HoppoTabi2022

We got to visit the Space Center in Houston!  We were very fortunate as we discovered that it is included in our ASTC Passport Pass for science centers, so the cost was mostly covered!  Lovely!     We had a great time! So much to learn! We learned about the timeline of progress for space travel. It was exciting!     They had a fragment of moon rock that you can touch and feel what it's like. Very cool! It was brought to Earth by the Apollo 17 crew in December of 1972.  It is one of only 8 lunar rocks in the world that is available to be touched by the public.  Amazing.   The kids said that the moon was "nice and smooth". Later, they got to feel a fragment of Mars, which they described as "a little bit gritty, like sand".   When astronauts prepare to board the spacecraft, they go through this area....     The "White Room"--     We headed over to Independence Plaza--     And got to go through the 3 levels of the "shuttle carrier aircraft"--

We camped at Bayou Segnette, a state park in Louisiana, near New Orleans.  As we went to hitch the trailer that morning, and prepare to depart...I looked at this crew and was grateful for the awesome teamwork they show again and again.  Sure, we have our moments....that's normal. But so many times, they pull together and help and work in a way that is so helpful and incredible. Having to back up this monster RV, and arrange it to line up with the trailer hitch, and not hit anything around us...takes a village! Well, our little family-village, that is.  I have said multiple times, as Jonnie is doing the driving/backing up, "Okay, guys, get to your stations!"  We all take a part to watch for and make sure it's clear and we direct him along.  It's awesome.     The night before, knowing we would go to New Orleans, the kids wanted to watch "Princess and the Frog".  It gave them some references that they recognized on our visit. We drove into New Orleans, head