VLA

After leaving Santa Fe, we took a side trip to visit VLA!!! It means Very Large Array. Not HUGE! Not BIG!!! But VERY LARGE!
And they were too. There are 27 dishes in the shape of a "Y" that make up the Very Large Array radio telescope.
When the dishes are spread along the three 13-mile arms, they simulate a single dish 22 miles in diameter.
We watched a video and saw how much more detail can be seen with these things.

Me--I was only glad that the gift shop was open on Sunday. I even told the lady who worked there that I would have been sooooooooooooo disappointed, after driving 49 miles out of our way to visit VLA, had the gift shop NOT been opened. I thanked her profusly too.
It was a very kewl gift shop--aren't they all!!!!! I bought a New Mexico scrapbooking kit, with all kinds of New Mexico stickers and paper, and die cut frames!!!! Plus a bunch of other goodies too like a new windbreaker jacket and an aqua Tee-shirt that says (in small letters off to one side) "I need my space!" I love that!

I've resisted the urge to buy any Tee-shirts for me so far because I have so many and I don't really wear them anymore! But this one just grabbed me and I had to buy it. Zip bought a new shirt too -- all the items came with their logo of course! Had to also buy a key chain, a pen (that lights up!), and of course, postcards.

We did the walking tour and got to stand right under one. Boy, they are not kidding when they say it's very large.

The movie "Contact" was made there (you know the one, right? with Jodi Foster???).
Oh, we also saw two rabbits on the road with VLE (very large ears). I can only imagine how well they hear! They could be employed by the people at VLA, who knows.

I'm glad we took the time to vist VLA--they had a really nice gift shop!!!!!