Beaches, Launch Complexes and a Lighthouse – Biking through Space Ruins at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
A common starting point for many of my bikes rides out at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station was the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse located near the tip of Cape Canaveral.
From the Lighthouse I could head south towards some of the older launch complexes or head northeast towards a beach access road (Camera Pad B) which would take me towards Launch Complex 21 and 22 and Launch Complex 46 ending up at the pristine beaches of Cape Canaveral
On other occasions I would head north and then West towards the old Missile Row – as seen in the photo below.
On this particular day I decided to head out to the beach on Camera Pad B road. This ride starts at the Lighthouse and as I bike North for a few hundred yards I take a quick right to the East and head directly towards Launch Complex 46 (LC-46). Before heading through the access gate to LC-46, the Camera road takes a sharp left through a very narrow single lane road heading North again. For approximately a half mile the road then turns sharply to the right and you are heading East again with the LC-46 support tower off to the right. You eventually end up at a Boardwalk and small parking area that takes you out on to the beaches of Cape Canaveral.
This location is also the original location of the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. Per the Cape Canaveral Space Museum: The lighthouse is the oldest standing structure on the Cape. Originally built in 1868 to replace a much shorter brick lighthouse, it was moved to its present location and put back into service in 1894. The original lighthouse foundation at the first site remains near Launch Complex 46.
I’ve included some pictures of the historical monument at the original lighthouse site below.
In addition to LC-46, four launch areas and bunkers were located on the East side of Camera Road “B” in the area where Launch Complex 46 is currently located. More on those complexes in a future post.
Below is the Boardwalk that provides access to the beach.
There is a monument at the site where the original Cape Canaveral Lighthouse use to stand. It was moved from here in 1894 to its current location – about a mile inland.
The beaches at Cape Canaveral are pristine and untouched.
A View of the Launch Complex 46 launch tower as seem from the beach (Image Below).
About the Author and Photographer: Alden Pitard has over 40 years experience working in the Aerospace Industry at Cape Canaveral, The Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Boeing locations throughout the country. He has supported the Space Shuttle Program, International Space Station, 787 Dreamliner and most recently the Artemis Program. During his time at "The Cape" he photographed a majority of the Launch Sites at KSC and Cape Canaveral. As the Space Shuttle program was coming to a close in 2011, the author decided to bike to all the Launch Complexes he could and capture the Space Center and Cape Canaveral as it was - thus "Biking through Space Ruins".