In This Issue Welcome USS Oriskany Artificial Reef Manatee Protection Florida, Off the Beaten Path book review Disney's Year of a Million Dreams NASA News July events Weather forecast

Hi Subscriber, welcome to the July newsletter of the Florida Review & Travel Guide.

It seems hardly possible that this newsletter has been running for a year now. Thank you everyone for subscribing and I hope you continue to enjoy it.

The Independence Day celebrations on the 4th of July will result in very large crowds throughout Florida, especially in the major theme parks. You are advised to check with the parks for opening times.

It is also advisable to plan your day well in advance especially in terms of making meal reservations and where you want to spend the afternoon and evening. For example, it is not unheard of for the Magic Kingdom toll plaza to close late afternoon because of the park reaching capacity.

In an about turn, the US treasury have announced that they will now re-issue the $5 bill with new colours after all. Originally the $5 and $1 bill were going to be exempt from the changes made to the $10, $20, $50 and $100 (not until 2007) dollar bills but following attempts by counterfeiters to bleach $5 bills and print them up as $100 bills, the $5 bill will now be redesigned.

Tragedy continues to strike at Walt Disney World where a 12 year old boy died after riding the Aerosmith Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Disney-MGM Studios theme park. The coaster is the second fastest ride at Walt Disney World with speeds of up to 57 mph (Test Track at Epcot is faster at 65 mph). You are also subjected to high 'G' forces and inversions but it is not an extreme ride by today's standards; being similar to Space Mountain except for the amazing start where you accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in a mere 2.8 seconds.

As reported last month, on May 17, the hulk of the aircraft carrier, USS Oriskany was deliberately sunk off Pensacola, Florida, to serve as an artificial reef and sport diving attraction.

After the explosives detonated, the Oriskany sank a lot quicker than expected but she settled perfectly upright on the seabed exactly as planned. She was sunk 22.5 nautical miles southeast of Pensacola Pass in 212 ft of water, facing due south. She had to be sunk to this depth to ensure she is not a hazard to other shipping.

The top of the island tower is about 70 ft below the surface with the flight deck some 135 to 140 ft below the surface.

Construction started on the 27,100 ton USS Oriskany (CVA-34, the "Mighty O") in 1944 as the last of the Essex class of carriers and she was launched on October 13 1945. However, following the end of World War II hostilities, she was not completed until 1950. She went on to serve in the Korean and Vietnam wars and was decommissioned in 1976.

Attempts to turn her into a museum like her famous sisters, the Intrepid (at New York City), Yorktown (in Charleston), Hornet (Alameda Point, California) and Lexington (Corpus Christi, Texas) failed and she was finally sold for scrap in 1995.

Following failed attempts to actually scrap her, she was repossessed by the Navy in 1997 and in 2001 the decision was taken to deliberately sink her to become what is believed to be the world's largest man-made artificial reef as part of a program to dispose of a number of obsolete warships. The Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Pensacola was chosen as the site and originally she was to have been sunk in 2005 but problems with environmental issues and then hurricanes delayed the sinking until May 2006.

As feared, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have downgraded the manatee from endangered to threatened. Despite protests and objections from animal welfare groups like the 'Save the Manatee' organisation, the Commission voted unanimously to downgrade the manatee. The new listing will come into effect next year.

A census carried out in February of this year, showed there were around 3,113 manatees compared to 1,267 in 1991 when the first proper census was carried out.

Despite assurances that the new listing will not affect the manatee's status on the Federal endangered species list, environmental groups are concerned that the new listing could relax boating rules and might even affect their Federal status.

On a happier note, a mother manatee and her 3-year-old calf were released into the Indian River at Parrish Park in Titusville after spending 10 months recuperating at SeaWorld's Animal Rescue Unit in Orlando after the mother became caught in a crab trap line. The mother is named Cyclone and the calf has been appropriately named Twister. The calf was taken into care at the same time because he was still nursing.

This is the second time that Cyclone has had to be rescued; in 1993 she lost a pectoral fin after becoming entangled in fishing line.

For more information about Florida manatees and how you can help them, click here.

Florida, Off the Beaten Path is written by Diana and Bill Gleasner, veteran Florida vacationers and illustrated throughout with finely execute pen and ink drawings (the 2006 edition is due out in October 2006).

When you have tired of all the theme parks like Walt Disney World and the water parks, then dip into Florida, Off the Beaten Path for an alternative view of Florida.

It is more of a journal than a guide book and leads you to some of the quirkier corners of Florida and gives you ideas on alternative activities like where you can go kayaking, tubing, snorkelling, scalloping, sail on a 19th century schooner or take a ghost tour.

Intertwined with the history of the area, are details of alternative attractions, restaurants, museums, shops and small B&B establishments. For each entry, they give the address, telephone number, website and opening times where appropriate.

The main chapters divide the state up into six regions with a map and suggested tour of each region. There are also details of all the State Parks, Visitor Centers and local Chambers of Commerce plus suggested places to stay and eat with addresses, telephone numbers and websites.

To read the rest of this review and details of where you can buy this book, click here.

Disney have announced that starting on October 1, Walt Disney World will celebrate a year-long "Year of a Million Dreams". This follows on from the very successful "Happiest Celebration on Earth" promotion to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Disneyland in California.

One highlight of the promotion is that each day, one lucky family will be selected at random to spend the night in the royal chambers at the Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom. It is believed this apartment was originally built for the Disney family but following Walt Disney's death it was never completed.

In addition, other delights as part of the "Disney Dreams Giveaway" promotion, will include travelling to each Disney resort around the world to serve as the grand marshal in a Disney parade, admission to special parties, private meetings with Disney characters and a special "Golden FASTPASS®" ticket that will allow give you priority access to some of the best attractions.

You can also enter the Magic Kingdom sweepstake "Keys to the Magic Kingdom" where you can win the most magical prize of all which includes airfares, Disney Resort accommodation and all meals plus special VIP access to each land in the Magic Kingdom Park to launch the "Year of a Million Dreams".

As part of the "Year of a Million Dreams", the "Finding Nemo: the Musical" show inspired by Disney-Pixar's "Finding Nemo," will premiere at Disney's Animal Kingdom and the new "The Seas with Nemo and Friends" ride through the Living Seas will open at Epcot.

Note that on July 7, the "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," re-opens in the Magic Kingdom following a three-month refurbishment to coincide with the release of the new file, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest". The attraction has enhanced special effects and features Captain Jack Sparrow and arch-rival Barbossa plus the ghostly figure of Davy Jones.

Disney have also announced that they plan to close the 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire - Play It!' game show at Disney-MGM Studios on August 19. The show opened in 2001. Rumour has it that it will be replaced by a new indoor ride, possibly something like Universal Studios' 'Men in Black' ride. I wonder if it will be themed on the latest Disney-Pixar movie, "Cars".

To read more about Walt Disney World, click here.

By the time you read this, it is possible that the next shuttle mission will have commenced. The space shuttle Discovery (STS-121, ISS ULF1.1) is due to lift off from pad LC-39B at the Kennedy Space Center at 3:48 PM EST on July 1.

However, current weather forecasts predict a 60% chance of thunderstorms and showers from Saturday right through to Monday with the possibility of worsening weather on Tuesday. Launch window runs until July 16.

This is the second of NASA's "Return-To-Flight" missions following the Columbia tragedy and despite nagging doubts about the foam insulation on the main fuel tank, NASA has made the decision to proceed with the flight.

If all goes to plan, then NASA have two more missions slated for this year to help complete the International Space Station and possibly carry out repairs to the ageing Hubble Space Telescope. However, if there are any major problems then it could spell the end of the shuttle space program. The replacement for the space shuttle is not due to come on stream until 2011/2012.

In June 21, a Boeing Delta 2 rocket launched from pad SLC-17A at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station after two minor delays caused by a heater problem in one of the microsatellites and the boater straying into the exclusion zone. This launch was originally scheduled for February 27, 2006 but was delayed following industrial action.

The MITEx (Micro-Satellite Technology Experiment) is an experimental military mission for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in collaboration with the US Air Force and the Navy.

Later in the month on July 30 (delayed from July 22), a Boeing Delta 2 Rocket is due to launch a pair of STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) satellites.

Read more about all the upcoming NASA launches here.

The big event this month is of course July 4, Independence Day and there are a whole host of events throughout the State. All the major theme parks have special events planned but expect them to be very busy. See our 2006 Independence Day celebrations page for more details.

On July 1, Daytona International Speedway hosts the last day of their three day event with the PEPSI 400 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, one of the few NASCAR races that runs at night. (www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com for more details).

Over the weekend of July 15-16, the Pensacola Beach Air Show takes place featuring the Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels in their 60th anniversary season. They will be flying in on July 12 and will provide practice demonstrations on the July 13 and 14. You will also be able to see Viper West, the U.S. Air Force F-16 West Coast demonstration team. (www.visitpensacolabeach.com for more details).

The Naples Beach Hotel continues their 21st season of SummerJazz on the Gulf with The Women's Blues Review of Tampa on July 22 (www.naplesbeachhotel.com for more details).

In the first month of the hurricane season, Florida was hit by tropical storm Alberto. Alberto made landfall near Keaton Beach in the Florida Panhandle and tracked northeast bringing high winds and heavy rain to parts of eastern Georgia, northern Florida, eastern South Carolina and southeastern North Carolina.

There was widespread flooding and around half a dozen small tornadoes in South Carolina but in some areas Alberto was a blessing as it brought much needed rain to combat the brush fires and feed the crops.

You can expect July to be pretty average in terms of temperatures with less rain than normal which will help keep the mosquitos at bay for a little while longer. Temperatures will remain high with scattered thunderstorms throughout the month.

Temperatures across Florida will be in the high 80s/mid 90s except for the Keys where it will stay in the high 80s.

To check out the rest of the Florida weather including monthly temperature and rainfall charts across the State and the latest hurricane news, click here.

Wishing you a very happy 4th July, until next month... Stephen Downs

We plan to bring you a newsletter on the first day of each month with details of upcoming events and news from across Florida.

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