We visited Valles Caldera on our New Mexico visit in 2020, and returned yesterday. It is a beautiful place, a 13.7 mile wide caldera in the Jemez Mountains, with rolling grass valleys, hot springs, streams, volcanic domes, and mountains. We drove through the historic ranch, and through several grass valleys, looking for wildlife amidst the stunning views. We saw two plump coyotes, lots of birds, and a couple hundred grazing elk far off. One elk crossed the road right in front of us, with antlers in velvet. He was beautiful!
The history of Valles Caldera is really interesting. https://newmexiconomad.com/valles-caldera/
We drove from Valles Caldera, 16 miles to Los Alamos, where we had lunch, and visited the historic district, History Museums, and Ranch School. They were interesting, covering the area’s history from ancient times, through Native American life, ranch life, the Ranch School for Boys, the Manhattan Project, and current projects. More than a dozen scientists associated with Los Alamos have won Nobel Prizes. From the Los Alamos National Laboratory’s website, https://www.lanl.gov/about/history-innovation/index.php, “Los Alamos National Laboratory’s main responsibility is to ensure our nation’s security through nuclear deterrence - this includes stewardship of our nation’s nuclear weapons to assure our allies and deter our adversaries. The Laboratory applies the best scientific and engineering solutions to our national security mission and to many of the world’s most difficult challenges.” We were reminded, that particularly during this pandemic, we appreciate scientists.
