On Thursday, on our third day in New Mexico, we drove about an hour and a half north from Albuquerque.
We first stopped at White Rock Overlook, which provides a majestic, panoramic view of the Rio Grande and surrounding mesas and mountains in northern NM.
We then headed to Los Alamos, or "Atomic City," which was the site of the Manhattan Project and development of the atomic bomb during WW2 (now a small town of ~18,000 which still houses the National Laboratory), one of science’s greatest achievements.
We visited the history museum and walked around the historical park nearby.
The ethical concerns of the dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were clear (we had previously visited Hiroshima and its Peace Memorial on our trip to Japan in 2016).
Anti-nuclear war paraphernalia
I wonder if my kids will recognize any of these objects...
Many Nobel Prizewinners worked on The Manhattan Project.
A Nobel Prize
Enrico Fermi's footprint
J. Robert Oppenheimer, the director of Los Alamos National Laboratory during wartime, is represented by the statue on the left in the photo (my right).
Romero Cabin
Downtown Ashley Pond Park was a scenic place to stroll.
Iver would have loved this large chess game, seen at the Farmers' Market!
We then drove west on scenic Highway 4, through the Sante Fe National Forest and past Valles Caldera National Preserve, a 13-mile wide depression caused by a volcanic eruption 1.25 million years ago.
We soaked in the natural hot springs in Jemez Springs, which was great for our aching muscles from our ~14-mile hike the day before!
We finished our road-trip day with some stops at the roadside to photograph some scenic rock formations.
Gilman Tunnels
Kelvin was in a jumping mood!
Northern New Mexico is an incredibly scenic place to visit, with many beautiful hiking trails, natural rock formations, and lots to see and do. We only wish we had more time here! Maybe we can return someday (with kids).
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