Final Day with all the Guys

You can see from the sky that, even though it was still unseasonably cool and windy, the guys had a beautiful sunny day for their final day of their Florida adventure.

The first stop was the Treasure Museum. In 1715 there were 12 ships heading north along the coast of what is now Florida filled with treasures from the "New World" bound for Spain. A hurricane hit and the ships all sank. It is estimated that about 1000 sailors perished and the remaining survivors made it to shore at the spot marked by the sign. The survivors were marooned there until they were rescued - the spot eventually became part of the Sebastian Inlet State Park. The Treasure Museum tells the history of the fated treasure ships as well as contains many treasure artifacts that have been rescued over the years.

After the Treasure Museum, they went back to the beach where they had a chance to watch surfers (in full length wet suits) practice for the Surffest 2010 that starts tomorrow. It turns out that the beach at Sebastian Inlet is a surfing mecca of Florida.

Finally, it was back to the motor home for packing, dinner and the requisite cigar smoking - something these guys have done on every trip starting back after high school graduation. It's tradition!

It will be early to bed as Scott, Mark and Lars are getting up at 2:45 am in order to drive to West Palm Beach for their flight home. Greg has two more State Parks to visit on Saturday and Sunday nights, then he starts the long trip back to Minnesota. I think they all agreed the their adventure was a huge success!

Everyday Life in a Motor Home

This was Scott, Mark and Lars' first trip in a motor home. These pictures give you a little glimpse into living in the motor home. Our motor home has four bunks in the back (it was perfect for four boys!) The two snorers got assigned to the back, and the two others slept up front (one on the couch and one in the bed above the cab). Fine dining went on at almost every meal - from homemade pancakes, bacon and orange juice to dinners complete with red wine. I think they all agreed that motor home living is pretty good!

The Beach and a Rocket Launch

During the day, Greg, Scott, Mark and Lars explored the beautiful beaches at Sebastian Inlet State Park. The weather was a little warmer so the guys enjoyed sitting out in the sun. As Greg put it, if you "stayed low," the wind wasn't too bad.

Later in the day, they drove back to Cape
Canaveral to see a Delta IV Rocket launch. After the launch, they went out to dinner before driving back to the campsite.

Tomorrow will be the last day they all will be together, so part of their day will be packing up and getting ready to part ways.

A Day at the Kennedy Space Center

Today, Greg, Scott, Mark and Lars drove to the Kennedy Space Center that was a little more than an hour away from the campsite. They spent the whole day there going through the museum and exhibits . . . . including taking the opportunity to see what they would actually look like in space suits. Since the weather was gray, cool and windy, it was a good day do some inside things. 

Sebastian Inlet State Park

The next stop on the road trip is Sebastian Inlet State Park. Sebastian Inlet State Park, located in Melbourne Beach, is the premier saltwater fishing spot on Florida's east coast. Surfing is also a popular recreation and several major competitions are held here every year. Three miles of beautiful beaches provide opportunities for swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling, shelling, and sunbathing - Greg said the beach is beautiful. The Sebastian Fishing Museum tells the history of the area's fishing industry. Unfortunately, you can see from the pictures that the weather is cloudy and there was a 35-40 mile per hour wind! Greg had really hoped to try some windsurfing at this park, but he reported the water temperature is only 59 degrees - that temperature combined with the wind would lead to major hypothermia almost immediately! So they guys spent the afternoon settling in, checking out the Fishing Museum and catching up on sleep! 

Deep Sea Fishing Adventure

Mid morning, Greg, Scott, Mark and Lars left to go deep sea fishing near the State Park. They caught quite a few fish including Kingfish, Yellow Tail, Red Snapper and Trigger Fish. The fish in the picture is a Kingfish. The fishing outfit filleted all the fish except the Kingfish (too oily to eat) and that they took it to a nearby restaurant to cook for an early dinner.