Farewell to Friends

The week went by too quickly and Sandy and Adrian are now back in Florida. Somehow during their trip we managed to travel almost 2,000 miles and between us we took almost 2,000 pictures. I saw more and did more during their one week visit than I have in the 5 months that I have lived here. Perhaps most important was sharing the good times and surprises with good friends. One of my favorite lines from the movie "Into the Wild" is that "happiness must be shared."
And it was.

Zuni Dancers

Each dance had 4 people (2 men and 2 women dancing in a line). The man (second from the left) was the master of ceremonies, story teller, and designer of the costumes and dances. I think we have started a habit for me of driving to the museum on weekends to see the dances.

Trip Home to Santa Fe

The trip home was much shorter because we were able to use a shorter route through the missile range that cut off most of our trip on the boring and endless Rt 380. We had the good fortune of returning back through Albuquerque (yes, I had to look up the spelling) and the weekend Indian dances at the Pueblo Indian Culture Museum.

Trinity Destruction

The square contains all that is left of a 100 ft. iron tower that was standing before the atomic bomb went off.

Trinitite Sample

Sandy did find a few samples of the green glass. Also, thanks to Sandy for taking this photo.

The Search for Trinitite

The green glass made from the first atomic blast could be found throughout the site and the gathering soon turned into an Easter Egg hunt to find and photograph a piece.

Take Only Pictures at Trinity

The atomic blast at Trinity was so hot that it melted sand into a green glass which was later named Trinitite. There is a guarded fence around the Trinity fence to discourage people from walking away with samples of Trinitite.

Alamogordo Meeting

To get to the Trinity Site we had to meet up with a bus and caravan of cars that would be lead into the Missile Range. I was amazed at the number of cars that lined up for the trip (50+?) and most seemed to bring their dogs along. To be there for the 7:30am start time we had to spend the night in Alamogordo which meant travelling to Alamogordo on one of the world's most boring stretch of highway (Rt 380 between San Antonio and Carrizon). I will testify under oath that there is NOTHING on that stretch of road except (ironically) picnic tables. Why is completely beyond me.
The car wait in line to get started was like a mini happening with vendors selling coffee and pastries and everyone walking their dogs for the last time before the wagon train took off.
The trip through the missile range was fascinating. In the middle of the dessert was a small grand stand (I'm guessing to watch things blow up).
Also, we were startled to see a couple of Oryx (African antelope) grazing in the dessert. I'm wondering, why you would want these beautiful exotic antelope grazing in a missle range? How do they keep them safe?

The First Atomic Bomb

By luck we discovered that during their trip to Santa Fe, Sandy and Adrian would be able to visit the site of the first atomic bomb blast. The White Sands Missile Range continues to be an active missile testing site, but it closes down on one day in April and one day in October for tourists to visit the Trinity site. We had already visited Los Alamos to see where the atomic bomb was invented. (see the Los Alamos description earlier in this blog).

Grand Canyon Danger

Throughout the visit to the Grand Canyon, I watched as so many people seemed to suspend at the edge of the canyon, or trip and catch themselves at the last minute. It is probably because of this that I was drawn to a book for sale at the gift shops - "Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon," by Ghiglieri and Myers. It is over 400 pages long and details the almost 600 deaths in the Canyon since 1869. Each of the chapters deals with a different way of dying in the Canyon, e.g., murder, health problems (like heart attacks), falling, aviation problems, and drowning in the Colorado River below. Sadly, reading the book makes me feel justified in worrying about everyone. So be careful when you visit!!

Final Thoughts on the Grand Canyon

One surprise to me was that the new Skywalk(shown in this photo) is not a part of the Grand Canyon park where we visited. The Skywalk is in the far western part of Arizona, about 120 miles from Las Vegas, NV. It is very close to a town called Peach Springs. To get to the Skywalk you must park at the Grand Canyon West Terminal Airport and pay for a bus ride to the Skywalk.
A few Skywalk facts - it's 4" thick and 3,600 feet high, making it higher than the world's tallest skyscrapers. It has a see-through floor which sounds terrifying to me. It was built by a partnership of the Hualapai Indian tribe and the Chinese-American businessman, David Jen. (Photo and Skywalk facts thanks to Wykepedia).

Homeward Bound

Leaving the Grand Canyon to head home along Rt 64, even when the land flattens, there are still huge gaps in the terrain. Cattle and horses are grazing, oblivious to the extremely deep crevices nearby.

Grand Canyon Farewell

As we leave the Grand Canyon we take one last look from the Watchtower.

Watchtower View of Grand Canyon

This photo was taken behind the Watchtower overlooking the Grand Canyon.

Watchtower Detail

The stone and wood work of the Watchtower has an Alice in Wonderland feel to it. It seems like a contadiction to have such a rambling ancient structure balanced on the rim of the Grand Canyon for the thousands of tourists who visit it.

Canyon View From the Watchtower

The circular front of the Watchtower gift shop hugs the canyon rim. This is the view from one of the windows. What an incredible place to go to for work every day!

Grand Canyon Watchtower

Leaving the Grand Canyon park the next day, we drove along 64 east and stopped at several observation points including this ancient watchtower. There is a 360 degree view from the top and the bottom has been converted to a shop.

Sunset at the Grand Canyon

The end of a great day at the place where God lives. You can see a sliver of the Colorado River (lower right) reflecting the dying sunlight.

Self Portrait at Grand Canyon Sunset

Notice the chattering teeth.

Sunset at the Grand Canyon

The crowd grew quite large to watch the sunset at Hermit's Rest. It was a colder version of the crowd waiting for the sunset in Key West.

Grand Canyon Sunset

While waiting for the sunset, the wind picked up and the temperature seemed to drop 30 degrees. This is Sandy doing her Nanook of the North impression. Whatever it takes to stay warm!!

Sunset at the Grand Canyon

At the end of the first day we took a bus to Hermit's Rest, the most western point in the park, to watch the spectacular sunset.

Colorado River

The Colorado River looks like a thread running through the canyon. It is hard to believe that this is the same river that created the canyon over time.

Colors of the Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon Trail Down

This is the beginning of the walking trail that leads to the floor of the canyon. To me it looked very narrow and there are no railings. The canyon is a mile deep and there are 7 miles of trails to take you down. It is highly recommended that you don't try to make it up and back in one day. We saw many backpackers who had camped out in the canyon below. The trail is also used by the mule train that takes riders to the bottom. Needless to say, the mules have the right of way and you are supposed to squeeze close to the mountain side to give them room to get by.
I did not have the courage to try the trail but the brave Sandy and Adrian went charging down. I was so proud of them even though I had an anxiety attack watching them climb down the trail.