Attend my first Rocket Launch

I have been trying to attend a launch at Cape Canaveral for several years now. I went down for the last space shuttle launch a few years ago. There were 250-300k people there to watch. It got scrubbed. I waited an extra day but it didn't go then either. Had to get back and of course they launched after I left. Other times the past 2 yrs I have gotten sick, had some surgery, or had to keep my commitment to teach.

On Friday they launched a Delta IV medium. It was supposed to go on Wed when I couldn't go, then they moved ot to Friday. So I drove to my sister's in Jacksonville Wed afternoon, and Down to the Cape on Friday. It was supposed to go at 6:58pm. Had a bunched of glitch holds then finally launched at 8:36p. Pretty awesome. I viewed it from the Kennedy Space Center visitor complex with about 7-10k other folks. We waited in the official viewing area early. On the last hold I told my BIL let's pack up and go backout to the parking lot because it actually had a better viewing angle there and we didn't have 5000 heads and cameras jumping up in front of us.
Hear are a couple of pics. I was hoping for it to go just after sunset, but the night launch was pretty spectacular too. We were 7 miles away from the pad and it still lit up the parking lot like the sun. The 30-35 seconds the engine roar and rumble arrived.

 

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