Tuesday April 9th 2019

The day began with a little rain and ended with a lot of rain. In between the rain the sun came out for two or three hours. It was just enough to add plenty of heat to the humidity. Around four the sky opened up and a deluge came down accompanied by a little lightening and a lot of wind.

The first thing on today’s agenda was figuring out where I was going to be located tomorrow night. My week at the Seasons in the Sun RV Resort ends on Wednesday. I had been putting off the decision on my next stop. In the end I decided to extend my stay here for another week. Now I have another chance to see the Space X Falcon Heavy launch tomorrow or whenever it ends up launching during the next week. My big challenge now is finding a good viewing place without thousands of other people already there.

During the sunny part of the day, I returned to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Preserve. I wanted to see a manatee or two at the Haul Over canal. Last spring I saw about six near the viewing area. Last week I only saw a couple swim by. I hoped that I might see a few more today, but instead I only saw one. Instead I was entertained by the Pelicans that call the area around the nearby drawbridge home. They use the height of the bridge supports and protective pilings to spot the fish in the canal. The noisy splash as the pelican enters the water after a fish is impressive.

I spent the rest of the day scouting possible locations to watch the launch tomorrow. All I really achieved is a knowledge of where the possible viewing sports are located. I’m going to have to play it by sight tomorrow. Sometime in the early afternoon I’ll pick a spot and wait for the launch window which opens shortly after six thirty until about eight thirty. That’s going to be a long wait, but it may not be enough if some of the estimates I’ve heard are to be believed.