In April, Katie and I flew to New Mexico for a quick weekend excursion. We met up with a few friends from Justin’s high school, Ben and Mitch. Our first order of business was to visit Carlsbad Caverns. This network of caves includes the third largest cavern chamber in North America. It spans 4,000 feet and is 250 feet high.
![Ben and Justin in Carlsbad](http://jpopek.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/IMG_3837-300x225.jpg)
![Ben and Mitch in Carlsbad Caverns Ben and Mitch in Carlsbad Caverns](http://jpopek.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/IMG_3844-300x225.jpg)
After Carlsbad, we continued onward to the Trinity Site in White Sands Missile Range. This is where the first nuclear device was detonated in 1945. All that’s left now is a memorial and slight crater. As a result of the test, the desert sand melted and became a mildly radioactive glass.
![Justin holding radioactive glass](http://jpopek.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/IMG_3987-300x225.jpg)
![Katie in front of a casing of the bomb](http://jpopek.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/IMG_3991-300x225.jpg)
![Katie, Justin, Ben, and Mitch at Trinity Site](http://jpopek.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/IMG_4001-225x300.jpg)
Next we ventured to White Sands National Monument. This monument encompasses 275 sq miles of sand dunes and is a playground of sorts for locals. We ventured into the dunes and Ben discovered that it was excellent for sledding.
![Ben and Mitch playing in the sand](http://jpopek.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/IMG_4065-300x225.jpg)
![Katie in White Sands](http://jpopek.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/IMG_4138-300x225.jpg)
White Sands National Monument was our last stop before heading up to Albuquerque to fly home. Enjoy all of the pictures.