VERY LARGE ARRAY AND ONTO LA POSADA

The highlight of today's travels was the visit to the VERY LARGE ARRAY TELESCOPE located about 50 miles west of the town of Socorro, N. M. This provided a well needed break in a day of lots of driving through some beautiful country.


The Grand View



We set out early and all of the driving was on U.S. Routes, no freeways. Some of the towns we went through were Roswell, Carrizozo, and Socorro. The towns were small and rural, and the countryside was range land.


The Very Large Array Telescope is a radio astronomy observatory which is located on the Plains of San Agustin, between the towns of Magdalena and Datil, N.M. It is nestled in a valley where there are very few dwellings, and rimmed by low mountains.

Four Antenna



Desert Mallow



ONE ARM OF THE ARRAY


A SINGLE ANTENNA


BASE VIEW


The radio telescope is comprised of 27 independent antennae, each of which has a dish diameter of 25 meters (82 feet) and weighs 230 tons. The antennae are distributed along the three arms of a track, shaped in a wye (or Y)-configuration. The array acts as a single antenna with a variable diameter.




The VLA is a multi-purpose instrument designed to allow investigations of many astronomical objects, including radio galaxies, quasars, pulsars, supernova remnants, gamma ray bursts, radio-emitting stars, the sun and planets, astrophysical masers, black holes, and the hydrogen gas that constitutes a large portion of the Milky Way Galaxy as well as galaxies beyond.


Storm Building



It is not, despite depictions in popular culture such as the movie "Contact", used to assist in the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence.

And the Rains Came



We enjoyed walking out to one of the antenna and observing it moving on its axis. While we were wandering about, a thunderstorm approached and we decided to get into our car and observe it safely. There was no lightning near.


We had only covered about half of the distance of the day's travel so it was on to the East, and a return to Arizona through Springerville and onto Show Low. This area of Arizona is on the edge of the area called the Mogollan Rim. At Show Low we headed North to connect with I-40 and go west to Winslow.


We enjoyed a delightful evening, though short, at the La Posada Hotel. The original hotel was designed by Mary Coulter for Fred Harvey and the Santa Fe Railroad. It is located right next to the train tracks so there is a regular passage of trains, but they move very slowly and do not blow their whistles. The effect is very relaxing. We got there about 30 minutes before our dinner reservation. This is one of our favorite places to stay. The dinner was delightful, and then it was pleasant sitting outside and enjoying a little dessert and wine with our companions and reflect on our recent adventures. Tomorrow we split off and head on our own to a visit to the North Rim, Grand Canyon.

BISBEE, AZ

 Note: This is out of order, but only by a day.Sorry if it is a bit confusing.(It should be read before the entry for Carlsbad Caverns.)

We then hurried off to Bisbee to visit the Copper Queen Mine. Its orebody ran 23% copper, an extraordinary high grade of copper. The mining operation started in the 1880’s. It was productive well after WWII.

Open Pit Mine

Copper Queen Open Pit

Eventually there was open pit mining there as well. The whole mining operation closed in 1975. Today you can take an hour tour underground. Our tour leader had actually worked in the mine before it closed. He was a wealth of information concerning the construction and  process of mining. As we drove out of town the next morning we could see the very large pit that was dug during the pit mining faze of the operation.

Tonight we stayed at the Copper Queen Hotel in Bisbee. The town of Bisbee is built against a steep hill. The streets are very narrow, and often one way. Bisbee is one of the "quirkiest" towns in America.

A fascinating blend of the weird, whimsical, and brilliant made possible by its extraordinary history and eclectic population. Today the population consists mainly of artists of all genres.

Regrettably we did not have much time to explore the town when the various business were open.

CARLSBAD CAVERNS, N.M.

It was a long drive, about 425 miles, to Carlsbad from Bisbee, AZ.  First we went South to Douglas, located on the Mexican border, and then headed Northeast where we enventually got on New Mexico Rte. 9. As we passed through Columbus, N.M. we passed the Pancho Villa State Park.There  probably is something to see there, but it was hot, and we still had a long way to go. The country was open range with the border at times I think being the road bed! On the Western edge of El Paso we picked up the Tx. 375 Loop around the city. We thus by-passed the city, and almost all of the gas stations!  On the East side of the loop we got on U.S. 180/62. We almost joined the Army when we took an exit that led only to the main gate of Fort Bliss. Only an illegal U-turn saved us from enlistment. The scenic highlight on this drive was through
Guadalupe National Park and Going through Guadalupe Pass.

Guadalupe Peak 

It was then an hour drive to the city of Carlsbad, N.M. Meanwhile Pat and Janeane had taken a more Northern route and we eventually rendezvoused at our motel. In Carlsbad we found a very nice Italian restaurant, Little Italy, for dinner.

The next day was spent in and around Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

On the drive into the Park we came across a herd of Barbary sheep. There were about a dozen of them scampering along the North canyon wall. We were able to stop and George and I took a few pictures of them. These sheep are not native and were
first brought to the United States in about 1900 from North Africa. They have been reared in zoos and on private preserves for a number of years. They were first released into the wild in New Mexico in 1950. They are now trophy hunted by big game hunters.
 

Barbary Sheep Herd

Trio of Barbary Sheep

The park contains over 119 caves. Three caves are open to public tours. Carlsbad Caverns is the most famous and is fully developed with electric lights, paved trails, and elevators. Slaughter Canyon Cave and Spider Cave are undeveloped, except for designated paths for the guided "adventure" caving tours.

We opted to hike down into the Caverns via the natural entrance. This is a steep 1.25 mile walk down into the “Big Room”.

Natural Entrance to Carlsbad Caverns

The Big Room is a natural limestone chamber almost 4,000 feet (1,220 m) long, 625 feet (191 m) wide, and 255 feet (78 m) high at the highest point. It is the fifth largest chamber in North America and the twenty-eighth largest in the world. Afterwards we took a Ranger led tour of the  King's Palace named for a large castle-like formation in the center of the room.

Stalactites

Stalactites and Curtains

"Lion's Tails"

The caverns were known in the 1800’s, and probably earlier by the local Native Americans. The Caverns were first entered in 1898 and explored by 16 year-old, Texas born cowhand, Jim White. Jim White was fascinated by what he saw with only a makeshift lantern, and proceeded to explored the cavern with a homemade wire ladder for many years.
 

White’s City, located just East of the Park was developed by Jim White. White's City is an unincorporated town with a population of about 10!

 In the evening we returned to the Park to observe the Bat Flight Program. This involves watching the Brazilian  free-tailed bats, present from April or May to late October or early November, emerge in dense groups, corkscrewing upwards and counterclockwise, usually starting around sunset and lasting about three hours in search of dinner. No cameras or electronic devices are allowed as this disturbs the bat's

"sonar".

Serpent formation

Theater

King's Palace Chamber

The daily pre-dawn return of the bats is different from the evening exit flights, but are just as impressive. Early risers (approx. 4-6 am) can see the bats as they re-enter the cavern with spectacular dives from heights of hundreds of feet. Individual bats may reach speeds of 25 mph (40 km/h) or more. Nursing mothers might be in and out of the cave throughout the night as they hunt and return to feed their young.

As we had had a late lunch we called it a day after the bat show. We had a small dessert of chocolate with a glass of wine, before turning in.

Storm in the Distance

TOMBSTONE

It was only a couple of hours drive to Tombstone from Tucson. Again we left or motel early to get a jump on the weather. The drive to Tombstone was only about an hour in length and the drive once outside of Tucson was rural and pleasant.

Tombstone is a historic western city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1879. It was a prosperous town due to the very rich silver mining that went on there. Today the main industry is tourism.After rendezvousing with our friends, Pat and Janeane, we started our walk down Allen Street. Our first stop was the Bird Cage Theatre which in its hayday was a theater, saloon, gambling parlor and brothel. We enjoyed exploring the historical layout and visited the theatre as well as the saloon. We continued our walk down down Allen Street visiting another saloon, a clothing store, and general store. 

1883 0r 2016?

We then took the half hour stagecoach ride on Allen Street. 

Tombstone is also home to the world’s largest rose tree. 
 

Trunk of Rose Tree

Rose Tree and Trellis

The tree was  planted in 1885 from root cutting of a White Lady Banksia Rose that came from Scotland, and has thrived ever since In the southern Arizona climate. A large trellis has been built to support the tree which now takes up 8000 square feet. Regrettably we did not see it in bloom as the blooming season is April.
 
Looking for a place to have another picnic lunch, we found a small park where we were away from the tourist activity. Our picnics were generally salads with added meat or cheese. On this occasion we enjoyed salami and cheese some sourdough bread and crackers.

After lunch we made our way to the cemetery at Boot Hill. The cemetery was only in use from 1879 to 1884. None of the famous gunfighters of the era are buried here. 

"Murdered on the Streets of Tombstone"

"...Lynched..."

"...and now he's gone"

TUCSON - BOTANICAL & DEGRAZIA GARDENS

we were off early from our lodging in order to try and beat a bit of the heat. We did eventually succumb to the Tucson heat, but first we got to enjoy the Tucson Botanical Garden. 

Orchid

There are a number of specialty gardens on the grounds - butterfly, cactus, native American crop garden, wildflower garden, Xeriscape, and several more.

 

Barrel Cactus Buds

I was immediately attracted to the butterfly garden as there were a number of Queen butterflies flying about. 

Queen Butterfly

Queen Butterfly

There was also a butterfly greenhouse which housed orchids, pitcher plants, and other specialty plants. Within this building was also a small display of poison dart frogs which were very colorful but elusive.

Poison Dart Frog

Poison Dart Frog #2

 I enjoyed the Tohono O’odham Path which portrayed how these people made use of the native vegetation. All throughout the gardens there were a number of lizards that enjoyed sunning and posing for the camera.

Desert Spiny Lizard

Desert Spiny Lizard

Camouflage

Our next stop was the Ted DeGrazia Gallery and Gardens located on the Northeast side of the city. Ted DeGrazia was a painter and sculptor who became famous in the 50's and 60's for his whimsical art. UNICEF asked to use his painting "Los Ninos" for their holiday card in 1960. Millions of the card were sold. The gardens and building were all designed and built by DeGrazia, and are rustic and in the style of the Southwest. 

We thought that there would be a lot of art displayed in the gardens but this did not seem to be true. After a warm walk along the grounds, and wandering in the gallery it was time for a change of pace. We enjoyed lunch under a rustic ramada before heading off to our last gallery of the day, The Center for Creative Photography.

Sky Art

The Center is located on the campus of Arizona University which is a metropolitan campus, and it was student move in day! Thus it was difficult to get directions to the Center or parking. We persevered and found our way with the help of a couple of students. The collection consists of more than 90,000 works by 2,000 photographers. This includes works of Elliot Porter, Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, Alfred Stieglitz, to name only a few.  There were only a few photographs on display, and a note by Ed Weston about his crop of green peppers that he had just received. (He is well known for his still life photography of peppers that was evocative in nature.)

After a period of rest and recovery at our motel, we headed back to Theresa’s Mosaic for another Mexican dinner. There was more storm activity to the East of the city which we enjoyed viewing while dining. I did not have an opportunity to photograph any of the lightning show but nature put on a good show. The food was excellent once again.