Trinity Site Visit

 Oct 1st, was the second of only two tours per year of the Trinity Site (site of the first nuclear explosion in 1945) in central New Mexico. I toured the site a couple of years ago, however Sheryl had not had the chance yet, until now. There are two ways to get out to the site which is located on the White Sands Missile Range. First is to drive to the main gate area and then drive out to the site. For those of us in the Alamogordo area, the Chamber of Commence arranges with the Army to convoy across the missile range, thus cutting 50 miles off the drive. That is the route we took this year, we all met at the local High School, approx 75 vehicles and headed out at 8:00.

 Once in a while the convoy would have to stop or slow down for various reasons, so Sheryl jumped out to snap this shot. The drive was approx 70 miles across the missile range to the Trinity Site. There is photography allowed on the way to the site, so no pics of the vast expanse of the range.

 We arrived at the site around 10:00. Once you arrive it is a 1/4 mile walk from the outer fence line to the inner fence and the actual site. At the outer fence there are a couple of displays and various goodies for sale.

 The site itself contains the monument, a small patch of preserved area under cover (which you can not see) and a example of one of the bombs dropped on Japan.

The monument marks ground zero, the exact spot of the device when exploded. The device was placed on a tower approx 100 feet high (which was vaporized during the explosion) to simulate the above ground detonation when dropped from a plane.

 Around the fence line there are several pictures depicting life at the base camp and the testing itself.

 You can also take a 2 mile bus ride out to the McDonald Ranch House where the scientist assembled the Plutonium Core for placement in the bomb. There are also several displays in the Ranch House explaining the process and what went on there.

At the Ranch House, there are other out buildings you can explore (stable, windmill and bunk house). It was a good tour and I was glad we were in the area so Sheryl could see it. The site is located way out on the missile range and in the proverbial "middle of nowhere". It was a good but long day and we had a great time together. I highly recommend the tour if you are ever down this way. There is really not alot to it, except the feeling of visiting such a place that shaped history forever.

Our day wasn't over yet, we met up with some friends for a Chuck Wagon Dinner and Show up in the mountains, but we'll save that for the next post as this ones long enough already.

Take Care and we'll see you back here soon.