Trinity Site is where the first atomic bomb was tested at 5:29:45 a.m. Mountain Time on July 16, 1945. The 51,500-acre area was declared a national historic landmark in 1975. The Trinity Site open house is conducted on the first Saturday in April and October.

I got off work at 5:00 p.m. and drove home, ate dinner, and started to pack. I wanted to leave at 7:00 p.m. but did not leave home until 8:10 p.m. I drove all night and into the next day, stopping three times to fill up the gas tank. I encountered a head wind about halfway thorough Arizona, which got progressively strongly all the way to the Trinity Site in New Mexico. I arrived at the Trinity Site at 9:30 a.m.

As mentioned in the official website ( http://www.wsmr.army.mil/pao/TrinitySite/trinst.htm ), the Trinity Site is the entered from the west by traveling 12 miles east of San Antonio on highway 380 to the “Stallion Entrance Gate” at White Sands Missile Range. I do not recall seeing a “Stallion Entrance” sign but a New Mexico historic marker for the Trinity Site is located near the gate. A couple of miles on the base road brought me to another gate (Stallion Range Center) where cars were lined up and slowly inching forward. I was given a Trinity Site brochure and a list of Base Rules. I then proceeded short distance where I was asked if I was carrying weapons or alcoholic beverages and to show photo identification. This year we were told that the porta-potties were not available at the site and we had to use porta-potties that were scattered among building ahead.

After about 10 miles I arrived at the site parking lot. The perimeter of the site is ringed with two fences about ¼-mile apart. Near the gate to the outer fence rests the remains of “Jumbo” a large diameter container. Nearby was a table and rack full of books and souvenirs for sale. I picked up two postcards and stamped them with the Trinity Site date stamp.

Near the entrance of the inner fence was a display of different types of hand held Geiger counters and a container holding small pieces of light-green trinitite. Trinitite was formed during the atomic blast and is mildly radioactive.

The things to see were the obelisks located at ground zero, the remains of a tower foundation, the “Fatman” bomb casing on a flat bed trailer, a sealed metal structure, and historical photographs posted on the fence. Many people were milling around taking photographs and video and scanning the ground for trinitite.

Although the military reportedly removed the trininite and backfilled the excavation with soil, the there are pictures and claims on the Internet of finding trininite on the surface. I briefly looked around a little but did not see any pieces.

The wind was occasionally gusting and blowing dust into my eyes and mouths. If there was any residual trininite in the surface soil, I inhaled and digested a souvenir dose.

I elected not to take the bus to the McDonald house where the bomb was assembled.