By the morning of the second day, Endeavour was set for the final leg of its journey to the California Science Center. Unfortunately, the plans did not go as well as were hoped.

Phase 5: Having completed a successful crossing of I-405, and placed back on its regular transport, Endeavour again headed east on Manchester Boulevard. First scheduled stop that morning was at the corner of Manchester and Prairie at the Inglewood Forum. The convoy actually arrived 90 minutes early!

John Zarrella of CNN interviewed three of Endeavour's astronauts: Kathryn Hire (STS-130), Gregory Johnson (STS-123 and STS-134), and Michael Fincke (STS-134).

Endeavour parked at the Inglewood Forum at 8:55 am, Saturday, 13 Oct. 2012.

A small part of the large crowd packing the Forum for the Endeavour event.

Endeavour's astronauts with special guest June Lockhart from "Lost in Space."

With Endeavour as a backdrop, the program begins with Rep. Maxine Waters at the podium.

Some future astronauts from Inglewood were introduced.

At 10:00 am Endeavour pulled out from the Forum and resumed its path down Manchester Boulevard.

Local high school marching band and cheerleaders gave Endeavour a proper send off.

A view showing Endeavour with some of the thousands of fans gathered at the Forum, which is directly under the flight path into Los Angeles International Airport. As Endeavour pulled out the music playing was Also Sprach Zarathustra, famous as the theme from "2001: A Space Odyssey."

Rep. Waters with a contingent of California Science Center volunteers.

Once Endeavour was on its way, workmen started putting the street back together.

Mike Fincke shakes the hands of two young space fans.

Greg Johnson wades into the crowd to sign autographs.

The Shuttle Crossing sign was a popular photo spot. I even got into the festive mood myself (below right).

Turning from Manchester eastbound to Crenshaw northbound at 10:30 am. Everything appears close to schedule. Note not only the huge crowds on the streets, but also the large gathering atop the roof.

Phase 6: Once on Crenshaw Boulevard, Endeavour was to wind its way through residential neighborhoods on the way to its next stop at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. Arrival was slated for approximately 2:00 pm, where a huge celebration, choreographed by Debbie Allen, was to take place. The event went off on schedule, but Endeavour was late for the party, not arriving until after 7:30 pm!

Our media spot at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. To the left, CNN's John Zarrella waits for news of the long delayed Endeavour. My spot was just to the right of the lady from Univision. Note the crowds already gathered on the street below.

The orbiter's route was always carefully watched from the ground and in the sky.

The giant stage for the celebratory event at the corner of Crenshaw and Martin Luther King Boulevards put on by Debbie Allen.

Enterprising entrepreneurs sold T-shirts, photos, and other memorabilia..

Some of the dancers from Debbie Allen's show.

The Endeavour astronauts walked the streets to greet the waiting crowds.

Local artwork across from the Plaza.

The Goodyear Blimp, Spirit of America, stayed overhead for many hours.

A flight of T-6 Texans.

The blimp's message board provided Endeavour factoids to the crowd below.

More than five-and-a-half hours late Endeavour comes into view around a bend in Crenshaw Boulevard, heading north to Martin Luther King.

Endeavour drives slowly past our position on the upper parking structure.

Hiding behind some trees, Endeavour stops momentarily before creeping forward.

Endeavour's tail disappears behind Walmart.

Endeavour turns the corner onto MLK Blvd for the final run to the science center.

With its nose pointing east, Endeavour sits at the corner of Crenshaw and MLK.

Swarms of people surround Endeavour.

The rear of Endeavour as it pepares for the final leg of its journey. Note the Krispy Kreme Doughnut shop under the left wing.

Detail of the body flap and lower right engine bell.

Phase 7: Once on Martin Luther King Boulevard, Endeavour was to make its way east to the California Science Center. This part of the journey was supposed to begin at 3:00 pm and last until arrival at CSC at approximately 9:00 pm Saturday night. Since the orbiter arrived hours late to the corner of Crenshaw and MLK, the schedule had been thrown out the window. At this point at 8:30 pm, the revised schedule pegged journey's end to be at around 2:00 am. Within an hour, this was slipped until 6:00 am.

At that point I finally had to admit I couldn't stay with it long enough to see Endeavour through to CSC and had to leave for home. In the end this was an excellent decision as the final arrival was eventually delayed until nearly 2:00 pm on Sunday, 14 October! Endeavour did not get moved into its final resting spot inside the temporary building at the center until nearly dark later that afternoon. Altogether I was with Endeavour for about 9 of the 12 miles of its trek across Los Angeles streets.