October 9. 2018
We got up around 7:30 this morning; it was a chilly 40°F. For breakfast we had raisin bran and coffee. Before leaving the campsite, we chatted with our neighbors with the Sportsmobile Transit. They were from Bangor and like us, outfitted theirs' in Indiana.
In order to enter the National Monument beyond the campground, we had to retrace our steps for 8 miles and pick up a shuttle that took us to the Visitor’s Center in Frijoles Canyon. For an unknown reason the Center lost power just after we arrived, so we could not see the overview film that we usually like to see. Instead we took off for a short 1 mile hike that provides an excellent overview of both the cave dwellings of the Pueblo people who first came to this area 10,000 years ago, and the geology that distinguishes this national monument from all others.
The monument is located on the Pajarito Plateau, which was formed 1 million years ago by two violent eruptions of the Jemez Volcano. Scientists believe these eruptions were 600 times more powerful that the 1980 eruption of Mount Saoint Helens. Over time, the 400 square mile plateau was covered in volcanic ash, which compacted overtime into a soft crumbly rock called “tuff”. The rock was eventuatly eroded into multiple canyons creating the landscape that we see today. Unlike the canyons in Utah, the tuff is beige in color and is filled with air pockets that create a Swiss cheese effect.
Look closely and you'll notice the foundations of Pueblo homes arranged in a circle.
Our hike to the cave dwellings was very reminiscent of Mesa Verde. The inhabitants of these dwellings are estimated to have maxed out at around 500, based on the number of rooms that were discovered. It is also estimated that they only lived in these caves from 1200-1400 AD.
Leaving the monument we moved on to Los Alamos, which is also located on the Pajarito Plateau, but separated from the monument by several canyons. When Los Alamos was selected in 1943 as the site Project “Y” of the multi site Manhattan Project, there was only a small boys school with about 45 students and their teachers. Robert Openheimer, the project’s head scientist, selected this area after vacationing here as a teen. The US government seized the school, and forced all other residents to leave, and quickly constructed enough housing and laboratories for 5000 scientists.
In Los Alamos we visited two museums, the Bradbury Science Museum and the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Both were incredibly fascinating and could easily have captivated us for several days. We condensed our visit to about 4 hours. Many of the buildings that made up the boys school are still standing as well as the home that Oppenheimer and his wife occupied.
Today Los Alamos is home to 12,000 scientists who make up Los Alamos National Laboratories. Security around their buildings is still extremely tight, double barbed wire and armed guards protect the facilities, some of which are located very close to the campground where we stayed.
Leaving Los Alamos, we had an easy drive to a state campground just outside Santa Fe. The road to the campground climbed into the mountains, and as we approached it, the temp kept dropping, finally settling at 37°F. Several snow covered vehicles also passed us as the climbed through the Santa Fe National Forest, so we anticipate a cold evening.
We picked out a site and left our portable potty PVC bucket with the words “SITE TAKEN” on the picnic table before heading down to Santa Fe for dinner. Alex and Alice recommended we dine at The Shed, so we parked just across from it and got on the 90 minute waiting list for a table.
The girl in the wedding dress is actually celebrating her 15 birthday and having her picture taken by a professional photographer. We saw her posing in front of another building later.
We didn’t mind waiting, it was only 5:45 PM when we arrived, so we spent the wait time walking around Santa Fe, window shopping all the jewelry and clothing boutiques in the area. Santa Fe is a beautiful city, with a dominant adobe architecture that is found in every home, shop, museum, and church.
Our dinner was worth the wait: sangria, margarita, soup, tamales, pollo adobo, and vanilla cream with a chocolate/chili sauce.
We returned to our campsite only 8 miles from downtown Santa Fe around 9 PM…well prepared for the cold.
Another great day for the Aging Hippies!
wonderful segment … amazing history in our high Southwest ...
ReplyDeleteJ worked as a chemist at Los Alamos many years ago. I learned more about it by reading your blog, Rick :-)
ReplyDeleteA book on the subject has been on my TBR list for quite a while: "109 East Palace: Robert Oppenheimer and the Secret City of Los Alamos" by Jennet Conant.