Coming into Cocoa Beach we passed Patrick Air Force Base. We couldn't figure out why there were cars lining the sides of the road until we saw a plane overhead doing tricks. Turns out we stumbled on the first USAF Thunderbirds air show of the year and their first since 2019. They hadn't flown yet, but were expected soon. We hurried along to get checked into our house for the week which was located on the ocean next to Cocoa Beach Pier. The Thunderbirds had a planned route that ran from the pier all the way down to the Air Force Base so we would be right in on the action if we could get down to the beach quick enough.
Grabbing our bags and tossing them in the house we made the short 50 yard walk and sat down just in time to see the jets in formation come flying past us. We watched as they did barrel rolls, smoke screens and multiple different formations. The jets they do this in are F-16s. While they are stripped down of all their armaments they are otherwise the same jet you would see in combat. The sound and the sights of the afterburners and air vortex off the edges of the wings at what felt like a stones throw distance was incredible. Our main reason for staying in Cocoa Beach was actually with the intention of catching the SpaceX Manned Mission Falcon Rocket Launch to the ISS and this was such a great way to kick off what would come to be one of the most memorable weeks in my life.
The main attraction for Cocoa Beach is its proximity to Cape Canaveral, but it also has great beaches, the largest Ron Jon Surf Shop in the US, and access to many other outdoor activities such as Alligator, Dolphin, and Manatee tours. For us we made sure to spend every pre-workday and lunch hour minute in the water. We got in some good boogie boarding and found some really nice seashells. The condo units we were in also had a really nice saltwater pool. The weather was amazing with exception of a little rain one day following by hours of the most amazing electrical storm. We were set to watch the rocket launch on Wednesday morning, but it was rescheduled to Thursday. I'm sure this was in part due to the rain and lightning. Our original plan was to only stay in Cocoa beach through Wednesday, catch the launch then head over to Kissimmee where we had some more plans in store. Fortunately we had the foresight to change that plan and we weren't leaving until Saturday. We had this event planned since before we left Oregon, so there was no way were were going to miss it!
Launch day arrived. It was an early morning launch. We got up and walked down the beach in the dark. We had a nearly unobstructed view of where we thought the rocket would appear on the horizon where we laid out a blanket on the sand. With today's technology we were able to watch the YouTube live stream as the fueling completed and the countdown began. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and we have liftoff.... from our spot which was about 20 miles from the launch pad we could see the sky light up like the sun was about to crest the horizon. From that distance you could still hear the roar of the engines as the rocket came into view. A small cylinder being pushed through the sky by a blowtorch 4 times its size. As it climbs higher and higher about the time it gets to the darkest part of the sky there is a second blast and now instead of a blow torch behind the tiny rocket it now has a large halo behind it which is continuing to propel it out of our atmosphere. I think one of the reasons its such an awe inspiring moment has to do with how foreign the rocket looks traveling across the sky. The halo behind the rocket is massive in comparison to the rocket itself and the way the light from the propulsion illuminates both its own vapor trail and the sky around it is something you will only see in this one scenario. I'm sure for Lance and Ava it was pure magic and honestly it was for me too. I'm not going to lie, it made my eyes water and my nose run....I was definitely not getting emotional though :-) If this is something you EVER get the opportunity to see first hand, do it. Wipe your calendar, cancel your hair appointments, skip out on that funeral, tell your wife you will catch the next birth, go watch a rocket launch.
As the rocket disappeared over the horizon we headed back towards the condo tucked the kids into bed and went back to the beach to have a Mom and Dad date. We sat with our toes in the sand to watch the sun come up while we sip some Harry and David white wine that was sent to us from back home. The air was calm and the sand was soft under our butts. We clanked our wine glasses (they were plastic picnic wine glasses, so not quite the satisfying clink would would hope for, but you get the point) and raised a toast to that morning. We felt like we were living a life we couldn't really have even imagined and let the sun put the exclamation mark on that thought as it peeked up over the horizon. It was a great day.
The week in Cocoa Beach was over way too soon. We did have lunch on the pier and visited the massive surf shop. We found ourselves considering the possibility of buying a second home there. A condo unit would make for a good part time rental and we could spend our winters there perhaps. However, all good things must come to an end eventually and we had another spectacular week planned at our next destination. We pulled out of Cocoa Beach on Sunday morning and headed to the next house in Kissimmee Fl.
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