Time to leave Roadrunner RV Park and no sign of Dave, the BBQ Man. Disappointing, but at 7am he's probably out "slopping the hogs"!
We were off this morning to Los Alamos, a city that did not exist prior to 1942. It was the Homestead Act signed by President Lincoln in 1862 that gave applicants 160 acres of free land. Homesteaders needed to live on the land for 5 years and develop it for farming. It was in 1892 the first of 34 homesteaders took up residence on the Pajarito Plateau of present day Los Alamos. The plateau sits at nearly 8000 feet with no irrigation and only rainfall for the farm needs. Numerous homestead ruins remain but the most successful development was made by Ashley Pond who purchased the homestead ranch of H. H. Brooks and established the Los Alamos Ranch School in 1917. It was a school for boys with debilitating diseases where they would come for schooling and excercise. The children were from the richest of Eastcoast society families. During the next 20 years the School took shape and became the primary resident on the Plateau. A beautiful, rough-hewn Fuller Lodge and adjacent cabins (called "Bath-tub Row" since they were the only buildings with plumbing) were constructed and today make up the historic district in downtown, modern-day Los Alamos. In 1942 everything changed with a knock on the door of the School and the Federal Government notified the school headmaster that the school and all property was being purchased by the US Army. Numerous Universities across the US were working on atomic bomb research but the Federal Government needed to centralize all research in one area. General Leslie Groves and Robert Oppenheimer selected this out of the way area due to the secrecy needed to develop the "Manhattan Project". An entire city sprang up overnight to support the laboratories involved in nuclear research with as many as 150,000 personnel utilized. Sworn to secrecy or not even fully aware of what it was they were working on, the new residents of the town without a name, only a zipcode, supported scientists in developing an atomic bomb. The first successful test was at the Trinity Test Site outside Alamogordo, NM on July 16, 1945. Within two weeks, with the approval of President Truman, two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, ending WWII. The Bradbury Museum in downtown Los Alamos tells a very complete story of the Los Alamos Nuclear Development Center and its role from 1943 to present. It was a very thought provoking display into the ethical questions of our decision to be the only nation on earth to use this destructive weapon. I could have spent all day there but the "heaviness" of the subject beckoned me outdoors to do a walking tour of the Boys Ranch.
We were off this morning to Los Alamos, a city that did not exist prior to 1942. It was the Homestead Act signed by President Lincoln in 1862 that gave applicants 160 acres of free land. Homesteaders needed to live on the land for 5 years and develop it for farming. It was in 1892 the first of 34 homesteaders took up residence on the Pajarito Plateau of present day Los Alamos. The plateau sits at nearly 8000 feet with no irrigation and only rainfall for the farm needs. Numerous homestead ruins remain but the most successful development was made by Ashley Pond who purchased the homestead ranch of H. H. Brooks and established the Los Alamos Ranch School in 1917. It was a school for boys with debilitating diseases where they would come for schooling and excercise. The children were from the richest of Eastcoast society families. During the next 20 years the School took shape and became the primary resident on the Plateau. A beautiful, rough-hewn Fuller Lodge and adjacent cabins (called "Bath-tub Row" since they were the only buildings with plumbing) were constructed and today make up the historic district in downtown, modern-day Los Alamos. In 1942 everything changed with a knock on the door of the School and the Federal Government notified the school headmaster that the school and all property was being purchased by the US Army. Numerous Universities across the US were working on atomic bomb research but the Federal Government needed to centralize all research in one area. General Leslie Groves and Robert Oppenheimer selected this out of the way area due to the secrecy needed to develop the "Manhattan Project". An entire city sprang up overnight to support the laboratories involved in nuclear research with as many as 150,000 personnel utilized. Sworn to secrecy or not even fully aware of what it was they were working on, the new residents of the town without a name, only a zipcode, supported scientists in developing an atomic bomb. The first successful test was at the Trinity Test Site outside Alamogordo, NM on July 16, 1945. Within two weeks, with the approval of President Truman, two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, ending WWII. The Bradbury Museum in downtown Los Alamos tells a very complete story of the Los Alamos Nuclear Development Center and its role from 1943 to present. It was a very thought provoking display into the ethical questions of our decision to be the only nation on earth to use this destructive weapon. I could have spent all day there but the "heaviness" of the subject beckoned me outdoors to do a walking tour of the Boys Ranch.
General Leslie Groves and Robert Oppenheimer at the Trinity Test Site. Note that the only protective gear on them are "booties" covering their shoes!! After use of the atomic bombs in Japan, Robert Oppenheimer became so disenchanted with what he had created and its destructiveness that he resigned as director of the program. He went on to lead a troubled future, torn by what he had created and labeled a "communist sympathizer" during the McCarthy Senate Investigation era.
1950's Posters
Los Alamos had a very nice, small downtown and I found a great Bagel Bakery. Loaded up with Poppy Seed bagels and veggie cream cheese and headed off to Chama, NM. It was a stunningly beautiful drive as we passed through Abiquiu, NM, the home of the legendary Southwest painter Georgia O'Keeffe. Her home was at the "Ghost Ranch" which is nestled into some of the most colorful and picturesque landscape imaginable!! Truly God's country!
Our climb out of these beautiful canyons took us to an elevation of 8000 feet and to the railroad town of Chama. Plan was a ride into Colorado tomorrow aboard the famous narrow gauge Cumbres & Toltec Railroad. For the next 3 nights we were staying at the Rio Chama RV Park. The park was a real gem! Our campsite sat right on the Rio Chama and next to the trestle the train would cross twice daily!! Finished off my leftover North Carolina BBQ and fell asleep with thoughts of Casey Jones' famous deadly steam locomotive crash!!!