We are off on a road trip over to New Mexico.
We went to Los Alamos and Alomogordo last year and visited the museums dedicated to the nuclear bomb but what we didn't realize then, was that twice a year the Trinity Site was opened to the public.
Of course we were there the wrong weekend and then ,when it was open last October, we were buying this house so couldn't get away. It is open again this Saturday so we are driving over to see it.
The Trinity Site is where the first atomic bomb was tested on July 16, 1945. Part of the Manhattan Project, this was the test of 'the gadget' prior to using nuclear weapons on Nagasaki or Hiroshima.
The land is military owned and on the site there now stands a small monument.
We went to Los Alamos and Alomogordo last year and visited the museums dedicated to the nuclear bomb but what we didn't realize then, was that twice a year the Trinity Site was opened to the public.
Of course we were there the wrong weekend and then ,when it was open last October, we were buying this house so couldn't get away. It is open again this Saturday so we are driving over to see it.
The Trinity Site is where the first atomic bomb was tested on July 16, 1945. Part of the Manhattan Project, this was the test of 'the gadget' prior to using nuclear weapons on Nagasaki or Hiroshima.
The land is military owned and on the site there now stands a small monument.
In addition to this you can take a bus over the McDonald ranch house. A regular house that was 'acquired' by the government and where the plutonium core for the bomb was assembled.
I've stood on on the same ground where many historical events occurred but nothing that changed the world as radically as this.
When I was a teenager the threat of nuclear war was real and it terrified me. We saw movies of the devastation and were taught what to do if nuclear war broke out. Given that it involved plastic sheeting and duct tape I doubt it would have been effective but I guess it made people feel better.
I joined CND when I was about 11 and protested for nuclear disarmament...yes I was a bit of a hippy :-)
I never imagined I'd one day stand on the ground where it all started.
Posts
I love humanity, but sometimes people can be really really stupid!! What a thing to invent, to use!!
ReplyDeleteI've been to the Peace Park in Hiroshima - going through the exhibits was 'interesting' until I found myself on my knees quietly crying at the shadow on the wall, all that was left of a person. Evidently it's not an uncommon sight, people breaking down in there. I've got tears in my eyes writing this.
Have you read Barbara Kingsolver's book 'High Tide in Tucson'? It's a book of essays, and she deals with military paranoia in there, in far better words than I can say.
Glenda
Hi Glenda
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you but the more I've learned about this the more I've come to realize that it would have been done even if it wasn't us who did it. Doesn't make it any easier to handle though.
Mick has been to Hiroshima but I haven't. I've shed many a quiet tear at similar places though and I am sure I will in MN.
I've not read that book but I'll look it up, thanks.
Too bad to think about it. Too bad to know that Italian scientists made that possible. too bad to know that's still a real threat whatever we are told.Too bad that the great majority simply lift their shoulder.I have never been a hippy but I always prostested against it. Simply felt it was a duty as a human being. Have a nice safe trip and if a tear fell think of me; I'm crying too. Hugs Rosanna
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI went over and looked at all your creations... They are breathtaking!!! I know as well how it's complicated to make a small flower, but yours are not just small they're MICRO! Tiny tiny details, soooo perfect created. Your fingers are MAGICAL:)
Have a blessed day!
Diana
It sounds wrong to say it but have a good trip. I don't think I will ever get the chance to see these sites but have done some from the 1st and 2nd World Wars and find them strangely compelling and overwhelming at the same time and find myself trying to fight back the tears.
ReplyDeleteRichard would be soooo jealous of your pending trip...he wants to go in the worst way!!! I must admit...would be very interesting... while there in N.M. you should check out Roswell... and say Howdy Do to a few Aliens!! My my N.M has some interesting sites!!LOL...Have a blast (no pun intended) Jayne on your wonderful road trip...
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Jodi
Be careful and have a good time. yes, a grave invention indeed.
ReplyDeletejody
This would have been such a fascinating trip for my housemate who knows all the fighter planes in WWII. I have been to Hiroshima. My grandma and mum was in WWII when Singapore was invaded. Mum was just 2-4 years but I have an aunt old enough then to know what was going on. I will never take peace for granted.
ReplyDeleteYou have a great trip dear :)
Have a lovely trip Jayne and a safe journey.
ReplyDeleteDebie xxxx
Wow - I can see how this would definitely make an impact on someone. Have a good trip!
ReplyDelete