posted 06-07-2005 08:00 AM            

The normal rail track between Jacksonville and Miami forks - just north of Titusville - forks eastwards at Parrish Road and enters NASA and US government property. Just after passing over the rail bridge spanning the Indian River it passes through an area called ‘Roach Hole’ – lovely !

After negotiating a few curves, it straightens out. Just past the north end of the shuttle run way , the rail line splits a branch line down toward the VAB which then continues on deeper into the KSC,CCAF industry complex. There is another branch off this track toward the gas plant alongside the shuttle crawler way.

However, the ‘main’ track continues east wards on towards the beach to a place called ‘Back Creek’ before turning southward - to run parallel with the beach - passing places with great names like “Bald Pate Creek’, ‘Gator Hole’ and ’Broadaxe Creek’. It also passes close to the two Launch Complex 39 pads until another series of curves takes the line around ‘Devils Elbow’ until the track runs in a south-west direction past ‘Harrison Road Creek’ to the Titan launch complex.

With most of the names above you can probably see where the name derived from but ‘Bald Pate Creek’ ?

Who was that named after !

Was it an astronaut ?

posted 06-07-2005 02:23 PM            

Maybe should be renamed Story Musgrave Creek - :-)

Ben - now that you say about the duck with same name - I think I recall seeing that name on displays in the Wioldlife Refuge there at Titusville?

Phill

posted 06-07-2005 08:38 PM            

I was travelling the route in my mind as you listed the names. I'll use some of them the next time I do a tour of the oad area. Especially the Roach Hole. Although I was told here in Florida there are no roaches - they are palmetto bugs!

posted 06-08-2005 06:11 AM            

I'd like hear about your road trip in/around that area when you do it.
and if you can take images - where possible without upsetting CCAF security - that would be good :-)

I've driven some of the roads - those up near the Wildlife Refuge - but, of course, some are on US Govt property.

posted 06-08-2005 06:30 AM            

But I was lucky to have even get to the press site to have covered the launch at all !

The night before the launch I was taking a shower-bath before going visit downtown bars. I'd just settled down into the coolness of the bath water when I 'saw' this black 'shape' on the tiles. I'd no sooner spotted it than the damn thing scuttled off between the tiles and the bath rim.

As it had taken me by surprise ,it frightened the life out of me and I literally "leap frogged" out of the bath - nearly breaking my neck on the wet tiled floor and then out of the room altogether in my "altogether"!

After a few seconds of calming down went back in and I saw this big black bug ! Not having seen anything like this before (certainly not in the UK)and like a 'fool' I decided to squash it . Big mistake ! The hellish crunching sound and squelchy innards going everywhere in the bath was not the thing to have done !

Looking back it for me was a 'funny' episode but perhaps not for the deceased bug and his waiting family !. I was told later that it was cockroach and that they live between the walls inside buildings liking the coolness found there only coming out for food and water.

Phill

PS - As an aside , does the area still suffer from the 'love bugs' that splat the cars and houses around now ?