Today was the third time that our island's very own rocket launch port - Pacific Spaceport Complex - was preparing for the launch of an unmanned rocket. Since there's you know very little to do on this island outside of hiking and fishing, we jump at basically any other kind of adventure out there.
We drove out an entire hour away (which is the equivalent of a cross country road trip on an island with only 45 miles of paved road) with two other families and set up a little camp in the parking lot outside the Space Port. Camping chairs facing out over the launch site, a little firepit, and Lunchables. We were ready! Let's launch this sucker!
But even though the weather was perfect and I mean perfect, the launch was scrubbed. Again! We all kind of stood there like, "Well now what?".
But the kids (and it was a lot of kids - nine in all) were having a great time. They took off in the thick bushes like a pack of wild monkeys and disappeared for a time, we made s'mores, and the kids created their own type of relay race in the parking lot. 
Then the Spaceport fire trucks showed up with lights and horns blaring, and we thought "Crap, we're in trouble for this teeny tiny little fire that we have out here in the parking lot. They parked, approached me, and say "Hey, do all those kids want a tour?" Which he apparently had no idea what he was asking, because it was like stepping on a beehive as all the kids chased after him to their firetrucks. They got to climb in, honk the horn, turn on the sirens. Over and over and over. They ran from one truck to the next, and back again, and had the best time ever.
We left that night completely forgetting that the launch had been called off, only remarking "Man, what a fun night!" And it was great.
No comments:
Post a Comment