Trinity Site, first atomic bomb test.

It was a cold, blustery day, when we sat out to visit the Trinity Site.

It really was cold, a low forbidding cloud ceiling, 53 degrees and breezy; well, not breezy, more of a cold cutting wind; chilling unexposed skin; making you yank and drag at your clothes, keeping some patches warm while exposing others to the unrelenting cold.

Anyway, it was damned miserable. I thought it might be cold so I dressed accordingly, with a pair of sweat pants under my long pants, and two layers of sweaters. I left my gloves in the truck and my hands got uncomfortably cold. If I didn't keep them in my pockets, which I couldn't and operate the camera, they were freezing. Johnna didn't wear sweats under her long pants, suffered from the cold and returned to the truck sooner than she would have in better weather.

I felt reasonably dressed for the occasion. Some visitors wore summer clothes, short sleeved shirts, no coats or warm hats; one women had on flip flops, I presume to show off  her painted toe nails. Another woman was wearing a lite jacket and a thigh length skirt; I'm sure she hadn't planed for the weather she found herself in but chose to tuff it out. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

The Trinity Site only opens to the public twice a year and you have to plan accordingly. I've wanted to visit the site for several years but we were never coming this way at the right time. This trip afforded our best opportunity; we were going in the right direction and could arrive when we wanted.

This was a side trip I wanted to do, so I fretted and fussed over the details. I had looked up Trinity Site on the internet, found some interesting stuff, but didn't save any of it; Johnna researched it as well, but didn't know all the details. The RV park had WiFi, but it hadn't worked for three days, so we couldn't find answers to the questions I had. I was pretty well frustrated. No one in the RV office knew anything about the Trinity Site; they recommended the Socorro chamber of Commerce; it was closed. More and more frustration.

As it turned out, I had no trouble getting there. We knew the connecting road to the White Sands Missile Range could be reached from US 380 and, supposedly, there were enough clear signs to get us there with minimal trouble. We left the RV park about 7:30 AM, found all the right signs, and arrived at the Stallion Range Center gate by 8:15 or so. I didn't come close to getting lost. There were already 10 to 15 cars ahead of us, and, by time we reached the check point, at least 50 stretching out behind. Security is tight for any government installation and we inched forward for 10 minutes or so. I was completely surprised at the turnout. Of course I should have known; a lot of people want to visit Trinity and plan a trip to coincide with the two available dates.

After managing the main gate, I drove 17 miles to the Trinity Site and was again surprised at the number of cars already parked, at least 100. Parking was well organized by army MPs and every vehicle was lined up with military precision. There was a bit of a carnival  atmosphere; vendors were selling books, food, caps, t shirts, etc. Other booths gave out general information about the site, radiation levels etc. Everyone seemed happy to be there and eager to see ground zero.

The photos I took aren't very good, but they do give some idea of the site and the hubbub surrounding the two available days to visit the site.

This monument is located at ground zero. It was so overcast, I couldn't take a clear picture of the plaque without a flash, which was back in the trailer.

Part of the crowd clustering around the monument. The mountains in the background are shrouded in clouds.

This casing is similar to the Fat Man bomb casing and belongs to a MK III bomb, manufactured after WW II. The Fat Man casing weighed 5000 pounds and the explosive used to compress the 16.65 pound spherical plutonium core, another 5000 pounds.

Buying books, food and other mementos.

Sign post.

Was it an interesting side trip? Would I do it again? Yes to both questions; I would go back, even in a snow storm. Visiting the Trinity site is like taking in civil war battle sites, they're an important part of American history and well worth setting aside a few hours of time.

I was surprised by the physical location of ground zero. I had always envisioned the actual test site being located somewhere near the center of the wide valley. But the test was conducted much closer to the range of mountains along the eastern edge of the valley.

So even with the chilly conditions, we had a good time; I bought a cap, a coffee mug and an ink pen.