Day 2: Science Museum and National Monument

Tuesday we were able to do one load of laundry while the kids swam, then we all got ready to drive to Santa Fe and Los Alamos, New Mexico. Santa Fe is less than an hour away. The speed limit here is 70 mph, so we got there in less than 50 minutes, but we just drove through since the Science Museum is in Los Alamos.

As we drove through Santa Fe, I noticed they had a Trader Joe's!!! I had to stop! I love my Dark Chocolate and Pistachio covered toffee from Trader Joes. It is essential for dessert. I always get that when I stop there. I also picked up veggie crisps, apple sauce and huge water bottles for only .29 cents each!

The Science Museum was very interesting, all about atomic bombs to computer chips and DNA. I learned so much in the 2 hours we were there my head hurt. I was worried the kids would be board but we had a hard time peeling them away from the hands on activities!! The best part was the museum is FREE!! We didn't even pay to get in!! And they loved it!

They also had a war section that talked about WWII, and Manhattan Project. They also talked about how they are trying to make sure the current supply of nuclear weapons stays safe without testing them. Very interesting!!!

After we finished that it was time to head to our next stop, about 20 minutes away, Bandelier National Monument. We got directions from the science museum and headed out. We had to got though a strange security point. It looked like a toll booth area, but a security guard just waved us through. All along our drive we saw Tech labs, places in which they are testing the nuclear chemicals with out testing the weapons. They all had large signs that said LANL site 49 (or whatever site you were at).

After seeing a few mule deer we pulled into the national monument and paid $12 for the park pass. The rest was free. I bought a book for $1, for our walking tour but that was it. The entire Los Alamos area is where a volcano erupted a very long time ago, so you were able to see the areas where lava carved lines down this huge mountain. We walked a long a one mile route and learned about the Ancestral Pueblo people's homes and living habits. Did you know they had diapers made from tree bark?? Talk about diaper rash! They also had blankets made from turkey feathers.
As we walked along the trail and up the dwellings, we learned they were small and skinny people. At one area, it was so tight anyone more than 40 inches wide would not have been able to get through. Lots of stairs, It was easy to get winded.

While we were walking the trail we saw about 10 mule deer that seem to know we are not supposed to leave the trail. In fact one waited for us to walk by before crossing the trail. They were about 45-65 yards away.
We were toasty warm as we walked along the homes, but then we crossed a stream and came into the woods and snow! They had signs along this path with information for us. At one point the signs talked about how Ponderosa Pines have vanillan so the bark smells like vanilla, and it Does! Every time after that Brock just had to stop and smell the pines!

Needless to say ALL the kids slept on the 1 hour 30 minute drive back to the hotel.

Today's agenda? The land of Fire and Ice.

Todays temp? A nice 68 degrees!