My 2007 Vacation: Trinity and Beyond
By Paul A. Roales
I took a driving trip to Southern New Mexico from October 1 to 8, 2007. The primary purpose of the trip was to visit the Trinity atomic bomb site on White Sands Missile Range which is only open to the public on one day twice a year. I took 209 photos with my digital camera, drove 2143 miles and my Toyota averaged 42.9 MPG for the entire trip. The weather during the trip was great, sunny but often windy. I did have rain in Amarillo, TX both coming and going. But since that was on driving days it had no impact on the trip. The maximum daytime temperature during the trip was 92 and the minimum overnight low was 38.
Day 1: Monday October 1. This was a driving day. I drove from Tulsa, OK to Amarillo, TX and spent the night there.
Day 2: Tuesday October 2. Today I drove from Amarillo, TX to Carlsbad, NM. I made two stops on the way at Roswell, NM. First, at the Roswell Museum And Art Center where I was primarily interested in visiting the Robert Goddard Gallery and Workshop (below left). It contains much of the material (tools, equipment, and rocket parts) from Goddard's actual New Mexico workshop. Goddard launched the first liquid fueled rocket in the world in 1926 and his pioneering work prior to WW2 was utilized by the US and Germany (German scientists said Goddard’s work was influential in the success of their V-2 rocket). I then visited the UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell (below right). In 1947 a UFO reportedly crashed outside Roswell and the town has become a hotbed for UFOmania ever since. I was pleasantly surprised by this museum. It has taken a serious approach to the subject. I cannot say that for the many curio shops that dot the street near the museum. They are really far out. Even the local Arby's Restaurant has a sign that says: "Aliens Welcome". I spent the night at Carlsbad, NM.
Day 3: Wednesday October 3. Today I visited Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The building housing all the facilities at the Park is undergoing renovation so 5 trailers were set up to act as Ticket Office; Rest Rooms; Gift Shop; Cafeteria; and Book Store. Before entering the cavern I drove the Walnut Canyon Desert Drive which twists and turns 10 miles on a gravel road through the desert. The desert was very lush and a ranger told me that they have had three wet years in a row. I took the elevator down into the cavern for the Kings Palace guided tour at 10 AM, had lunch in the underground lunchroom, then took the self guided Big Room tour and exited via the elevator. During the Big Room walk I came across a cleaning crew. One woman was using tweezers to remove lint from formations. Several others were washing Crystal Spring Dome with distilled water and sponges. I was underground for about 3 hours. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the photos on my digital camera in the cavern. Although the photos were very dark because of the feeble flash unit, I was able to digitally enhance them with good results (see below). I had visited Carlsbad Caverns back in the early 70's and my memories were quite different from what I found on this trip. I seem to remember the caverns being better lit then and the formations larger, but perhaps that is faulty memory. I stopped by the natural entrance to the cavern before I left. I spent the night at Carlsbad, NM.
Day 4: Thursday October 4. Today I drove from Carlsbad to Deming, NM. I made two stops on the way. First at White Sands National Monument where the gypsum sand dunes were a blinding white in the bright New Mexico sun (below left). It is a small facility and consists of only a 8 mile road into the dunes called "Dunes Drive". But there are several pullouts along the way and plenty of stops where you can climb and explore the dunes. My next stop was the Museum and Missile Park at White Sands Missile Range. This is on a restricted military base and to enter you have to get a pass at the gate which requires having your drivers license, proof of auto insurance, and vehicle registration. Note the date of my visit, it is the 50th. Anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1. The missile park has more than 50 missiles and rockets and other items in front of the museum (below right). In a separate building they have a restored German V-2 rocket laid on its side. While I was there a test was going on using the missile range and the Public Address system was broadcasting messages back and forth from "Alpha Delta" to "Range". When I asked in the museum they told me that it was not a launch, but only a test. The museum houses much rocket memorabilia and also cultural and historic material from the area. It also has a section on the atomic bomb testing at the nearby White Sands Trinity Site. A very good museum. When I got to Deming I visited the Red Roof Rock Shop and bought a couple mineral samples.
Day 5: Friday October 5. On this day I drove from Deming to Socorro, NM. I made several stops along the way. First was City of Rocks State park (below left). It is an unusual area where an old volcanic ash fall has been eroded into pillars and spires that resemble buildings in a city. This is primarily a campground, but the circle drive around the "city" is worth it. The next stop was the Fort Bayard National Cemetery (below right). I was looking for (and found) the grave of a WW1 Sgt. who wrote some postcards I bought. I have 61 postcards he wrote to his girlfriend in the states while he was in France from 1917 to 1919. Next I visited the town of Silver City. Here the attractions were the Historic downtown district where I bought a couple books at O'Keefe's used book store and the Royal Scepter Gem & Mineral Shop where I purchased several mineral specimens. Next stop was the overlook at the working Santa Rita Open Pit Copper Mine (further below on left). After that I drove highway 152 on the Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway and the Lake Valley Back Country Byway. The section of road between the copper mine and the town of Hillsboro is one of the crookedest road I have ever driven. Spent the night in Socorro.
Day 6: Saturday October 6. Today was spent on a trip to the Trinity bomb site on White Sands Missile Range. The site is only open to the public on the first Saturday in April and October. I arrived at the Stallion Gate entrance on the north end of the range right at 8AM and there was already a line of cars waiting. A photo ID is required to enter the range. It is a 18 mile drive from the gate to the Trinity site. A short walk from the parking lot takes you to a circular fenced area with a pyramid built of stones which marks the location of the first atomic bomb explosion on July 16, 1945 (me at the site below). Next to that is the remains of one of the legs of the 100’ tall tower that held the bomb during the explosion. A series of historic photos are mounted on the fence circle. There is also a building built later which covers a portion of the original crater. After the explosion the crater was covered with a green glass which resulted from the blast fusing the sand of the desert. That green glass was named "Trinitite". A few examples of Trinitite can still be found on the site but removal is prohibited by law. The Army had driven a trailer onto the site which carried a mockup of the "Fat Man" atomic bomb which was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. From the site I boarded a military bus to visit the McDonald Ranch site about 2 miles from ground zero (above right). This is where the final assembly of the Trinity bomb was completed. The McDonald Ranch is over a small hill from the blast site and the only damage from the blast was windows being blown out. After the bus trip back to the parking lot I again visited the Trinity site for more photos. I bought lunch and postcards from the vendors at the site. I left the site about 12:15. On the way out I stopped at the West 800 bunker which was built 800 yards west of ground zero to observe the blast. From there I drove to Blanchard Rock Shop on highway 380 east of the entrance to WSMR. They are selling Trinitite specimens at $30/gram. That means that a piece about 1" square and 1/4" thick would cost about $150. I have seen it selling for as little as $4.30/gram on eBay, so that same specimen would sell on eBay for $20. The material they are selling was removed legally in 1952 before the Army bulldozed the site and buried most of the Trinitite. I bought a few mineral specimens (no Trinitite, I already had some I acquired years ago). Back to Socorro for the night after buying a few books at Raven's Quill used book store.
Day 7: Sunday October 7. Today was supposed to be a driving day but on my way back to Tulsa I drove through Albuquerque and the Annual Balloon Festival was in full swing. I drove through town at 8:30 AM and a mass launch had just occurred. There were balloons all over the place. I estimate that there were at least 100 in the air. They were landing in the median of the Interstate highway, in shopping center parking lots adjacent to the highway and everywhere else (below). I later heard on the news that a woman was killed that day when she fell from the gondola of a balloon that hit some power lines. Drove on to Amarillo, TX to spend the night.
Day 8: Monday October 8. The final driving day took me from Amarillo, TX back to Tulsa, OK.
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