To Infinity and Beyond.
Between the main cities that come to mind when most people think of Texas, Houston is definitely the largest. It actually, to me anyway, resembles Dallas more than it does Austin and San Antonio. Mostly because of the absurd amount of traffic which I'm sure you would run into even at the oddest hours of the night. In case you're keeping score, San Antonio is still my favorite so far out of the bunch. The main reason I wanted to go to Houston, even though it was a little out of my way, was because of NASA. The shuttles may launch from the Kennedy Space Center on the Space Coast of Florida, but mission control is right here in Houston. I got a bit of a later start than I wanted Thursday since I knew it was only open until 5 pm, and headed straight for the tram to take me through the campus and facilities when I got there around one o'clock. Little tip if you ever plan on going here, do that first, it's the whole reason why you go there to begin with. The main building you walk into looks like any other science museum only it's all centered around space and astronauts with interactive zones for kids and adults everywhere. One of the back walls is lined with the official photos from every NASA mission, three of which, Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia, have black ribbons on them signifying loss of life. Speed walking through it to get to the tram, I got on the 1:15 pm to Building 9, also known as the Vehicle Mock-Up Facility. I got to see a full size model of the ISS, the International Space Station, taking up about half of the warehouse. The rest of the building, the length of two football fields by the way, is filled with engineers, rovers, space suits, robots and even a mockup of NASA's new Orion capsule. Fun fact, the ISS moves at five miles per second, any faster and it would spin out of orbit and drift off into space. To put things in perspective, to drive from Houston to Austin at that speed would get you there in 17 minutes. Crazy, right? Riding on the tram, we passed the shuttle attached to a 747 and Rocket Park while Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, came over the PA system. He made sure to tell us how the building we were leaving was only a museum and what we were about to enter was the real deal. A huge smile came on my face when he said that. It's weird though, NASA's campus reminds me a lot of a college campus. Everything except for the excessively large nitrogen tanks all over the place, that is. Oddly enough, it was actually designed to look that way. The purpose of that was to hopefully inspire a sense of collaboration, creativity and inspiration; I'd say it worked. The Johnson Space Center, named after President Lyndon Baines Johnson, the same president who watched a man walk on the moon shortly after he left office, is also home to one of the most unique rooms in the United States. Not just the U.S. though, nowhere else in the world can you have the experience of stepping into mission control. Thank goodness I got on the 1:15 shuttle or I never would have made the second one. I can't imagine having gone to NASA and not seeing mission control. The machines are the exact same ones they used almost 50 years ago when Apollo 11 landed and Neil Armstrong stepped, left boot first, onto the moon's surface. It's amazing, even the burnt orange cushions of the theater style seating in the viewing room looking onto control appear to be dated back to the 60s, and on July 20, 1969, was full to capacity and standing room only. Don't worry, we've upgraded since then. The current mission control is a floor below the old one, slightly smaller, and much more high tech. The idea of being in space, I'm not going to lie, freaks me out. It was never my dream as a kid to become an astronaut, but that doesn't mean I don't find NASA and their missions incredibly interesting. I like to collect patches from places I've been, it's one of my favorite souvenirs. Not everywhere, of course, just the ones that are meaningful to me. It's safe to say this was an important stop and when I got to the gift shop I discovered an entire wall of what looked to be easily 100 of them. Mission patches, NASA patches, some specific to the Johnson Space Center, it was hard to choose. After a solid ten minutes of debating back and forth, I am very happy with my choice. What an awesome addition to my already very colorful jean jacket. Even if you don't like patches or want to buy one, this display alone is something worth seeing. Each mission has its own unique patch worn by the astronauts, some of the earlier ones were even designed by them. If you are ever in Houston, do not miss NASA, trust me. Talk about adventure is out there, that's the ultimate adventure.
The rest of my time in Houston was spent with friends I've met along my travels. I actually stayed with a great couple I met back in New Orleans. They were kind enough to keep in touch over this past month and a half and offer me a place to stay if I ever came to Houston. A big thank you again to them for having me!
Last week when I was in Bandera horseback riding, I met a woman named Amy and we hit it off right away. After two hours of riding, trotting, and talking, we decided to meet up in Houston, where she lives, when I came to town. Being an avid biker herself, she suggested we go riding and she lent me her second bike for the day on Friday. The seat may not have been the most comfortable in the world, but a little discomfort never killed anybody. We rode all over downtown Houston and if you ever get the chance, that's definitely the way to do it. Not that I've done it on foot to compare, but biking along the Buffalo Bayou was a perfect way to spend a day, especially for a place like Houston. It's so massive I feel like even if I had attempted to go to some of it's forty or so museums I would have barely made a dent. This way, I got some exercise and spent my day outdoors, which you all should know by now I love to do. It's a shame the river that runs through downtown is brown and muddy, it makes photographs so much less appealing and takes away from the pretty landscaping they've done. The bike path winds underneath bridges and along downtown high rises, wildflowers lining it, sculptures placed here and there, and bridges to and from the other side on occasion. One thing Amy did tell me about Houston which, quite honestly I still can't picture, is that same river can flood over some of the bridges thirty feet above. Obviously not every time it rains that happens, only in truly severe floods, but still. The concrete wall on the side of the pathway has feet marked off for how high the water can get. Although, even on a normal day I can see how it rises easily, the docks down on the river and the stairs leading down the banks go right into the water without stopping. Letting out into an area called River Oaks, we biked through some of the largest homes I've ever seen. The further into the neighborhood we got, the bigger they got. Surprisingly, a bit refreshing actually, each one had it's own character and charm. I always feel like when homes get to be that large they seem to be a bit cookie cutter and repetitive. The neighborhood feels like a suburb but it's not, it's actually right in downtown Houston with a major street running through it that we tried to avoid biking on as much as possible. After a delicious lunch in a room full of chandeliers on the water and what felt an uphill battle back to the apartment, some serious downtime was in order before heading out for the evening.
I really like seeing the night life in new places I visit, even though sometimes I'm not up for it. Something told me Friday night out with Amy and her awesome friends was not going to be a typical Friday night in Houston. I certainly didn't mind though, it's all about the experience and the people are what make an experience. Well folks, I finally got to two step. Sort of, anyway. Not that it's a deal breaker if I made it through Texas without trying it, but it does seem odd that I've now been in the Lone Star State for what feels like forever and it had yet to happen. In case you're wondering, people couple off and dance in the same direction on a large circular dance floor, sort of like you would a roller skating rink. Men shuffle their feet along and women do a ton of spinning. Those who are really good at it can even do it to today's top 40. I'm no where near that level, though. I loved spending the day with Amy and seeing a side of Houston I have no doubt I never would have seen had it just been me exploring.
I may not have seen everything in Houston, but who could with only two days. I loved what I did get to see and who I got to meet, it made up for what I didn't. I took some advice from a new friend and decided to drive straight to Big Bend National Park on Saturday morning. It was a long drive but it was worth it. This place is magical and I cannot wait to tell you all about it. Until then, I will leave you with some photos of my time in Houston while I go back to stargazing.
- G.
The Photo:
Rocket Park at the Johnson Space Center.
Houston, Texas.
4/20/17.
