VERY LARGE ARRAY

Tuesday, March 17 – We enjoyed our over-night stay in Datil, New Mexico, although it got a little colder than what we were use to in Mesa, AZ. Low temperature last night was 39*....Brrrrrrr!

With the time change (Arizona doesn't recognize daylight savings time, so we lost an hour when we moved into New Mexico.), we were up early and ready to hit the road soon after daylight. The campground is located behind a restaurant so we took the time to enjoy breakfast before we left. Nothing like a good breakfast!

Twenty miles down the road from Datil is the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s Very Large Array (VLA). We've had this on our “bucket list” for over five years. We finally managed to work it into our schedule.

Why did they choose Roswell, NM, for the VLA site? Because it is high, flat and far from any city. This area permits proper placement and easy movement of the antennas. The mountains ringing the plains provide protection from man-made electrical interference. Additionally, the height above sea level minimizes the blurring effect of the atmosphere on radio images.

Please click on the picture for easier reading. Lots of good info here.

The VLA is used to make images of astronomical objects with a level of detail comparable with photographs made by the world's largest optical telescopes. The VLA receives the naturally occurring radio waves from planets, stars, and galaxies throughout the universe.

The dishes are arranged in a huge “Y” formation that varies from 13 miles to a smaller configuration of less than a mile. They are movable via railroad tracks to vary the size.  Even though they are 28 separate dishes, they are focused and receive input as if they were one huge dish.

We were fortunate to see the dishes moving. They moved from a shot straight up to just above the horizon. Pretty neat!  We were standing right under one of the dishes as it moved.

Beginning position.

Ending position.

The tour is a self-guided tour. We began in the Visitor's Center. We watch a movie about the installation, and then walked around to view the displays. We picked up the printed guide that describes the different stops on the tour. The walk around the facility is about a half mile on gravel pathways. It is really quite interesting.

The size of each dish is 82 feet. Two school buses could park end-to-end in one.

There is a $6 per person fee ($5 for seniors), but the gift store was closed, and there was no one in the Visitor's Center to collect the fee. We were pretty much on our own, so we enjoyed the tour for free. We completed the tour in about an hour but would have meandered a little slower but it was pretty breezy and cold. Plan for two hours, and you should be good to go!

The sound we heard when the antenna repositioned was the drive
motors moving the 100-ton dish.

After our visit to the VLA, we continued across New Mexico to Roswell, NM. We are staying at the Roswell Elks Lodge. $15 got us an electric and water site with gravel pads and streets. They are all fairly long pull-thrus. It is pretty empty, so we have an entire row to ourselves. There are 12 sites and only three are being used.

Looking right.

Looking left.

We've visited Roswell, NM, in the past. That means we stopped downtown to see the touristy “man from outer space” stores. Now if we can just survive the night without being abducted by Martians!

Stop back and check our progress across the “Great State of Texas” as long as the Martians leave us alone tonight!

Thanks to everyone who left a comment or emailed Marsha about her back. The long drives are hard on her back, but she says she is feeling less spams each day. Hopefully, she will feel much better by the time we hit Houston and will be able to avoid a doctor’s appointment.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

ROSWELL AND ARTESIA, NEW MEXICO

Thursday, September 23 – We decided to drive up to Roswell, NM today to see the UFO Museum. The landscape was about as flat as it could get.



On our way into town, we saw a very intriguing sign.



We didn’t know Roswell was such an entertaining town. Before you get the same idea, look a little closer to where this “Premier Night Club” is located.



We bowled for years and NEVER saw a “Night Club” in a bowling alley. Must be a New Mexico thing.
As we approached the city, we knew we were in trouble when we spotted the lampposts. OH BOY!



The UFO Museum all came about because of a July 4, 1947 crash of a flying saucer. After reports in the newspapers and military involvement, the government reportedly “covered-up” the incident. It has become another “government conspiracy” situation. You can read all about it at UFO Roswell.



The museum consisted mostly of printed reports and some photographs of the crash and additional UFO citings. They were showing a Hollywood movie re-enacting the entire story. All and all we were a little disappointed with the museum. Fortunately, the entry fee was only $5.

Paul just couldn’t believe he was looking at a real alien.


We then walked around town looking at the many gift shows full of UFO pharaphenial. There were many humorous t-shirts and other gifts.





We stopped in Artesia, NM on the way home. This is the home of the Artesia Western Sculpture Roundup.
The Cattle Drive…The series is designed to represent and honor the development of the ranching industry in southeastern New Mexico in the late 1800s.

The Trail Boss – He would have been the man in charge. Often an owner of a small herd.

 

The Rustler – He was a personality common in the Wild West, such as Billy the Kid. A Rustler would steal cattle from a herd, alter the brand, and claim them as his own to sell.



The Vaquero –Vaquero is Spanish for cowboy.

 

Artesia MainStreet’s History in Bronze project celebrates the important eras in the community’s development and its people, who represent the pioneering spirit of entrepreneurship, perseverance and strong will still present in the community today.

First Lady of Artesia Monument - Honor the spirit of a pioneer woman, Sallie Chisum.  The niece of famed cattleman John Chisum, she was one of the first traders in the real estate market in Artesia, established and operated Artesia’s first post office.



Derrick Floor & Oilfield Pioneer Monuments -The Derrick Floor is a bronze artistic representation of a four-man crew on a drilling rig.



The Driller – He is the crew chief. He chooses his own crew to ensure a group that works safely and efficiently as a team.



The Derrick Hand – He works in the derrick to control pipe-handling operations from 60 feet to 90 feet above the derrick floor.



The Floor Hands – These workers do the manual labor.  Marsha is helping the “throwing the chain”.



Woman's Intuition – Martin Yates was part of the partnership that was responsible for the Illinois #3.



Partners – Mack Chase and Johnny Gray are captured leaning on the hood of a pick-up, typical of the way in which they made most of their deals.



Heritage Walkway - Heritage Walkway was created in celebration of our country’s bicentennial year.











Once back at the motor home. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset.



If you look real close, left of the sun are two rain storms. Pretty cool to see these from so far away.



Thanks for stopping by. We hope you have a great day. Hope to see you back real soon.