Another day in Santa Fe. Got up this A.M. and headed for Bandelier National Monument. We drove an hour north of our campground. The rangers were very helpful and their were cliff dwellings, rock formations, etc. A glimpse into the Pueblo life style. Pretty tough life they led. The average life expectancy was 35 years. Sue was delighted with the experience. Afterwards we took a trip to Los Alamos to see the museum and where the Manhattan Project was headquartered. To this day, 70 some years after the war had ended, it is still a place of secrets. Non of the buildings are labeled. I was hoping to see some of the old barracks that housed the hundreds if not thousands of people who created the first atomic bomb. Was I disappointed. Although in the middle of nowhere it is a bustling city with gas stations, real estate offices, stores, etc. A very bustling town of many thousands. The museum that I was hoping to shed some history on the location was very limited and disappointing. Although there were replicas of the two atomic bombs, "Fat man and little boy," not too much else. No pictures of the shops and housing etc. Still very secretive. To enter the city of Los Alamos we were requested to supply our ID prior to being let in. I asked the guard what he was looking for and his reply he was checking to see if we were U.S. citizens, or not. Back down town for an expensive souvenir purchase and back to the camper.
Day 24 05/25/18 Our last day in Great Falls and we are compelled to see where the name came from. Back in the car and out to the middle of nowhere to see one of the friggin falls. Seems the Louis and Clark expedition found this falls. However in the early 1900's the city fathers thought it would be a great idea to build a dam and make electricity. Here is a pic of their efforts. From here we went to the First Peoples Buffalo jump. This remarkable geologic area has been used for thousands of years by local tribes to drive buffalo up and over the hills to kill them for food and their hides. One of the interesting facts we learned was that the natives for thousands of years were barefoot. The horse was not introduced to North America until the 1700's. It was said that native tribes from all over the area came to use the buffalo jump. Supposedly there is 18' of buffalo debris still buried beneath the hill. Not much...
Comments
Post a Comment