Tuesday – Friday, October 3-6, 2023
Los Alamos, New Mexico (elevation 7,320 ft.)
So ink in these dates on your calendar NOW.
Los Alamos offers a delightful variety of attractions and activities, practically something for everyone. Details on organized field trips, workshops and presentations have all been worked out, and we are also suggesting things you will want to do on your own. The 2023 conference is a group effort, with Don Laine and Linda Haehnle as conference co-chairs, and Virginia Staat took the lead on setting up workshops.
Top area attractions include Bandelier National Monument (https://www.nps.gov/band/index.htm), which we are suggesting that you visit on your own. Bandelier boasts 13th-century ancestral Puebloan ruins, including cliff dwellings, a large pueblo and an abundance of rock art. The monument also has a variety of trails, including one that leads to two picturesque waterfalls. During our conference, the shuttle is expected to be running, and you are required to use it if entering the park between 9 AM and 3 PM. Please note that the Tsankawi Unit will be closed until mid-October due to extensive renovations.
We have arranged an exciting, guided tour of the Puye Cliff Dwellings (https://puyecliffdwellings.com), ancestral home of today’s Santa Clara Pueblo people, who lived along these cliffs from the 900s to about 1580 A.D. There are several levels of cave and cliff dwellings, as well as structures on top of the mesa, plus a Harvey House built by the Fred Harvey Company as a bed and breakfast in the early 20th century. Our tour will be to the mesa-top dwellings via vans. You can see additional dwellings if you go down a fairly steep ladder, but the terrain is rough. We don’t recommend it for anyone with mobility issues, fear of heights or a faint heart.
The mostly undeveloped Valles Caldera National Preserve (https://www.nps.gov/vall/index.htm) is the result of a huge volcanic eruption over a million years ago and boasts herds of elk and mule deer plus black bears and mountain lions. The preserve has miles of old logging roads, which are mostly closed to motorized vehicles and provide easy access to the backcountry for hikers. We’ve arranged a ranger-led walk and tour.
The Los Alamos Nature Center (https://peecnature.org) is the place to go to see area wildlife, over 3,000 species of local plants and amazing geology. One can also hike into a beautiful, forested canyon. The area has several scenic overlooks, including White Rock Canyon Overlook, which may be the perfect spot for a sunrise photo shoot.
Of course, Los Alamos is also known as the birthplace of the world’s first atomic bombs, code-named the Manhattan Project. The Manhattan Project National Historical Park (https://www.nps.gov/mapr/index.htm) is a work in progress and includes sites in Tennessee and Washington State, in addition to Los Alamos, that tell the story of the development of the bomb.
Los Alamos National Laboratory operates the Bradbury Science Museum (https://www.lanl.gov/museum/), which tells the story of the development of the bomb as well as other projects, including non-military uses for nuclear energy. The Los Alamos History Museum (https://www.losalamoshistory.org) highlights the human history of the area. We’ll explore the museum and take a guided walking tour of downtown Los Alamos to see Manhattan Project sites plus other historic sites, including a historic homesteader cabin.
For more area information see www.visitlosalamos.org.