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By Root 670 0

Space Center, located on a barrier island off Florida’s Atlantic coast near Titusville, about 52 miles (84km) east of Orlando. If you’re in Orlando, there are tour buses available, or you may wish to rent a car. Either way, it pays to plan ahead to see a shuttle launch. The best public viewing is from the NASA Causeway just south of the launch pad, but the area is accessible only with pre-purchased tickets. The next-best places to watch the lift-off are either Spaceview Park in Titusville (just south of the 406 bridge, east of Rte. 1) or the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex. The Visitors Complex lacks a clear view of the launch pad, but it’s close enough that the explosive sound is terrific and the shuttle usually flies right overhead once it has lifted off.

Visitors can sign up for NASA Causeway e-mail ticket alerts; tickets can be purchased online once they are available for sale, but act fast because these events have been known to sell out in a matter of minutes. Remember too that launches are sometimes scrubbed due to bad weather or other conditions.

Besides the thrill of watching the shuttle lift-off, there are dozens of space-related attractions at the Visitors Complex, including IMAX films, astronaut encounters hosted by real astronauts, and the Shuttle Launch Experience, an interactive simulation hosted by shuttle personnel that comes complete with videos, sound, and lighting that mimics the experience of an actual shuttle launch. —ML

The space shuttle blasts off from Kennedy Space Center.

Kennedy Space Center ( 321/449-4400;www.kennedyspacecenter.com).

Tours: Gray Line Orlando Launch ( 800/537-0917;www.grayline.com). All Orlando Tours ( 702/233-1627;www.allorlandotours.com).

When to Go: Open year-round; check website for launch schedule.

$$$ The Inn at Cocoa Beach, 4300 Ocean Blvd. ( 800/343-5307 or 321/799-3460; www.theinnatcocoabeach.com). $$ Riverview Hotel, 103 Flagler Ave. ( 800/945-7416 or 386/423-8927; www.riverviewhotel.com).

252

Grass-Skiing

Please Stay on the Grass

Basye, Virginia, U.S.A.

If those lazy, hazy days of summer are driving your inner ski bum crazy, take heart; you can still hit a ski resort and get the same heart-pounding rush you got last winter on the slopes. No, NASA scientists haven’t developed some magic non-melting snow; it’s grass-skiing, an adrenaline craze imported from Germany for your warm-weather fun.

Bryce Resort is one of the few areas worldwide to offer this thrill ride (most ski resorts have slopes that are too sandy, rocky, or rough to accommodate grass skiing). Located in the lovely Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, just west of Washington, D.C., Bryce Resort is home to a number of outdoor adventure activities, including mountain-boarding, a zipline tour and a bungee ride.

Grass-skiing uses ski boots just like snow skiing, but the boots are attached to shorter skis roughly 3-feet long; the skis have rolling belt treads on them similar to those found on a tank. (Other designs use small wheels and work like inline skates.) You’ll also need ski poles and a complement of safety equipment—without a soft layer of snow, falls while grass skiing often result in plenty of bruises, bumps, and scrapes. Consider a helmet and pads for your knees and elbows.

You should also consider taking a lesson; even experienced snow skiers report having some difficulty mastering the intricacies of grass-skiing their first time on a grass-ski run. But if you decide to bail out, Bryce Resort offers a consolation; access to their mountain-tubing slide, where participants whoosh down a 340-feet (102m) waterless slide. —ML

Bryce Resort Grass Skiing ( 800/821-1444 or 540/856-2121; www.bryceresort.com).

When to Go: May–Oct.

Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport (62 miles/100km).

$$ Wayside Inn, 7783 Main St., Middletown ( 877/869-1797 or 540/869-1797; www.alongthewayside.com). $ Frederick House, 28 N. New St., Staunton ( 800/334-5575 or 540/885-4220; www.frederickhouse.com).

253

Mountainboarding

Son of Snowboard

Centers Worldwide

If a snowboard and an SUV got married and had