After the delay at the airport came the race to make sure all the previous bookings and reservations were still booked and reserved. Once again our beloved Qantas was of absolutely no help whatsoever and once again LL stepped up to the plate, did what had to be done and cemented her position as Queen of Coordination. This room rocked. Can't thank her enough.

Out for a bit of a drive and what do we see? These things dotting the landscape. And they were everywhere, sucking oil from the ground like a teenager in front of the mirror squeezing zits. Yummy!

One of the preplanned sites to see was the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center (KCSC Google Earth Link) and, joined by Ari of the Queensland Rocket Society (TRA #131), we took in the sights and history it had to offer in all it's splendor. For anyone visiting that part of the world that's interested in what's happened in the skies surrounding this planet, the Cosmosphere is a must see.

And let's face it. Getting so close to an artifact like this flown SR-71A that you can touch it is an experience that's cool in anyone's language. It didn't stop there and it wasn't limited just to sepo artifacts either, they had sputniks, vostoks and V2s as well as Apollo missions - all those items that have had key significance in our technological acheivements as a species.

100km south of the Cosmodrome is Argonia and the Kloudbusters Launch Site where this years LDRS was held. What a show Tripoli Kansas put on - 5 days of rocket heaven where the "biggest and baddest of the Fastest Hobby on Earth" congregate. And boy did they get big! A 3/4 scale Patriot propelled initially by a N2800 followed closely by a cluster of 4 K550's, a 1/16th scale Saturn V going up on a M1850 and 4 L777's and a 3/5 scale Pershing II missile going up on a Q10,000!

Wait, say it with me, just let it roll from your lips.

Q.

Ten.

Thousand.

I get shivers just thinking about it. Here we are over at Tripoli Western Australia high fiving each other about WA's first official K launch - a commercial motor at that - and these guys are hand making Q's.

We're not worthy. We're not worthy. We're not worthy.

Actually, could you just give me a minute.

Yeah, alone.

Thanks... that's better. I needed that.

The guys from Oz pictured above with Erik Gates of Gates Brothers Rocketry, Ken Good - TRA El Presidente and the ever reliable Chevrolet Tahoe.

Below are the members of the Day 4 M2200 Skidmark dragrace. They pose for the photo but, as can be expected, get distracted by the goings on. Can you really blame them?

Drag Race launch caught on camera by Mark Canepa.

And in flight taken by Neil McGilvrey

I don't care who you are, Skidmarks are awesome!