Day 10 - Travelling Home

The news has been filled with stories of long lines at the TSA due to the current government shut down.  And last night certainly proved difficult by the lines we saw wrapped through the lobby area near the entrance of our hotel.  But the staff here has shared that the lines in the mornings are quite normal but the backups build throughout the day.  Even so, we wake up a little early to give ourselves the extra time.

We decided to eat in the terminal AFTER we made it through security.  So we hopped a bus to Terminal E and checked our bags. Yup, we had six coming home because I always pack a duffle.  It allows me to be a little messier on the way home and leaves plenty of room for souveniers and dirty clothes.

Security was a breeze... we were first in line.  Once we made it through we separated so Scott and Sam could get a breakfast sandwich while I went in search of a Starbucks and Tyler scoped out cinnamon pretzels.  We met back at the gate for our 9:50 am departure.

It was a smooth flight to Atlanta. Tyler was sitting with a stranger and the two of them shared in conversation the entire flight.  It made me giggle remembering how as a kid he used to talk his seat mates' ear off. His neighbor this time seemed to be enjoying herself as well!

We grabbed lunch from a food court - Qdoba and pizza - and then headed to our next gate.

The flight was smooth all the way back to GR.  Because we flew out of Detroit, we didn't have a car waiting so we ordered an Uber and arrived home right around 6:00 pm.  Its been a busy week but we've experienced so much - and so many different things too!

Day 9 - Wrapping up the trip

Today we woke up with Scott feeling much better. We decided to have breakfast in the hotel and then checks out of our room.  

We drove back to Deally plaza to get Scott up to date on all the things we learned on our tour yesterday.  Then we headed into the sixth floor museum located in the book depository.  The museum was well done but was pretty full so we paired up and went thru at our own pace. We wrapped up around the same time and headed back out to the car.  

Then we drove past the other places we visited yesterday basically following Oswald’s straps after the assassination.  

Next we drove over to the world aquarium.  From the outside it reminded me of the rain forest cafe but the inside was a fun path thru 4 floors on animal exhibit.  To be honest, it didn’t have many aquarium tanks rather more animal exhibits but it was a great way to spend some time.

After the aquarium we headed out of town for our afternoon stops.  First a visit to Chilis for some lunch.  Then on to MicroCenter - an electronics store that’s not in Michigan but one that Tyler has wanted to visit.  He was thrilled!

Then we drove further north to see the headquarters of Dude Perfect. It’s not much and has nothing for the public but Sammy wanted to see where the magic happens.

After that we stopped by The Gaylord Resort to show the boys this space.  Sammy and I stayed in a Gaylord resort in Nashville last fall and were really impressed.  

Then grabbed some fuel and headed to Hard Eight BBQ for a quick snack. I had visited this restaurant with my grandma years ago when we flew out to visit my aunt.  It’s an open pit BBQ with all the meats made fresh; nothing like it back home!  I knew it would be a favorite for my fam so we grabbed some sausage, brisket and pulled pork even though we were all still pretty full from lunch.

We were hoping to connect with some family while in town but with Scott’s sick day, we were trying to wrap up all the other activities I had promised. 

After our “snack” we headed back to the airport. Scott dropped off the bags other Sam and I while he and Tyler returned the rental car.

Tyler and I worked on school work while Sam and Scott watched some fails.  It was a pretty quiet night.  I think we are all ready to sleep in our own beds tomorrow!

Weather: high of 66* and overcast

Day 8 - Back to Dallas

I’m so grateful of that we did decide to make progress up north last night because Scott woke up with a lot of sinus pressure.  He was insistent that he was good to travel. But about an hour into the ride, he asked if I could drive.  We pulled into our hotel in downtown Dallas around 11:30 AM much earlier than a standard check-in time but the front desk clerk pulled some strings and had housekeeping clean our room right away, so we only had about an hour wait.

He settled Scott on a couch in the air conditioned lobby and the kids and I walked to a nearby sandwich shop to grab lunch.  We have a JFK Assassination tour today at 1:15pm which unfortunately can’t be rescheduled.  So the kids and I left Scott on the couch and headed out - just a few blocks to meet the tour guide at the JFK Memorial.  (The room was ready within a half hour so he didn’t have long to wait)

The tour was fantastic. Richard is a photo journalist who has studied the JFK assasination for years.  His van is equipped with a speaker system and tvs so he not only drives and narrates the tour but also runs the multimedia including diagrams, videos and original photos from the various investigations.

It was 2.5 hrs and we visited Deally Plaza, the grassy knoll,  the book depository, the home Oswald lived at the time of the shooting, the theater he was found in, the jail and city building where Oswald was later killed, and the spot where JD Tippit, local policeman, was shot as well. 

 

Left - Deally Plaza, where the parade for JFK was ending.

Right - Book Depository where Oswald work. The shots came from the far right window on the 6th floor. 

After the shooting, Oswald returned to his home to change his clothes and get his revolver. This home was originally a Rooming House that held 17 men. The women who owned it passed it down to her granddaughter who still lives here. She has restored it to its 1960s condition and remembers Oswald helping her with her homework as a child.  She is adamant that Oswald is innocent.

Oswald was separated from his wife at the time and had this room to himself. Here is his bed along with the coat he wore following the assassination.

After he left his home, he walked up the street several blocks and eventually shot a local policeman in the street. An X marks the spot on the road where the officer fell. Here is the memorial left on the side of the road.

Then Oswald walked down the street, hiding his coat behind a gas station and popping in to stores to avoid the increasing police presence.  Eventually he slipped into the Texas Theater which is where the police caught up to him.

The tour was so informative and explored Oswald’s life prior to the shooting, the habits and events that led up to Ruby shooting Oswald, as well as the full week of the Kennedy campaign plus the geopolitical climate post Cuban missile crisis and Vietnam.  

The tour ended at the museum in the book depository but Richard ordered out tickets for tomorrow so Scott can join us.  He dropped us off at our hotel and we headed up to our room.

Our room was amazing!  It was a 2-room suite with spacious bedrooms as well as a large living room, dining room and kitchen.  

Scott needed another hour of so of rest, so the kids and I welcomed some down time.  The tour was phenomenal but was like drinking from a fire hose.  We decided to stay in for dinner and order from Uber.

We had steaks and all the sides in our dining room and then relaxed a while catching up on some shows we’ve missed.  Scott headed back to bed around 8 pm so the kids and I just snuggled up on the couch and relaxed.

Hoping Scott is feeling better tomorrow.  

Today’s high: 72, overcast with a few sprinkles (quite cold outside)

Day 7 - Space Center Houston

We planned to meet the kids at 8:30 am with bags packed so we could grab breakfast and get on the road. We have about a 35 minute drive toward Houston to visit the Space Center Houston where we had a private tour arranged for 10:15 am.  

We pulled in just as the doors were opening and followed the signs to our tour guide Dave.  Dave has worked for the Space Center for three years and gave a great tour... including personal stories of watching the lunar landings as a child.  He had a shadow named Robert who quietly followed behind us to make sure we didn't get separated.  Plus we had another man who drove our tour van.  

Our first stop was Mission Control.  This was the original mission control and the room that controlled all of the Apollo Missions all the way through the Challenger mission.  It has now been refurbished back to the layout that was seen during the moon landing.  We were able to sit in the viewing room where families would often come to watch and get updates on their astronaut.

Next we went to the astronaut training facility.  This was fascinating.  They had a full mock up of the International Space Station as well as the various pods and vehicles that will be used in the upcoming Artemis missions.  (Artemis II is scheduled for April 1, 2026). All of these are available for astronauts to become familar with and practice tasks in ahead of their missions.  

We were also able to see the new space suits.  Fun fact. The suits are used multiple times and typically come in basic sizes like S, M, L; however, there are 70 sizes of gloves available since a perfect fit is so critical when in space.

We got to see Valkyrie the robot that has been designed by NASA to handle much of the work in space and will likely be used in later Artemis missions.

We were able to walk a catwalk along the side of the length of the building.  Typically our tour would also take us down on the floor but because of the pending mission and geo-political climate, we were not able to on this visit. 

Next we went to Rocket Park and were able to see the rocket that was used in the Mercury mission.

And then compare it to the more modern Saturn V rockets used for the Apollo.  This one was supposed to go to the moon in one of the last three missions that were subsequently cancelled. So it is almost 50 years old but still amazing.  I had no idea of the size!  

A big shout out to Tyler who finds a way to make anything interesting to Sammy. She was getting a little bored with some of our questions and he immediately found a few things to piek her interest.

Next, we took a tour through one of the space shuttles and one of the 747 transports that were designed to move it across the country.

Finally we wrapped up the tour back at the museum building where Dave walked us through the exhibits.

Both kids got to touch a piece of moon rock.

Once the tour was over, we visited the cafeteria for a late lunch and a few games of Battleship (yes, Sammy still won).  At this point, we decided to part ways.  Scott and Sammy headed to BJs for a favorite dessert while Tyler and I stuck around for a documentary called Moonwalkers and then did some shopping in the gift store.

I had a hotel reserved only about 15 minutes away close to the shoreline again.  Well, I thought I did.  But when we arrived for check in there wasn't any reservation for tonight.  (Apparently I booked it for last night by mistake). So we decided, to take advantage of the mistake and start our trip north toward Dallas.  We have a tour scheduled tomorrow around lunchtime but we are at least four hours away so we figured driving a bit tonight will set us up well for a more relaxing morning.

We drove til around 6:30 pm since Tyler had to work at 7:00 pm.  That will take 2 hours off our drive tomorrow.  We ran through the Whataburger drive through for Tyler and got him settled in.  Then Sammy, Scott and I went out to Olive Garden for supper and then hit Walmart to do some shopping.  We got back to our rooms around 9:00 pm - the first time all day that we could sit down. 

Sammy was shot.  I was too.  We all settled in and just relaxed after a very long day.

The hotel we are staying in is nothing special but it cost me just $19 for two rooms with some points that I had aquired. It was a Holiday Inn close to the highway but check out the size of the kids room - it is the largest, spacious double room I've ever seen!  

OK. Great day in Houston.  So glad we could do the tour and definitely something I will be remembering as we watch the Artemis missions in the years to come.  

Day 6 - Lots of Museums

I had an early morning zoom call so I got up early and headed to the lobby to get my work done.  Once the Zoom call was finished, I went back to the room but ended up on our balcony to finish my quiet time.  It was a great view. 

We grabbed breakfast from the buffet in the hotel lobby and then headed out for the day.  We have selected three museums to visit.  The first, at Tyler's request, is a railroad museum.  The tour started in the lobby / gift shop, set up to look like an old time train depot with white statues on display wearing clothes from the 20s-30s. Then we headed into a building of train displays and models and watched a documentary on the Freedom Train that toured the US for the bicentennial.  Then it was outdoors to check out the real trains with various cars - sleeper, mail, kitchen, dining, etc.  Tyler was so excited!

 

Next, we headed to the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum.  When we arrived, they were closed for a private event, so we headed to lunch at Chick-Fil-A to kill some time.

When we returned, we toured three levels including the outdoor platform to learn more about the oil industry and drilling itself.  It was very interesting.

A funny note, on the final floor and end of the tour, is a safety zone and one exhibit highlights the different alarms and what they mean on an oil rig.  My sweet girl thought it hilarious to pretend to curse and then use the sirens to BLEEP out the words.  We could hear her all over the exhibit floor (luckily we were alone). She had such a good time at that one simple exhibit - literally made her day!

At this point, we decided to head back to the room for a quick rest.  The next museum is the Galveston Naval Museum, which includes touring a battleship and submarine.  Sammy decided she could sit this one out, so she and I stayed at the hotel while the guys headed out.

Sammy and I relaxed in our room a while.  She worked on a LEGO set while I finished my Bible study.  Then we put on our suits and headed out to by the ocean.  We walked the beach, and sat on the piers watching one particularly skilled bird dive for fish.  We had a great conversation and it was just what we needed to wrap up the day.

The boys thoroughly enjoyed their time at the Naval Museum and appreciated the uncrowded access and lowkey atmosphere.

Speaking of battleships, one of our past times on this trip has been to play board games together on our phones, primarily Battleship.  Ironically, Sammy has honed in her skills and now consistantly spanks all the rest of us every time she plays.  Its equal parts infuriating and laughable to us 80s kids who grew up playing the game thinking we were pretty good.

On their way back to the hotel, they picked up Papa's Pizza, rated best pizza on the island for 8 years straight!  Tyler had to work at 6:00 pm tonight so the kids enjoyed a meal in the hotel while Scott and I headed out on a date night.  We ate at Landry's Steak and Seafood, just 0.3 miles down the road from the hotel.  It was a great meal.  Afterwards we took a drive to check out the southern end of the island and then grabbed a coffee on the way home.  

Sammy was awaiting our return and met us at the door with her swimsuit on!  We quick got changed and headed down to the hottub.  It was a great and relaxing end to the night.

After showers, Sammy joined us in our room to snuggle up and read me more of her latest novel.  By the time we finished, Scott was done in the shower and Tyler wrapped up work and came over as well.

Then we all hung out on our bed and talked, teased and laughed together.  It'll probably last as my best memory of the entire trip.  It was getting late and I was starting to drift off so we made a plan for morning and sent the kids back to their rooms.  Good night Galveston, its been fun!