Mid July, 1973, (Launch Date was July 28, 1973)

I lived in Connecticut, and was attending the University of Massachusetts in 1973. Prior to the summer of 1973, I had never been farther south than New Jersey. Imagining a trip to Florida was a stretch for me.

I had a crew, and my father had agreed to lend us use of his 1968 Volkswagen Beetle for the trip.

We began from Connecticut, with a good roadmap. (At this time it was not 100% interstate highway yet to Florida.) Summer in Connecticut can often be hot and humid. Along the trip to Florida it would get hotter and more humid (it seemed) as we proceeded farther south.

On the trip we made a stop to the Smithsonian Museum. The new Air and Space Museum did not yet exist. We were fortunate to view the Apollo 11 command module on display in a hall in "the Castle." Seeing it, covered with a Plexiglas cover was quite an experience. Then I noticed something; the Plexiglas did not cover everything. I was able to reach down, and under and actually touch the command module. I suspect this is no longer possible, and probably should not have been back then. I did appreciate my chance to touch history, however.

We continued south, and stopped for the night in Emporia, VA, I think. I noticed the scent of the air had changed, there was a kind of sweet scent. I noticed this the rest of the way south.

The car did have a breakdown in Georgia. The pulley on the alternator broke apart. We needed a new part, though we did have a spare "V-belt" with us. It turns out we were in luck; in 5 min. of walking, we found a shop, which for a few dollars offered a part from an engine in the back. Within an hour we were running. The pulley we installed did require several belts to become smooth, however. We needed new belts periodically on the trip.

We were successful in our arrival in Florida several days prior to the launch. The extra time allowed for a tour of the Space Center. Our base was the house of a friend near Orlando.

So getting there was a success.