Great Loop: Huntsville Alabama

We are berthed at Ditto Landing and using it as our base camp for exploring the Huntsville area.  At the dock was a replica of the original Ditto Landing Ferry. Other cruisers had warned us there wasn't much to do here, but we are finding the opposite.  First of all there is a nice greenway to walk and bike.  It follows a lovely like creek for quite a distance and then head towards Huntsville.  This is the Aldridge Creek Greenway.  And then there is the Tennessee River Greenway that heads east for about a mile to Whitesburg Boat and Yacht Club.  We biked the Aldridge Creek Greenway to get our propane bottle filled at the local Marathon Station.

When the kids were young, we sent them to Space Camp, at the Huntsville Space at Rocket Center.  Visiting again brought back many good memories.  While at camp, they trained to fly a space shuttle mission.  At graduation, we were surprised and pleased that Kate won the "Right Stuff" award for her focus and performance at camp.  What a treat!  I think she has always wanted to be an Astronaut.  Me too...

Huntsville was at the heart of the space race.  It was here that Werner Von Braun, and his German rocket team, developed the rockets which culminated in the moon landings.  When you see the hardware in person, it is overwhelming.  So huge and complex.  The capsules, in which the astronauts rode, so small and cramped.  Absolutely amazing that it worked so well.  As an engineer, I was in awe of what was accomplished in a very short period of time.

To get to the Space and Rocket Center, we rented a car through an app called Turo.  It is a crowd sourced car rental service.  The car is brought to where you are, and you return it at the end of the rental period.  So it works well for boaters.  I recommend the service for anyone that needs to get mobile.  It is a good alternative to Uber or traditional car rental.

Here is some of the hardware in which the Space Camp attendees train.  During the pandemic, the resident camp is closed.  We did see STEM day classes for kids.  So it is running at partial capacity.

Over the next week, we are planning to visit Chattanooga by boat and rent a car to visit Nashville.  It is exciting to visit this part of the country.  People have been very hospitable and helpful.  A trait which I'm sure is contributing to us slowing down and enjoying the area.  I do feel that I'm more aware of everything.  I'm in a much more exploratory mood, and not as destination, or get it done, focused.  I think I'll cultivate this approach.  It feels good....