15-February-2024 Bandelier National Monument and Los Alamos

It's really hard to drive around here! Everywhere you go the scenery is amazing and you can see forever and I feel like my head is constantly on a swivel. I keep having to remind myself that I need to focus on where I'm going and not sightsee while driving!

My day today began with a trip to Bandelier National Monument which is Northwest of Santa Fe. On my way there I saw a sign for an overlook and one of the nice things about not having a strict agenda is that I can turn off and explore whenever I want - so I did!

I expected a nice vista but was stunned by what I found: a spectacular view from an overlook where I felt like I was at the Grand Canyon. It was really gorgeous and I'm so glad I took a few minutes to look around.

I continued on to Bandelier National Monument must say it's one of my favorite national "parks" so far! I learned that more than 1 million years ago two large volcanic eruptions resulted in 900 feet of ash being deposited in this area. The ash was compressed into rock which was easily carved out by water, wind and native Americans. The Pueblo people carved out small rooms and lived in the hillside of this valley. What I loved about this national monument is that they actually let you climb the ladders and go in and explore the many little "rooms".

I had a great time looking out of the windows from these little hones. What a beautiful and fun place to explore! I looped around and took a trail through the woods back to the visitor center where I encountered three mule deer right on the hiking trail. I stayed still and they didn't seem to mind me being there – they were enjoying eating pine needles. Ah ... nature.

Then I traveled on to Los Alamos, famous for Los Alamos National Laboratory where the physics behind the atomic bomb was discovered. The woman at the visitor center was telling me a few places to see and go, and she asked me if I had seen the movie Oppenheimer. I told her I was eager to see it but had not done so yet and she was rather disappointed in me. Oops! I promised her I would stream it or watch it on my next flight back to the East Coast.

There were three places instrumental in the production of radioactive materials for the atomic bomb: Hanford, Washington where they refined plutonium,; Oak Ridge, Tennessee where they refined uranium and Los Alamos where they did all the testing and experimentation. This site was a particular interest to me because I worked at the Hanford site in Washington in 1990 as a young environmental engineer helping to formulate a plan to clean up all of the environmental contamination caused by the rush to create an atomic bomb. Also of personal interest where the still and movie cameras used to photograph the test detonation of the first atomic bomb. Both the engineer and photographer in me were excited to be at Los Alamos!

The ride home provided more amazing views – couldn't resist stopping at an overlook and taking a couple more pictures. I feel like I'm in a postcard here!

The best news of the day was that I got a call while at Bandelier that the speed sensor part for my car arrived and the Honda dealer was able to finish the repair so I scooted back to my hotel, put my bike in my rental car, drove up the road and returned the rental, hopped on my bike and drove south 5 miles to the Honda dealer and retrieved my car. So nice to have the Gray Goose back!

Todays WILD idea: I learned some new vocabulary!

Tuff is the name of the rock formed from compacted volcanic ash.

Horno is a Pueblo type of oven

Kiva is a covered subterranean area used for religious and ceremonial purposes