Tag: aliens

Adventures in New Mexico Part 5-Keeping Our Eyes on the Skies!

©2022 Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Travel in New Mexico can be tedious to say the least.

Long stretches of highway with nothing but desert on either side can make one go almost mad! But, a good travel companion and a decent music playlist can alleviate the monotony and when you’ve got something fun to break up the trip, it makes it all the better!

On our fifth day in New Mexico, we were heading south. Our destination was Carlsbad Caverns but there was a place along the way that we just had to visit…Roswell. If you believe that we are not alone in this universe, then Roswell is a must see destination!

Leaving Santa Fe a little after seven allowed us to arrive mid morning with a plan of touring the International UFO Museum and Research Center and having lunch. Having to get to Carlsbad, an additional hour and a half from Roswell, around dinner time was the plan so with a departure from Roswell around 2:30ish, we would have plenty of time to see what else the state’s fifth largest city would offer.

As expected, the three hour drive was a little tedious but we were soon pulling up next to the green Welcome to Roswell sign signaling our arrival at the UFO Capital of the World. Driving down the small town’s main street area, we soon found the museum and something out of this world…almost as if they had expected us, there was a parking space right in front of the UFO museum!

For those not aware of Roswell’s UFO affiliations, it began in 1947, when rancher W.W. “Mack” Brazel discovered metal debris near a giant trench spanning hundreds of feet. After reporting the find, the military descended upon the area, closing it to the public and later stated that the incident was merely the “crashing of a military balloon” despite an Army press release initially stating that a “flying disc” had been recovered. The statement was quickly retracted leading to speculation of a military cover-up.

During the 1970s, the incident was reintroduced to the public when retired lieutenant colonel Jesse Marcel, admitted to Ufologist Stanton Friedman that he believed the debris he retrieved was extraterrestrial. This admission sparked considerable conspiracy theories claiming that multiple spacecraft had crash-landed on the Brazel ranch and their alien occupants were recovered by the military.

Though nothing has ever been proven or disproven, the events have forever marked Roswell as a UFO hotspot and the incident continues to spark interest, especially with the recent admission by the government of their cognizance of aircraft and military interactions with spacecraft. The Roswell incident has been described as “the world’s most famous, most exhaustively investigated and most thoroughly debunked UFO claim.

The museum contains a vast collection of written, audio and visual information relating to the 1947 Roswell Incident and other unexplained phenomena associated with UFO research. Located in a former movie theater, the large open space’s exhibits routed us through the timeline of the incident with models scattered throughout. Our favorite? The giant metal disk fronted with three silver aliens in the center of the museum! There was much to absorb during our visit and we had to be content with relying on the short movie at the onset to acclimate us with the storyline and skim through the remainder of the information, however, we learned enough to make our visit worthwhile.

International UFO Museum and Research Center
Museum research library

After our visit was complete, we decided to keep our primo parking space and walk throughout the small downtown area. Now lunchtime, we were seeking out a place to eat and discovered that everything and every place of business in Roswell seemed to capitalize on the UFO phenomenon including a spaceship themed McDonalds!

Roswell McDonald’s

Little silver aliens greeted us as we made our way inside the disc-shaped restaurant, but standard McDonald’s culinary fare prevailed. I think we had expected Alien Big Macs and Flying Saucer Fries, but the regularly titled sustenance did the trick. While the dark nighttime skies were many hours away, it would have been fun to see this unique McDonald’s lit up with red neon highlighting the spaceship!

After our lunch was complete we continued to investigate the downtown area, reveling in the giant alien next door holding the Dunkin Donuts sign, the alien waving a Domino’s Pizza flag and all of the murals and UFO paraphernalia throughout the city. Everyone was in on the action!

And of course we needed souvenirs! There was definitely no short supply of stores hawking everything from t-shirts to coozies to stickers to…everything you can thing of relating to aliens! While we visited many shops, including Invasion Station, we found some of the best prices at Walmart, no doubt not wanting to be left out of the mix.

Roswell souvenirs
Fun attractions in souvenir stores and on Main Street
Roswell artwork
Roswell Streetlight

We decided to take a peek into the Roswell Visitor’s Center adjacent to Pioneer Square, to obtain any pertinent information that we may had missed. Located across from the beautiful architecture of the Chavez Country Magistrate Court, we learned of the UFO Fest held every summer which includes immersive experiences, live music, local food, photo ops and many other family friendly events throughout the city. The best part of our visit, however, was the photo opportunity the Visitor Center offers. A set with two small aliens and a BELIEVE sign beckons visitors for a portrait, which the staff takes and emails to you for free.

Visitor’s Center
Pioneer Square
Chavez Country Magistrate Court

Finally, we stopped in to Spaceport Roswell, a virtual reality experience. Given VR headsets, we were ushered into a small spaceship-themed room where we donned the headsets and watched a version of the Roswell Incident story unfold in almost-life-like reality. A fun way to end our time in Roswell, we enjoyed the experience and headed back to our parking space readying ourselves the completion of our day’s journey.

Spaceport Roswell VR room

Pulling out of Roswell, I must admit…I almost wished that we would have had the time built into our schedule to spend the night in this fabled town so that we could do a bit of UFO watching. It would have definitely been the perfect place to have a Close Encounter of the First Kind! Casting our eyes above the long highway and seeing nothing but sun and sand, we began our drive to Carlsbad, ready for the next adventure.

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​International UFO Museum and Research Center

  • https://www.roswellufomuseum.com/
  • Address: 114 N Main Street, Roswell, New Mexico 88203
  • Hours: 0900-1700, daily
  • Admission: Adults, $7.00, Children (ages 5-15), $5.00, Children (under 5), free, Seniors, Military, First Responders, $5.00

McDonalds

Spaceport Roswell

  • https://spaceportroswellnm.com/
  • Address: 121 E. 2nd Street, Roswell, New Mexico 88201
  • Hours: Monday-Thursday, 0900-1700, Friday-Sunday, 0900-1800
  • Admission: Adults, $14.50, Children (ages 12 and under), $9.50, Seniors (65+) and Veterans, $12.50

Outta This World

© 2019 Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Where did the alien park his spaceship?

Area 51? No…a parking meteor!

For many years, stories about alien sightings and the Extra Terrestrial Highway has captivated my interest and I have always wondered just what was out there, besides Area 51, the most secretive and famous military bases in the world.

Certainly no parking meters…or even parking meteors!

On this particular trip to Las Vegas, I decided that taking the northern route to where Highway 93 intersects with Route 375 was going to be an adventure that I was going to seek out.

My son insisted that in the spirit of the trip, I download Joe Rogan’s podcast highlighting Bob Lazar’s recollections of his time working at Area 51. It was an interesting story to pass the monotony of the drive and before I realized it, I had reached the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, a beautiful oasis that I wasn’t expecting amidst the arid topography. With a modern Visitor Center explaining the refuge’s history, large lakes, abundance of wildlife and a variety of hiking trails, I decided that it would be a fantastic destination…on another trip.

Time to focus and keep my eye on the prize.

I continued onward on Highway 93, passing the communities of Alamo and Ash Springs and finally, encountered the first of my alien sightings at the Jerky Shop. So, they were aliens of the painted and plastic kind, but it was exciting nonetheless!

As I turned my car onto Route 375, I immediately pulled over. This was the start of the E.T. Highway, marked with an official sign.

Taking a selfie to mark the occasion, I jumped back into my car and just a ways up the road, encountered Fred, the 35-foot tall metal alien standing guard at the Alien Research Center. The “research center”, the unofficial gateway to Area 51, is actually a gift shop, specializing in t-shirts, tequila and an abundance of alien-themed gifts.

After speaking with the the lady at the gift shop, I learned that the next destination on the E.T. Highway would be the town of Rachel, approximately forty miles away. I cranked up my music, enjoying the desert scenery, the occasional alien graffiti and my favorite, the “Low-Flying Aircraft” signs. I am sure they were warning of small planes that patrol and travel the area, however, knowing where I was, it was very amusing!

As I drove along, I found myself scanning not only the sky, but each side road that disappeared into the desert. Could that be the way to Area 51?

Finally, I arrived in Rachel, the home of the Little A’Le’Inn and their assortment of alien-themed souvenirs and foodstuffs. I had read that I should stop in at the diner and have a piece of pie, but I was more curious to listen in on other’s conversations or glean something interesting from one of the employees. Enjoying my tasty pastry, I tuned in to the guys sitting a few seats down at the bar. Interested only in chatting about their bike trip, I then glanced over at the table of four British tourists. Too far away to hear their discussion, I instead turned to my phone to occupy my time.

What could I find on the internet about Area 51?

Maybe directions on how to get there?

Yeah, right.

Well, wouldn’t you know…as I read another’s blog about their trip to the area, this person gave specific instructions as to how to find the road that leads to the back gate of Area 51…and I had just passed it.

Did I have the guts to not only turn down that road, but to follow it to see if the back gates were actually there? As I made my way around the Little A’Le’Inn’s building, checking out their flying saucer and their welcoming “little green man”, I alternately decided to go and then, not go.

Pulling out of the parking lot, I headed back the way I had come on Route 375 and just a short ways down, I spotted the road that I had just read about. Turning in, I was re-reading the instructions as a car pulled alongside, startling me. A young couple rolled down their window and asked if I was going to travel the distance.

Still apprehensive, I heard a little voice telling me to seize the moment. I told the couple that if they led the way, I would follow.

Oh, please…don’t let me get arrested!

We headed down the road, dust flying, for approximately seven miles. This is when I knew that we were on the correct course as I had read that the entire road was ten miles with only the last three being paved. When we hit the pavement at mile eight, the anxiety really kicked in. I followed the couple the remaining distance until, on the horizon, I noticed tall light posts, a guard shack and fence stretched across the pavement. Thankfully, we pulled over, me behind them, where I snapped a quick photo, hoping no trained eyes were watching. Feeling a bit relieved when we turned around and headed back to Route 375, I pulled over before continuing my drive back to Vegas.

Giving a glance behind and even a glance upward.

No armed guards. No flying saucers. No little green men.

There have always been lots of unanswered questions surrounding this mysterious area in the Nevada desert. Seeing what I was led to believe are the back gates to Area 51 was at the same time, thrilling, yet left me with lots of questions.

If the government really didn’t want anyone to know where Area 51 is, why would they allow someone to post instructions on how to get there on the internet? Maybe it is a fake gate. But who knows? Maybe it is real.

I will never know for sure what I saw out in the desert near Rachel, but I do know that my entire experience along the E.T. Highway was something that I will never forget.

If someone asked me whether the long drive was worth it. Absolutely! Despite its intriguing quirkiness, the desert, itself, it is a place of mystery and beauty.

Who knows…maybe you’ll be the one to see more lights in the sky there than you can in Vegas!

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Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge

Alien Research Center

Little A’Le’Inn

Area 51