As I made my west on U.S. 60, I decided to go up AZ 189 and see the area around Theodore Roosevelt Lake. Everything seems to be named after him: the lake, the dam, the bridge, and possibly even the sunset.
Theodore Roosevelt lake and bridge
There are probably a myriad of reasons I’ve been infatuated with the Very Large Array in New Mexico. I finally was able to visit the VLA on my westward journey on U.S. Highway 60 from Socorro, New Mexico.
Simply put, the VLA is an array of 27 radio telescopes which are all connected together to emulate a huge radio telescope that is up to 22 miles in diameter.
I first became acquainted with the VLA in the movie “Contact” where it is used to receive extra terrestrial communications. (For other pop culture references, click here.) In real life, it doesn’t do that. Instead, it receives signals that optical telescopes can’t see. The scientists don’t “listen” to the VLA, the VLA creates images.
I stopped into the deserted visitor center on a cold but clear Saturday morning. After chatting with the woman staffing the post and looking at the exhibits, I went on the self-guided walking tour of the facility.
I’ve come to love driving on the old U.S. Highways when taking road-trips. Construction on these highways was started in 1926 and were largely bypassed or usurped by the Interstate freeway system beginning in the 1960’s, or have been downgraded to state highways. The heyday for these routes was the post-war period from the 1940’s and 1950’s. Remnants and ruins from this period are still visible along the roads, such as restored motels and diners, or the remains of old gas stations.
The symbols for these old highways are black and white shields or badges. When planning road-trips, I actively seek out these routes on the maps.
In the west these highways are sparsely used. I love this because it means I can pull off anywhere and take a photo or a pee, or make a U-turn if I passed something interesting. It’s very relaxing due to the lack of traffic and often very scenic.
