JOTTINGS IN A JOURNAL SEE MARS AT THE CAPE.

Byline: - Staff and Wire Services

A live stage show for children, ``Mad Mission to Mars 2025,'' recently opened at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex at Cape Canaveral, Fla. Comedy and music, along with special effects and 3-D computer animation, transform guests into ``astronaut trainees'' on a virtual trip to Mars.

During the show, scale-size models of planets are brought into the audience at certain distances from each other to simulate the solar system. Staff members choose volunteers from the audience to help demonstrate aspects of living and working in space. Someone gets strapped into a sleeping bag that's attached to a wall, for example, and starts ``dozing'' while wearing a blindfold.

``Mad Mission,'' which lasts about 40 minutes, is presented five times each day in the 85-seat New Millennium Theater. The show is included in the price of admission to the Visitor Complex. The admission cost for adults, which was recently increased by $1, is $25, and $15 for ages 3 to 11. It includes all exhibits, IMAX space films and the center's bus tour into restricted areas, such as the Space Shuttle launch pad's observation gantry, the Apollo Saturn V center and the International Space Station Center.

The Kennedy Space Center is about 45 minutes east of Orlando via the Bee Line Expressway (Route 528). The Visitor Complex is open 9 a.m. to dusk daily except Dec. 25 and some launch days. Information: [phone]; www.kennedyspacecenter.com.

LOVE IT OR LEAF IT: Foliage season is near, and when the leaves turn in New England, the region's accommodations fill quickly, so it's a good idea to start making plans. Many rooms may already be booked.

While no one can accurately predict just when and where the best viewing will be, some facts are consistent. The season begins around Sept. 15, with leaves in the far north turning first. Then the leaves begin turning weekly as you travel south, with one of the best viewing times for many parts of New England occurring over the Columbus Day weekend.

Unfortunately, the Oct. 12 weekend is also peak time for foliage traffic. You can beat the traffic by visiting on weekdays or just waiting. Great color in southern New England continues at least until the beginning of November.

HIGH ON HOGS: Harley-Davidson, America's largest maker of motorcycles, is planning a yearlong celebration of its 100th anniversary, beginning with a five-continent road tour and ending with a party in Milwaukee the company expects will draw 200,000 people.

``It's going to be big. It's going to be worldwide,'' said Kathleen Lawler, vice president of communications for the company. ``Harley-Davidson can guarantee it's going to give you goose bumps.''

The celebration will kick off in July 2002 after a Harley dealer meeting in Milwaukee. The company said it will welcome Harley owners and enthusiasts to join the Open Road Tour, which will include weekend-long stops in North America, Australia and Japan. The tour will end in 2003 with two events in Europe.

A HOT READ: Volcanoes usually make news only when they're acting up, but volcano tourism is exploding, particularly at such popular sites as Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument in Washington and Kilauea on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Volcano enthusiasts now have two new aids for their explorations.

One is a just-released guidebook, ``Volcanoes in America's National Parks,'' (Odyssey Press; $24.95). It is thoroughly researched and features 28 maps and 225 color photos.

Another is Coop's Maps' Roadmap Guide to Volcanoes: California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska & Hawaii. The fanfold map clearly shows dozens of volcanoes, with icons indicating at a glance whether they are active or inactive. The $7.95 maps can be ordered by calling [phone] or at www.coopsmaps.com.

SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM: If you have a taste for Spam, have we got a treat for you.

The canned luncheon meat that evokes Pavlovian salivation in some people, snickers in others - and indigestion in others - is about to get its own museum.

The Spam Museum is set to open Sept. 15 in Austin, Minn., not coincidentally the home of Hormel Foods, the maker of Spam. The museum also will salute Hormel, whose ``spiced ham'' product has been around for 64 years.

The 16,500-square-foot museum will depict Spam's role in World War II, when many military enlistees first were exposed to it. After the war, many carried home a taste for it. Another section will display Spam advertisements, and the classic Monty Python ``Spam, Spam, Spam'' skit will be on view.

Austin is near the Minnesota-Iowa state line, about 110 miles south of Minneapolis. The museum's address is 1937 Spam Blvd., [phone] or [phone]. Hours will be Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday noon to 4 p.m. There will be no admission charge. Web: www.spam.com.