Our first Top Down day was to the Northrop Grumman Antares Launch of NG14 at Wallops Island. NG 14 was going to deliver cargo to the International Space Station.
Wallops Island is about a 4 hr drive from Hagerstown Md. Unfortunately a lot of the drive is 4 and 6 lane highway, so the start of the day was top up.
Right before we got to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge we put the top down the rest of the way. It was a good drive from the bay bridge to Wallops Island Va. For lunch we stopped for BBQ. There are several great BBQ restaurants along the route.
It was a night time launch on Thursday. We left home planning on seeing the launch, staying the night in a hotel and coming back home on Friday. You will see that changed slightly for the better.
We got to the Wallops Island area in mid afternoon so we could explore a site to watch the launch and get some good pictures of the rocket on the launch pad.
Later in the afternoon we picked up a sandwich to eat while we waited for the launch at the site we had picked out. After a couple hours of waiting we found out that the area we were planning on viewing the launch from was closed to spectators for safety reasons. The local police came and evacuated the 20 or so people that was at the site to view the launch. The Police officer recommended to go to Pierce Taylor Rd to watch. We proceeded there and found a good opening through the trees to get a good view of the rocket. Waiting anxiously for the launch with just about 45 seconds left the launch was delayed due to a sensor on the rocket indicating a problem. The launch was delayed approx 24 hours to Friday night. We decided to stay an extra night and do some sightseeing Friday before seeing the launch.
We took the opportunity to go to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Assateague Lighthouse and a drive on packed sand beach at Assateague Beach. All was great with the top down. Having the top down view is so much different than seeing it behind glass in a regular car. We knew then that getting our Miata was a great decision. We also spent a few hours on some hiking trails within the Wildlife Refuge. Including some shopping around town and a great seafood dinner at Bill’s Prime Seafood & Steaks. Highly recommend this restaurant. It is a higher on the price range but in our estimation worth it.
Friday night was attempt #2 for the launch. We went back to Pierce Taylor Rd and found our spot. That night with a full moon there was no delays and launch was flawless. It was a wonderful sight. I have seen other rocket launches but for Cindy it was her first. I highly recommend seeing a rocket launch if you have the opportunity.
The next day we started for home. When we got close to the bay bridge our GPS re-routed us away from the bridge and up to New Jersey. We took the new route and later found out there was a 4 to 6 hour delay on the Bridge. The reroute was a pleasant surprise. We were able to be Top Down for about 3 hours on a great drive with lots of scenery and small towns. It was a great detour with Top Down. Eventually we hit 4 and 6 lane highways again and went top up to get home. It was a great first adventure.
