New Mexico/Texas Eclipse

To say this was a busy day is an understatement! An early morning wake-up of 5:30 a.m. meant we were greeted by dense fog, compliments of the previous night's rain. The fog made for a beautiful drive through the sandstone bluff country and gave our exploration of the bluffs a slightly (appropriately) other-worldly feel.

 

Arriving at the Very Large Array (VLA), the students saw the dishes peaking out of the fog and were able to get up close and personal with this amazing scientific enterprise.  The various satellite dishes were in a mid-range arrangement (they can all be moved), so it was crowded around the control building.

 

Another drive had us arriving in the afternoon at White Sands National Park and so energy-filled sand boarding.  With the dark clouds far in the distance, the white sand glittered in the sunlight, which provided us ample opportunity to burn off some energy that had built up over the days.

 

One thing is sure … they agree that they are tired! There were also some amazing moments along the way, such as friendship, laughter, and fantastic shared experiences. Tomorrow, we are off to the Sunspot Solar Observatory.