After receiving excellent directions from a gentleman who who had visited the site a week before we doubled back to the entrance of the facility.  At the VLA we learned about the mission of the installation, to search the heavens for clues to the beginning of the universe and and other interesting things.  The 20 minute film explained other interesting facts like the alignment of the radio telescopes and how the pattern is adjusted depending on what exactly is being studied at the time.  One of the clouds to the west of the installation looked vaguely familiar to the UFO of Independence Day.  They're Back!  Back on the road we headed west to the small town of Datil.  Well it's not really a town but the green chile cheeseburgers at the restaurant were great!  Juan and Irene testified to the size and potency of their margaritas, and cheap too!  We again hit the road for Reserve high in the Gila Mountains.  The road stretched out before us to the horizon and we wondered if there really were mountains around here.  Soon the hills came and the got larger as we climbed to the town of Reserve.  This is where the fun began as we dove off into the canyon that led to Glenwood.  The day had cleared and the sun shone brightly as our roadsters took the twists and turns in stride.  We regrouped in Glenwood to talk in excited tones about the ride down the canyon and the thrills of the twisties.  After a brief respite we continued on toward Silver City, planning on a stop at San Francisco hot springs.  Search as we might for the sign to lead us there we did not find it and before we knew it Silver City appeared before us.  The group located the lodging that Joe Gatti had set up for the trip and took a break to freshen up before dinner.  Working from a recommendation from the nice girl at the front desk we all headed for the Red Barn Steakhouse.  At first we felt lucky to have beat the crowd made up of prom night couples.  We may have beat the crowd but other factors rendered our evening less than satisfactory.  After dinner the group headed to the motel to rest up for the next day.  The sun came up on a nearly cloudless day, though the wind had a bit of a chill to it.  We gathered for breakfast and re-lived the previous day over coffee and good food.  The group then set out for Truth-or-Consequences via Hwy 152.  Our first stop was at the over look of the Santa Rita open pit copper mine.  The size of the mine dominatd the landscape and drawfed us and our cars.  As we continued east the road narrowed and climbed back in the mountains.  The curves tightened as we climed and suggested speeds dropped. Just what we were looking for!  Here is a video clip of some of the turns.   http://www.youtube.com/v/WnikqQ8H5RI The road was in good shape and we had a great time carving the corners while our passengers got a better view of the country side than they had probably thought possible.  The road twisted and turned as we climbed across Emory Pass and began our desent into the Rio Grande valley.  The group stopped for a brief break and sight seeing in Hillsboro before continuing toward T or C and lunch.  We gathered for the lunch ar Denny's and shared our final thoughts on the trip.  From the conversations it was agreed everyone had a great time and were excitedly looking forweard to our next trip together.  We bid each other farewell and headed out to our home bases, some at much higher speeds than others!  In all it was a great trip and we all made new friends.  Looking forward to getting together later in the summer, perhaps the Summer Solstice?