Hanford Site

Rich with history, educational and quite entertaining, the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and public tours thereof was incredible!

The 4-hour public tour features a walkthrough of B-Reactor, the very first full-scale nuclear reactor in the world! You learn about the processes uranium ore goes through to become plutonium, in addition to learning about a very important part of American history. Also, they go into detail on their clean-up efforts around the Columbia basin.

The tours are free, but you have to register online through the Department of Energy’s Hanford web site. Educationally, it was well worth it!

Public tours are being offered again for a few days each month. You must be at least 16 years old, a US citizen, and absolutely have to sign up in advance. Here’s the link for on-line registration. The next round of tours will be July 25-27 and registration opens at noon on June 28.

goooo Bombers !!!

From 1943 until the end of the cold war this is where the United States made plutonium for nuclear weapons. Now it is an environmental disaster which the US government is spending many years and billions of dollars to clean up. A place with a history that was secret for a long time. I’m sure I can learn a lot there.