Back in Town

I arrived back in Houston last night at 8:30 after a great trip to Utah. The mountains were gorgeous, well-frosted with snow. I forget how boring the flat terrain around here is, until I travel somewhere with variation.

My meetings went well (even the one that began at 7 a.m. Friday!) and the rocket firing was breathtaking. I'm hoping to get some good pictures from some other folks that were there. I purposely didn't take my camera for two reasons. 1. The pictures can never capture the experience. "Oh yeah, look at that white thing on its side with the fire coming out the end - (yawn)." 2. Other people who have witnessed Shuttle launches said that when they tried to capture the event with their cameras, they really missed the whole experience while trying to get that great photo.

The weather was great. No snow or ice on the roads. It was about 27 when we arrived Wednesday night, and when we left the hotel before dawn on Thursdsay, it was about 23 degrees. Then, we drove out to the ATK site, which is very close to Promontory Point, where they created the link that made the Transcontinental Railroad connecting eastbound and westbound railroads with the Golden Spike. It is out in the middle of nowhere, and it is much higher elevation. When we arrived at the facility, the sign out front said 6 degrees. I thought it was a misprint until I stepped out of the car. Brrrr!

Fortunately, the sun came out and warmed things up a reasonable amount. It was maybe 30 when we rode out to the test site. We did stay out longer because there was a 45 minute delay in starting the test when the data recording equipment had a glitch. It felt good being out in the clean, fresh mountain air. The firing itself was very impressive. This motor, along with its twin, provides 31 million pounds of thrust to lift the Shuttle from the launch pad. When the motor ignited, a brilliant white-hot flame shot out, and I remember thinking, "Gosh, I thought it would be loud." A few seconds later, the sound wave hit us (we were about 1.5 miles away from the motor) and made me jump.

Here's a link to a news story about the test:
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,600113033,00.html

Yesterday was a long day, since I had to get up, check out of my room, and eat breakfast before driving to my 7 a.m. meeting. I was able to do a little sightseeing at Temple Square in Salt Lake City before going to the airport in the afternoon. My flight back to Houston was pretty bumpy - even my boss, who is a pilot, said the flight was very bumpy. Anyway, I arrived home safe and sound by 9:30 p.m.

I enjoyed my trip, but it's good to be home. My fibromyalgia symptoms stayed in check while I was gone, and I'm taking it easy today to make sure I catch up on my rest. Fortunately, Monday is a holiday for Presidents' Day. Three day weekend - you gotta love it.