May 20, 2023
We started our day around 7 a.m. Yesterday. We had breakfast from the cooler so that meant yogurt, muffins and sausage balls. As we ate our breakfast we headed towards our next stop Los Alamos, New Mexico.
The first place we went was the visitor’s center, where we received information about what the town of Los Alamos looked like during the Mahattan Project, maps, and a list of activities around the area. After spending about 30 minutes there, it was time to head to J. Robert Oppenheimer’s house. It was his original house and was very interesting to see. Oppenheimer played a major role in the production of the first nuclear weapon. He was the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory and was often referred to as “the father of the atomic bomb”. Select parts of the upcoming Oppenheimer movie were partly filmed in his home.
Following viewing Oppenheimer’s home, we went to a small museum that was housed in another original home located in the Manhattan Project National park. The museum had various artifacts and discussed life in Los Alamos during the Manhattan Project. By, then it was time to eat our sandwiches for lunch, before going to the Bradbury Science Museum.
The museum was very interesting, discussing the history behind Los Alamos and how it was created as a secluded laboratory for the top secret Manhattan Project. It also discussed the process behind researching and developing atomic weapons. You could view a prototype of the 1st atomic bomb that was tested at the Trinity Site in New Mexico on July 16th, 1945. You could also view the weaponized version of the bomb, the “fat man” atomic bomb. This bomb was later dropped on Nagasaki by the U.S. on August 9, 1945.
Then, it was time to head towards our next destination, Española, New Mexico. This is where the Puye Cliff dwellings are located. These cliff dwellings were home to 1,500 Pueblo Indians who lived, farmed and hunted game there from the 900s to 1580 A.D. Despite not being able to tour the dwellings, we were able to view them from afar and take some neat pictures. After that, it was time to find a place with some authentic Mexican food!
We ended up a restaurant called La Fonda Del Sol, which was authentic Mexican cuisine. The reviews described it as old Mexican cuisine in New Mexico and that is exactly what it is. The open air atmosphere made it feel like you were sitting at a restaurant in the middle of Mexico, and the food was outstanding. We enjoyed everything from the salsa to the gorditos were fresh.
Leaving the restaurant we drove through northern New Mexico through cities like Hernandez, Abiquiu, Coyote, and Aztec. It was very interesting to watch the scenery change as we drove through the different cities. We arrived in Cortez at our Airbnb around 10:00.
Tomorrow will be full of hiking and sightseeing.
There will not be an audio segment for May 20th, but we hope have one covering May 21st.
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