338. Socorro, Socorro County (NM22)

This is the King of stucco buildings. Dare I say it? I dare! This is the apotheosis of stucco buildings. Is it possible that, by visiting this building, I have reached peak New Mexico? Perhaps. That said, my mocking is actually hiding the giddiness I felt here. You know how, as I have mentioned before, I don’t do a lot of research on the places I’m going? Well, that was both bad and good. The bad is that the Trinity Test Site is here, though that’s ameliorated by the fact that there don’t seem to be any caches near it (not even a virtual! How could there not be one there?). But the good? The second I saw the signs, I knew I had to go out there. It would cost me at least an hour of daylight just to get out there, but what’s the point of having extra time if you can’t use it on something special? So I got to driving west (while simultaneously bemoaning the fact that there are no longer any active pie shops down the road in Pie Town [thank you, time of cholera!]) and there it was…

Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, to the Very Large Array. As a movie buff, my heart was filled with joy. As an astronomy geek, my heart was ready to burst. Unfortunately, the place was closed to visitors thanks to the time of cholera, but still… There was a cache along the fence line, a repurposed candy container, but that wasn’t the real draw. Sometimes I mention how glad I am that caching takes me to wonderful places. Well, this is another one of those times. And, yes, it burned a lot of daylight. But you know what? It was totally worth it. Besides, there was a road from here to my next destination, so not much time lost, right? Well, not so much. I took that side road for a bit until I got the the part that was so bad you needed a pickup or an ATV to continue. I looked at the maps. I could continue on and it would take two hours, or I could turn back, take the long way (which meant I’d have to drive about 25 miles out of the way) and arrive half an hour sooner. Time is always more important than mileage. I turned around, got back to the main road, turned at the appropriate junction and eventually got off the highway in…