In today’s episode of Kevin and Lorin’s continuing adventure, our intrepid duo decided to go to the ‘bu, as in Malibu. Not to lie on the beach or to dine at one of the many establishments along the coast, but to stake out their place in history. Sort of.
As many of you know, the space shuttle Endeavour, which flew its last mission in May of 2011 with Commander Mark Kelly, husband of the former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, at the controls, will be spending the rest of its years here in Southern California at the California Science Center near the University of Southern California. Endeavour, which replaced Challenger after the latter exploded shortly after takeoff in January of 1986, flew 25 missions in space for a total of 299 days out of Earth’s atmosphere and some 143,000,000 miles. Talk about frequent flyer benefits.
Lift-off
Back to our explorers. Who actually weren’t going to go at all. Oh, they had talked about it. The conversation went something like this:
Kevin: “Do you want to go?”
Lorin: “I don’t know. Do you?”
Kevin: “I don’t know. It might be kind of cool.”
Lorin: “It might be. But it’s so hot.”
They went to bed last night after watching the last part of The Daily Show and the first part of The Colbert Report without a plan. Or a plan that basically was all about what might happen in the morning, if they really wanted to go and how it might fit into the basic schedule since they also had to get their hair done. Hair trumps shuttle.
This morning dawned but without a clear decision as to what to do. It should be noted that our heroes aren’t usually this indecisive. In fact, they’re often capable of making quite large decisions in a fairly fast manner, especially if the decision involves the purchase of something with an engine and wheels. Evidently watching something with an engine and wheels doesn’t count. Kevin reached for the remote while they each sipped on a cup of coffee, and there it was: the NASA 747 rolling down the runway at Edwards Air Force Base where it had spent the night, slowly at first, building up speed until finally its nose lifted into the early morning air, the 78 tons of empty shuttle perched like a bird on its back.
They looked at each other and said, in unison: “Let’s go.”

Malibu
The question then became where to go. The best place was rumored to be the Griffith Observatory, high above the city, above the Hollywood sign. The shuttle was supposed to pass by flying as low as 400 feet. Kevin was skeptical. That sounded dangerous. But it would be cool to see it.
The temperature here in the Southland has been hovering around 227º. That’s -459º in space. So the adventurers opted to go west rather than east, jumping on the motorcycle, which would also make parking easier, and zooming through the canyon toward Malibu. They wound their way down Pacific Coast Highway, known affectionately as PCH, and settled in at Michael Landon Park across from Pepperdine University along with several hundred of their closest friends and dogs.
The plane came into view just over Paradise Cove, to the north. The sky was hazy and gray so visibility was limited. One minute it wasn’t there; the next it was. Someone in the park yelled “there it is!” Flanked by two NASA fighter-type jets, it flew by slowly, hanging in the air, as about a thousand or more stood watching above the rocky beach below. It did not pause; it did not dip its wings. It seemed largely unimpressed with the spectacle of Malibu. In the background, the great lawn of Pepperdine was filled with American flags. Some people cheered; many clapped. Kevin took pictures; Lorin tried to take video. And then it was gone. On its way further down the coast to the Santa Monica Pier.
The crowd dissipated quickly and the adventurers headed back to the bike, loaded it up and zoomed back up PCH, splitting lanes, not at all bothered by the traffic, arriving safely back home in time to see the 747 with its 5-story cargo atop touch down flawlessly at LAX. A band played, the crowd cheered. A small portal opened on top of the plane, above the cockpit, and as it came to a stop in front of the United Airlines terminal where the Endeavour will stay for the next 14 days, an American flag popped up and out.

Touch down
The Endeavour had landed for the last time.