous, everything was just perfect. As we drove, the GPS clicked off the miles remaining. Before long, we were less than a mile away from our hotel, and we were still in a beautiful setting. And then we entered Deerfield Beach. Everything changed in an instant. It wasn’t bad or ugly, just different, like we had entered a different time. The buildings suddenly got older, and even the road changed from freshly paved to old and gray pavement. We drove through a little shopping and restaurant area, then arrived at our motel.

Susan checked us in, then we went out to find something to eat. One of the places that Susan had read a few reviews about, including one bad one, was out of business. I guess that one reviewer was right! We found an Italian place with sidewalk seating and ordered a pizza and salad.

Back in the room, Andrew entertained himself with the air conditioner and the computer. We recently discovered a fun game called Skyrama and he stayed busy directing planes all over the world.



Saturday morning, we woke to the sound of rain beating against our fourth floor window. We looked outside and didn’t like what we saw. The prospects for an air show were not looking too good.



After our fantastic free breakfast at the motel, we packed up and went out to find something to do before the 12:00 air show. We decided to check out Tri-Rail. We grabbed some cash and stopped at the Deerfield Beach train station. We laughed as we drove through the parking lot, looking for a spot that was NOT under water. After I figured out the ticket machine, I met an employee who was full of facts and tips about Florida rail travel. Before long, our train arrived.

With the time available, we decided to ride south to Miami, then return north to our car. On the ride south, we saw highway signs that said that the Lauderdale Air Show was canceled - big surprise. At the Miami stop, we had to get off in the rain just to get back on. On the trip north, as we approached our stop, Andrew started getting upset about getting off the train. Although we expected this, it was still aggravating having to struggle to get him off the train.

Our next goal was to find something to eat. I wasn’t ready to drive home yet, so we decided to try to find a local diner rather than the standard fast food places. We ended up driving through Boca Raton again, then north up A1A. Susan found a great review for a sandwich shop near the beach. We noted the address, but when the street came and went, we didn’t see the place. I turned around and found it, but it looked closed. We went in and I mentioned that it looked closed. The owner told me the line is normally out the door at that time of day, but the weather was keeping the surfers away.

We got our sandwiches and headed north to Boynton Inlet Park. We found a covered seating area overlooking the river and enjoyed lunch. Afterward, Andrew played in the sand for a while, then we walked around to the inlet side, under the bridge, and out onto the south pier. Andrew loved watching the waves pound into the walls of the inlet. I noticed that the waves on the north side were much larger, so we crossed the bridge and walked out onto the north pier. The waves were indeed pretty awesome. We must have stayed there an hour. Part of that time, we spent up against the wall, trying to avoid the worst of a short downpour that quickly came and went.

So the air show was a wash, but the weekend getaway turned out to be pretty fun.

Central Florida Scout Show

This weekend was a busy one right from the start. The Central Florida Scout Show was happening Friday and Saturday, and the Lauderdale Air Show, featuring the US Air Force Thunderbirds, was Saturday and Sunday. We figured we really needed to do the Scout Show on Saturday, so we planned to go to the air show on Sunday. Susan redeemed some of our points and booked Saturday night at the Clarion Inn north of Fort Lauderdale.

To help ease the drive Saturday morning, we booked a night at the C&D B&B Friday. As usual, Andrew had a fantastic time, spending most of his time playing with Penny. Saturday morning, we got ready and headed to the University of Central Florida football stadium to attend the Scout Show.

The Scout Show was pretty amazing. There must have been at least a hundred troops represented, including our little 318. We were doing a weather belt loop, which included drawing a weather scene, watching a weather forecast (projected onto a screen from the evening news), and collecting some rain samples over a week. There were a whole bunch of Angry Birds themed exhibits around. Andrew really liked one exhibit; it had five or six large nuts (the kind you put on bolts) on a ring and the goal was to get them to vibrate while spinning the ring. Andrew was a pro after a few tries. Another troop was showing how to weave bracelets from strings. Another had a large device made from old tin cans that would lift a ball and channel it down through “pipes”.

Outside, the Boy Scouts had even more amazing demonstrations. The coolest was the rope bridges that spanned about 50 feet. We stopped at one tent that was making shish-kabobs from hot dog sliced cooked on a large can with a little oil candle inside. With some bread, cheese, and grapes added, they were a tasty little snack.

The Orlando police SWAT team was present and had some things on display. Their armored vehicle was a big hit with the kids. I was most impressed with the K-9 unit demonstration. An officer with a large, very excited German Sheppard walked out on one side and another officer walked out 30 feet away. The “bad guy” cop put on his pads, then the other cop let loose the dog. The dog crossed the 30 feet in a flash and locked onto the “bad guy” with great ferocity. Then, at a single command, he let loose and returned to his master’s side.

All in all, a pretty cool show. Be sure to check out the next post to continue the story...

Discovery’s Final Voyage

Today, NASA “flew” the Space Shuttle Discovery for the final time. Discovery was loaded on top of a modified Boeing 747 and carried piggy-back to its final stop, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Washington DC.

Susan heard about the final flight’s plan to fly south to Melbourne before turning back to the north, so we had no choice but to try to see it for ourselves. We struggled out of bed before 6:00 am, got showered and dressed, and headed for the Pineda Causeway. I was surprised by all the traffic heading east so early in the morning, but then again, I wasn’t surprised at all. People in these parts love their shuttle program and are very sad to have it gone.

As we approached the coast, we knew we wouldn’t have time to reach the beach, so I parked in the grass on the side of the road and we walked back toward the bridge. From the bridge, we were able to cross under the highway and safely reach the north side.

Within minutes, we saw the silhouette rising above the horizon, many miles to the north. The plane and shuttle flew south along the beach, passing through a beautiful, orange sunrise. After passing us, it turned to the right, over the river, then flew over us on its way back to Kennedy Space Center, and finally Washington, DC.

		Discovery's Final Voyage 2012 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL