Kurt Erlenbach

I know there's already a thread for this, and I've posted this photo there, but I'd like to highlight this. Friday morning SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 to the space station. The launch was about 45 minutes before dawn, which is the very best time for a launch. The rocket launches in the dark, and as it rises and heads west, it bursts into the sunlight. Then, as it gets higher, the exhaust expands into the cold upper atmosphere making a really great show. I was riding at a park when it went off and I caught a few photos. Enjoy this photo, because to get it I was standing in a fire ant mound and today my ankles are paying the price.

Jimbo47

That would scare the heck out of someone that has been living under a rock!
Nice!

canklecat

Nifty!

Those fire ant bites are annoying. Hardly anything really relieves the stinging and itching. Fortunately most fire ants in Texas have bred with native ants over the decades so they're more like sugar ants with bad tempers now than the vicious masses of swarming demons they used to be back in the 1980s. Instead of hundreds of bites in a few seconds it's usually a dozen or fewer bites.

BlazingPedals

Don't you mean the rocket heads east over the Atlantic? The reason rockets launch from southerly locales is to take advantage of the earth's rotation.

Kurt Erlenbach

OK, I'm an idiot. Of course they head east, not west. Sorry.

TimothyH

I saw a guy standing in a fire ant mound on my Friday morning ride.


-Tim-

DeadGrandpa

What is the rationale for getting up and riding before dawn? I know I must be missing something, but I can't function or feel like riding on 3 or 4 hours of sleep. Some benefit must be derived from this self inflicted punishment, so what is it, please?

DeceptivelySlow

I think perhaps the best way to get a taste of hell would be to ride in Florida under a mid-day July sun.

Awesome photo; that had to almost be surreal to see that during a quiet early morning ride; dang ants.

bobwysiwyg

Generally true. Exceptions are satellites launched into polar orbits.

Kurt Erlenbach

I get up about 5:15, get out on the road about 5:45, back home about 6:45 and leave for work about 7:30. There are many advantages, mainly to avoid the heat. During the spring I avoid the wind, and there is little traffic. I find it very peaceful to be out there by myself in the early morning light. I ue three headlights and two rear flashers, so I'm plenty lit up. It's also an invigorating way to start the day. Of course, I'm crashed by about 10:00 p.m, but that's OK.