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Now I Am Become Death, The Destroyer Of Worlds

April 13, 2018 by Mr. 1500 Days 28 Comments

Not me! I am not death. I am not the destroyer of worlds. Perhaps I am the destroyer of words because of my sometimes atrocious writing. Come on now, it’s not that bad, is it?

Anyway, the title of this post comes from a quote from J. Robert Oppenheimer who uttered it after the first nuclear bomb test. Oppenheimer’s words have been on my mind because last Saturday, I visited the Trinity Site, the location of that first detonation.

 

Bombs and Friends

I’ve always been a science geek. One of my favorite gifts as a child was a chemistry set given to me by my paternal grandparents. I loved watching Carl Sagan’s Cosmos. In college, I studied biology and chemistry.

As an adult, I haven’t given up on my love of science and some of my travels revolve around it. This summer:

  • I’m going to go to Florida to see the next Falcon Heavy Launch. (Please, please, please SpaceX, make it happen on time!)
  • I’m going to California to visit the Griffith Observatory, tour the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (if a tour spot opens up) and stalk the SpaceX headquarters. SpaceX isn’t open to the public, but at least I can see the first rocket that landed itself which is parked outside.

And last weekend, I visited the Trinity site with Noah and Becky from Money Metagame as well as Tanja from Our Next Life. The site is on a secure military base and only open to visitors two days per year.

We left at about 6am to make the two-hour drive through the New Mexico desert.

We arrived at the site a bit before the base opened the gates, so we got out of the car to play with dead rattlesnakes and take pictures.

What could possibly go wrong?
From left to right: Youngest daughter, Mrs. 1500, me, Becky and Noah (Money Metagame) and Tanja (Our Next Life)

There are scary signs everywhere:

At the site of the detonation, there was a replica of Fat Man, the bomb that was detonated over Nagasaki:

A black obelisk marks ground zero:

 

Options

One of the things I like most about financial independence is being able to hit the road at a moment’s notice to go wherever I want. I’m more likely to hike on a Monday morning than take a road trip, but the options are there. And options are really what it’s all about.

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Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: money metagame, our next life, trinity site

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Accidental Fire says

    April 13, 2018 at 4:27 am

    Very cool Carl! I’ve been to White Sands Missile Range a few times but for my job. I did not get a chance to go to the Trinity site. Another place you should check out along these lines is Oak Ridge National Labs. You can visit the building where we first split the atom!
    Accidental Fire recently posted…The Healing Powers Of Free TimeMy Profile

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      April 13, 2018 at 9:13 am

      Thanks AF! I just added Oak Ridge to my map!

      Reply
  2. The Poor Swiss says

    April 13, 2018 at 5:42 am

    Good luck seeing the next Falcon Heavy launch! I also like space exploration (especially rockets) a lot. I would love to see one launch live. Only seeing the Saturn V in Houston was incredible!
    The Poor Swiss recently posted…The three pillars of Retirement in Switzerland – 2. The second pillarMy Profile

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      April 13, 2018 at 9:12 am

      I saw the Saturn V too. Incredible how big that thing was. Wernher von Braun was a genius. A controversial one, but still a genius.

      Reply
  3. Mr. Freaky Frugal says

    April 13, 2018 at 6:12 am

    “One of the things I like most about financial independence is being able to hit the road at a moment’s notice to go wherever I want. I’m more likely to hike on a Monday morning than take a road trip, but the options are there. And options are really what it’s all about.”

    Oh yeah, baby! It’s not exactly at a moment’s notice, but we’re going on a longish trip to the UK next month.
    Mr. Freaky Frugal recently posted…Right investing effortMy Profile

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      April 13, 2018 at 9:05 am

      Nice. Where are you going in the UK?

      Reply
      • Mr. Freaky Frugal says

        April 15, 2018 at 8:49 am

        The plan is…

        Bath, Chipping Campden, Iron Gorge, Edinburgh, Durham, York, London.
        Mr. Freaky Frugal recently posted…Right investing effortMy Profile

        Reply
  4. Budget On a Stick says

    April 13, 2018 at 6:40 am

    Looks like a fun trip! I loved Neil deGrasse Tyson’s updated Cosmos and can’t wait for the second season.

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      April 13, 2018 at 9:05 am

      I haven’t see the new version yet. It’s on my list though!

      Reply
  5. Mr. PoP says

    April 13, 2018 at 6:51 am

    Love the Oppenheimer/Bhagavad Gita quote. Mrs. Pop is gearing up for some of those Monday AM hikes while we’re there in July! She had to explain to me what a “14er” is…she might be doing those alone =P
    Mr. PoP recently posted…PoP Income Statement – Q1 2018My Profile

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      April 13, 2018 at 9:04 am

      Alone! No man, you can do it! You better start running though! But they’re really not that bad. The only thing stopping you may be altitude if you’re sensitive to it.

      Reply
  6. Brian says

    April 13, 2018 at 6:52 am

    Very nice. I’ve seen a few launches from Cape Canaveral in Florida over the years. Night launches are especially fun to see.
    Brian recently posted…How to Teach Your Kids Good Money Management Skills When Yours SuckMy Profile

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      April 13, 2018 at 9:04 am

      #lucky

      Reply
  7. freddy smidlap says

    April 13, 2018 at 7:08 am

    far out! we just got back from going for broke in new orleans but it would have been nice to do the trip via car. air travel sucks and we like to take along the dog if we had unlimited time off. can’t wait.
    freddy smidlap recently posted…Freddy is Honest, Capable, and Fearless. What Can That do for You?My Profile

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      April 13, 2018 at 9:03 am

      Yeah, I like car-trips too. It’s fun to meander across the country. Once you have kids, it becomes cheaper to drive too.

      Reply
  8. Jason@WinningPersonalFinance says

    April 13, 2018 at 7:39 am

    Good luck catching the rocket launch. That sounds like a fantastic experience.

    I still shudder to think about the impact that these killing devices have. I can’t imagine the difficulty Truman had in making the decision to green like those drops.

    P.S. I never want to be POTUS.
    Jason@WinningPersonalFinance recently posted…How I Used Travel Rewards to Save $2,809 on My Dream Ski VacationMy Profile

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      April 13, 2018 at 9:02 am

      Man, I hope the rocket takes off when I’m there (I have a 5 day window)! I’m very skeptical that I’ll see it; maybe 5% chance…

      Reply
  9. Brian says

    April 13, 2018 at 7:48 am

    My wife and kids were just out at NASA JPL during spring break. They had a great time getting to watch them test out some of the new rovers they are planning on sending to Mars. The one thing my son kept talking about was the seven minutes of terror that any machine/man experiences when they enter Mars’ atmosphere and attempt to land. Wish I had been able to go, but the only reason we were out in California was because I needed to be there for work.

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      April 13, 2018 at 9:00 am

      JPL!!!! I’ve always wanted to see this, but it looks like tours are booked up for the week we’re in LA. CRAP!!

      Seven minutes of terror! I will NOT be going to Mars.

      Reply
  10. SharonW says

    April 13, 2018 at 7:58 am

    I went to college at New Mexico Tech just north of there. I am so glad I took the opportunity to play tourist in the area for those four years. The Trinity site is fantastic, but I also loved Carlsbad Caverns National Park just past the Stallion Gate in White City, White Sands National Monument, the 25 antennas of the VLA on the plains of San Agustin, Langmuir Lightning Lab on South Baldy, and the National Solar Observatory up on Sacramento Peak (overlooks White Sands). I hope you stopped for a green-chili cheeseburger at the Owl on your way past it. Epic food, plus it was where many of the scientists stopped for a break on their way to the test site. It looks like you had a great time.

    As for the snake…. the desert cools off quickly at night, and the snakes have learned that the road continues to radiate heat for longer than the dirt, so they are often found on the edges of the roads in the morning.

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      April 13, 2018 at 8:59 am

      Darn! The only thing we saw was the Trinity site! All of that other stuff looks fantastic. And I can’t believe I missed that cheeseburger! Arrrgh!!!!!

      Reply
      • SharonW says

        April 16, 2018 at 9:23 am

        The best thing about early retirement is that you have time to go back later! Lucky for you in Colorado, you’re not too far away from New Mexico for some nice road trips.

        Reply
  11. Joe says

    April 13, 2018 at 8:27 am

    Very cool. I hope you get to see the Falcon launch on time. I’d love to take my kid to see that someday too. Enjoy!

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      April 13, 2018 at 8:48 am

      I hope so too! I’m doubtful it will because the Falcon Heavy is so new, but here’s hoping!

      Reply
  12. Mrs. LSF says

    April 16, 2018 at 6:03 am

    That last bit is what I look forward to most…being able to go off when the mood and opportunity presents itself (within reason). Now we’re in the cycle of planning out all our vacation days about a year and a half in advance so that we make sure to use them wisely. Total bummer.

    Reply
  13. Brian @ The Graying Saver says

    April 16, 2018 at 1:29 pm

    For a great history on the making of the bomb I highly recommend Steve Sheinkin’s book “Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon”. It’s categorized as young adult or children’s non-fiction, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned quite a bit.
    Brian @ The Graying Saver recently posted…March 2018 Expense ReportMy Profile

    Reply
    • Mr. 1500 Days says

      April 16, 2018 at 7:51 pm

      Thank you for the recommendation! This topic fascinated me to no end…

      Reply
  14. John says

    June 21, 2022 at 9:24 am

    Exceptionally cool Carl! I’ve been to White Sands Missile Range a couple of times yet for my work. I didn’t be able to go to the Trinity site. Somewhere else you ought to look at thusly is Oak Ridge National Labs. You can visit the structure where we initially split the iota!buy gmail accounts

    Reply

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Freedom!

My goal was to build a portfolio of $1,000,000 by February of 2017; 1500 days from the birth of this blog (January 1, 2013). And hey look, I’ve since retired!

Investments only (primary home excluded)
1/1/13 (The Start): $586,043
1/1/14 (1 Yr Later): $869,635
1/1/15 (2 Yrs Later): $987,351
1/1/16 (3 Yrs Later): $1,057,961
1/1/17 (4 Yrs Later): $1,257,128
1/1/18 (5 Yrs Later): $1,527,701
1/1/19 (6 Yrs Later): $1,549,440
1/1/20 (7 Yrs Later): $2,035,040*
1/1/21 (8 Yrs Later): $3,379,746**
1/1/22 (9 Yrs Later): $4,762,642
1/1/23 (10 Yrs Later): $3,112,821

2023: Investments only
1/1: $3,112,821
2/1: $3,582,368
3/1: $3,716,852

Overall
2023 investment gains: $604,031
Investment gains since 1/1/2013: $3,130,809
Net worth***: $3,946,852

* The big jump between 2019 and 2020 was partly because we bought another home, but kept the previous (much more expensive) one as a rental. We have since sold it.

** Tesla.

*** Includes our primary home equity in addition to our investment portfolio.

Finally, we still have about $290,000 in mortgage debt (which I love!). No regrets about the debts!

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