World Safari

November 18th – 20th

Heat at last in New Mexico!

Home to 14 National Parks and Monuments, this state offers a blend of otherworldly landscapes and fascinating science. From Roswell, where rumours of alien landings persist, to Area 51, shrouded in secrecy, New Mexico captures the imagination. With observatories, dunes, and a rich history, there is much to explore here.

The NRAO – National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Driving across the state, we discovered the NRAO was on our route and open to visitors. This site is home to the Very Large Array (VLA), the world’s most productive radio telescope. Imagine a cluster of massive antennas working together as a single telescope spanning miles.

The observatory is set in the Plains of San Agustin, northwest of Socorro—a vast, flat desert ringed by mountains. These natural barriers shield the observatory from radio interference, making it a perfect location for scanning the cosmos.

Arriving at the site, the iconic dishes brought to mind Jodie Foster’s 1997 film Contact, which was filmed here. Unlike the movie’s depiction, however, these antennas don’t ‘listen’ but rather ‘look’ at light far beyond the visible spectrum.

Exploring the Invisible Universe

The visible light our eyes see is just a fraction of the electromagnetic spectrum. Since the 1930s, scientists have used radio telescopes to study radio waves and other forms of light emitted by the universe. The VLA has probed the dust-shrouded center of our galaxy, revealing material spiralling around the supermassive black hole anchoring the Milky Way—26,000 light-years away!

We spent the afternoon exploring the Solar Radio Telescope and the Radio Sundial before getting up close to one of the 37 massive dishes arranged in a Y-shaped pattern. The farther apart they are, the farther they can ‘see.’

With our minds blown by the scale and science of the VLA, we hit the road again, aiming for a quiet wild camping spot. Despite a warmer day, the night by the Rio Grande brought another cold spell.

Bruce

The next day is not much to report on. We didn’t get far, spending the bulk of 6 hours at a Walmart parking lot while Tim went to work on the trying to remove the broken stud holding the turbo to the exhaust. It’s a small town with its fair share of homeless. Poor Tim had to cope with Ed, a homeless man who spent the day sitting on the curb yelling obscenities as imaginary people. Sounded like he was barking orders at military subordinates. The kids & I were in the camper getting some school work done. No luck removing the broken stud, but he did manage to secure it tighter than it was. It needs to be drilled out, the hole re tapped (threaded) and a new stud replaced.

At 32 years old, Bruce is holding up, but a few issues need attention before we ship it from Mexico to Colombia in just two weeks. Cold temperatures and altitude aren’t a great combo. Air is leaking, but is building pressure. We have replacement hoses ordered, but finding a mechanic capable of handling Bruce’s German engineering has been challenging. Perhaps the bearings are going on the compressor?

A shop in San Antonio, Texas, promises to take a look next Friday. While Bruce gets some TLC, we’ll rest and prepare for the straight push through Mexico to Veracruz. Timing is critical—Bruce must be in port by December 9th, or we’ll face a month long delay.

White Sands National Park

Wednesday 20th, was spent the afternoon at White Sands National Park. A surreal sea of gypsum dunes stretching over 275 square miles with fighter jets from a nearby Air Force base roaring overhead & performing impressive maneuvers.

The kids were excited about sand boarding, but the dunes weren’t tall enough to give the momentum they wanted, the sand was slow, even though we waxed their sleds. The gypsum sand was blindingly white, cool to the touch, and left a chalky residue everywhere—less fun for me, envisioning the cleanup. Still, the kids needed time to run free after hours in the truck, and they had a blast.

The morning bugle from the base woke us early. I had spent a restless night desperately trying to hunt down a digital copy of the truck manual. Thankfully, Frank in Germany—who originally converted Bruce—came to the rescue. Crisis averted!