An hour's drive north from Santa Fe to the picturesque mesa called the Pajarito plateau takes you to one of the most legendary towns in American scientific history Los Alamos. This is where the Manhattan Project, which developed the atomic bomb, was based during World War II. Los Alamos is aloof physically and, some would say, emotionally, from much of New Mexico. It was literally a secret city until the 1950s, and much of its housing and public buildings seem to have been caught in a Lucy-and-Desi era time warp.
The year 1999 marks Los Alamos County's fiftieth birthday. It is being celebrated through a series of special events. With Los Alamos National Laboratories still the leading employer, the residents of Los Alamos are thus among the nation's scientific elite. But they, too, love the New Mexican scenery and recreational opportunities. Take a drive along State Route 502 to State Route 4, and you will come across lycra-clad bicycle riders on their daily training rounds.
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