Red Hatters Visit Trinity Site

I'm sure many of you remember the first Atomic bomb test on July 16, 1945 and the place this occurred is called Trinity Site. The greatest minds in the world worked tirelessly on this project with the idea in mind to create something so devastating that it would end WWII. Some of the names of scientists involved were Oppenheimer, Fermi, Wright (who just died last week at age 96), Bohr and Major General Leslie Groves just to name a few.

Trinity Site is only 85 miles from Alamogordo, New Mexico if you travel in a military caravan which can get you through the nearest gate of White Sands Missile Range at Tularosa, New Mexico. On Saturday, October 6, 2012, three Red Hatters from New Mexico Roadrunner Chapter and two husbands dared to get out of bed at 5:00 a.m. to make themselves ready and drive to Tularosa in time to join 175 vehicles to caravan to Trinity Site. It took a little over two hours to reach our destination.

The government bought a huge ranch owned by the McDonald family to make it ready as the test site for this Atomic bomb. The bomb's core was assembled in the McDonald ranch house. The basic house was still standing after the blast and some years later the house was restored allowing visitors to tour it. The blast was felt as far away as Gallup, New Mexico (about 250 miles) and people in Tularosa and Alamogordo said it was the day that the sun rose and set twice as they viewed the searing light from the bomb.

Caravan forming up in parking lot at Tularosa High School

Penny aka Duchess of High Rolls and Carla aka Queen Ladybird

Do I really look radioactive??

L to R: Penny, Sylvester, Monica aka Duchess of Cottonwood, and Carla

We've decided we are all radioactive!

Here we are standing inside "Jumbo" originally built by Babcock and Wilcox  of Ohio to house the bomb

We are standing at the monument created to commemorate ground zero

This rail surrounds what's left of one leg of the 100 foot tower that held the bomb. Tower melted!

"Fatman" bomb casing like that which held the bomb dropped on Nagasaki

Here we stand with the "Fatman"

A shot across the crater created when the bomb was tested

Behind us is an area of the crater that has been preserved exactly the way it was after the test

Line for buses going to the McDonald Ranch House

McDonald Ranch House

Side view of McDonald Ranch House

Front view and to the left is a covered cattle guard in use when the family resided here

Carla at back door

Room where bomb core was assembled

Clif McDonald grew up in the ranch house and he is truly a historical treasure

Unfortunately, Clif was unable to be at the Trinity Site this year so Doug took the photo above at an earlier meeting so I could introduce you to him. He is a successful businessman in Alamogordo and has more wonderful tales to relate than just about anybody. He and his wife, Barbara, are definitely a pair to reckon with in any situation. If you are ever in this area at the right time, do make plans to tour this site. This event affected the whole world, without a doubt!

Thanks, Doug, for all the great photos.

This is all I have to say for now.