Trinity Site

Today was one of two days each year that the military opens up Trinity Site, where the first atomic bomb was exploded.  Ric, Kent, and Karl were going down, so of course, I went along. 

It was a crisp spring morning that led to a warm day, so typical of NM this time of year.  The drive down went quickly and soon we were heading east of Socorro out into the Jornada del Muerto.  Here I am on the dashboard as we turn and head south of the Stallion Range Center on White Sands Missile Range.

There was quite a crowd at the site with hundreds of cars in the parking lot.  It had a kind of Balloon Fiesta feeling about it all.  After a walk of perhaps 1/4 mile, we came to Ground Zero.  Here I am at the marker while a curious onlooker looks on.  Hasn't he ever seen a teddy bear?

As we walked around the grounds, one can still see bits of trinitite, the glassy mineral created by the heat of the blast.  It's not really visually exciting, so I circled it in this picture. 

On the way home, we came across a large fire in the bosque near Bernardo.  As we watched, it grew quite large with the winds pushing it up the river.  Karl has blogged about it elsewhere, but here I am watching it.

 

Well, we're safely home now.  Time for a nap.