The 12th
Annual Los Alamos Atomic Blast
An ultimate frisbee tournament hosted by
the Los Alamos Frisbee Club
will be held on July 22-23 at
Overlook Park in White Rock, NM.
It is a coed tournament with 5/2 (male/female) format.
Contacts:
Chris Fontes: 665-7676(w) / 662-4731(h)
cjf@lanl.gov
Sue Johnson: (sjohnson@lata.com)
Entry Fee: $100/team
to reserve a spot, send a check to
Chris Fontes
2337 North Road
Los Alamos, NM 87544
Camping: allowed on the fields both
nights. Camping is also available
at Bandelier National Monument (no showers available)
(505) 672-3861.
Dogs: are welcome on the fields, but
must be kept on a leash. Be aware that
there is not much shade at the fields, so you might
want to bring a canopy.
Showers: available at the Aquatic Center
or YMCA in Los Alamos.
Hotels:
Holiday Inn Express (505) 661-1110
Hilltop House (505)
662-2441
Los Alamos Inn (505) 662-7211/ (800) 279-9279
Bandelier Inn (505)
672-3838
Directions to the Field:
FROM THE NORTH
1. Somehow get yourself on 285 south heading toward
Espanola, NM. (From Colorado Springs you can take
I-25 South and get off at Walsenburg to go west on
160. Then get on 285 south at Alamosa. From points
further to the west of CO Springs you can get on 285
directly.) Go through Espanola and continue for a
few miles until you reach a traffic light with the
Cities of Gold Casino on your left.
2. Go through Espanola and continue for a few miles until you see an exit
on the right for Los Alamos (Route 502). You will also see the
Cities of Gold Casino on your left. Take this exit on to 502 West.
3. Drive 11.5 miles on 502. (The road will eventually start to climb and become
curvy.) As the road levels off you will approach the White Rock/Highway 4
exit. Bare right and take this exit.
4. Drive 3.8 miles on Highway 4 and you will arrive
at the town of White Rock. (After only 1.0 miles of
driving you should reach a traffic light in the middle
of nowhere. Continue straight on Highway 4 toward
White Rock.)
5. As you approach White Rock you will see a Shell
gas station on your right and Rover Blvd. on your
left. Take a left onto Rover and drive about 75 yds
where you will take a left onto Meadow Lane.
6. Follow Meadow Lane as it makes a lazy right bend
for 0.8 miles. You should see the entrance to Overlook
Park on your left. Take that left and find the fields
along the road.
FROM THE SOUTH
1. Get on I-25 North and take the St. Francis Rd.
exit as you approach Santa Fe.
2. Drive north on St. Francis Rd. through Santa Fe
and continue on this road out of town. St. Francis
Rd. turns into 285 north as you leave Santa Fe.
3. Continue on 285 north for about 25 miles until you reach the town of
Pojoaque. Continue north toward the edge of Pojoaque and take the
Los Alamos (Route 502) Exit. You will see the Cities of Gold Casino on
your right as you approach this exit.
4. At the bottom of the exit ramp continue through the traffic light
(baring slightly to the left) and drive under the overpass. You are now
headed west on 502.
5. Follow instructions 3-6 above.
Directions to camping at Bandelier National
Monument:
From the intersection of Highway 4 and Rover Bld.
in White Rock, continue driving through White Rock
on Highway 4 for 8.3 miles. The entrance to Bandelier
National Monument will be on your left. The road to
the entrance is full of lazy curves and passes through
classic New Mexico countryside. The entrance to the
Juniper Campground is a short distance inside the
gate on the right side of the road. Call (505) 672-3861
for campsite info. There is running water available,
but NO showers.
Directions to Spense Hot Springs (from Bandelier
National Monument):
As you exit Bandelier, take a left onto Highway 4.
Drive approximately 32 miles on Highway 4 and you
will see a dirt pullout/parking lot on the left side
of the road. (There are often cars parked in the lot.
If you reach the town of Jemez Springs, you have gone
7 miles too far past the springs.)
Pull into this lot and find the trail at the far end
of the lot.
The trail goes down the bank of the river, crosses
on a log, and then goes back up the other side. It
is approximately a quarter mile hike up to the springs.
There are actually several pools in the area, but
the main/best site usually has enough water for three
connecting pools running down the hillside.
The pamphlet I have says that clothing is optional,
but I have heard of people getting ticketed for nudity
by park rangers during the past year!
A couple of landmarks to be aware of along the 32
mile drive to Spense Springs:
1. After driving for 6 miles you will reach the junction
with Route 502 which leads to Los Alamos. Continue
straight on Highway 4. The road will begin to climb
sharply with a few hairpin turns.
2. After driving approximately (?)6-8 more miles you
will reach the Valle Grande Caldera, a massive, beautiful
expanse to the right of the highway.
3. Continuing along Highway 4 you will eventually
come to a fork in the road. The right fork leads to
Fenton Lake/Cuba. The left fork leads to Spense Springs
and the town of Jemez Springs. Stay to the LEFT at
the fork and remain on Highway 4.
4. The 32 mile drive has some awesome beauty. I hope
y'all get the chance to enjoy it!
