Galveston Island/Houston

This was one adventure-packed trip!  Beginning on Galveston Island, our first day was spent visiting the island's main attraction, Moody Gardens, which is loosely described as an amusement park, but equipped with a remarkable aquarium that houses all the sharks and facts one can comprehend, in addition to other less fascinating ocean wildlife (matter of opinion).  The park's other attractions are the Rainforest pyramid, and the Discovery Museum which chronicles the history of the early 1900's American immigration through the port in Galveston Bay.

The following day, we launched ourselves on over to NASA's Space Center Houston for an experience that was out of this world!  hehe  We enjoyed the many theater presentations, the spacecraft simulator, astronaut gallery, kids space centers, and a tour of the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility where the astronauts train.  But the most memorable exhibit was at Rocket Park, home to the ENORMOUS 363-ft tall Saturn V Rocket on display.  Let's just say that the wide-angle lens was a must.

Back to the island for dinner and a little sightseeing of any ruins from hurricanes past, including the devastating and most recent Hurricane Ike. Reconstruction was near complete in the tourist areas, as to be expected. I did find a few structures closed for good, some appearing to have survived even the Galveston Hurricane of 1900. I had seen the Seawall in news footage, but to see it up close gives new perspective to the size of waves that thrust themselves against this vulnerable coastline. Massive. Not something you'd expect to see on your trip to the beach. Ah, the beach. We've heard so many negative remarks about GI beach. It is really not that bad. There is some graffiti, but beauty can be found, if you're looking for it.

Last stop was north of Houston for a two-day visit with our friends, and prior Pittsburgh next-door neighbors, Randy and Cindy! Wonderful hosts, as always. We have so much fun hanging out, eating Randy's famous fillets, swimming in their pool, and reminiscing the good ole days of shoveling snow, and going to Steeler's games! 

                                                        The Oasis, Woodlands Resort