If ever a picture was a good segue this is it.
Roswell is the holy city of the UFO world. In 1947 several local citizens claimed to have witnessed the crash of a flying saucer, and several claimed to have seen the bodies of dead aliens. The U.S. military attributed the entire thing to a crashed weather balloon, which further inflamed the passions of true UFO believers. The museum is dedicated to those events.
Parking lot at the Museum
The UFO Museum entrance.
Bill, Bo and Jim touring the UFO Museum
Alien autopsy reenactment with Man in Black watching.
We left the Museum in a state of conspiratorial frenzy. According to those in Roswell, information about the aliens and their flying saucer was hushed up by the federal government. Add that fact to Max's news a few days ago about the National Guard planning a coup in September and you can certainly understand the state we were in. We decided there was nothing left to do but ride out of town.
And ride we did. Finally, we reached the twisty, up and down roads we have been searching for. Highway 428 from Roswell to Capitan, New Mexico, gave us the best ride of the trip so far. Actually, it was some of the best riding we have ever done. It was a 75 mile rollar coaster ride through rural New Mexico.
We stopped in Capitan for lunch (great burritos) at the Smokey Bear Restaurant. Smokey the Bear is not only based on a true story, but that the story took place in Capitan. Read about it here.
After lunch, we set out on Highway 380 for an 80 mile ride through the Sacramento Mountains at an elevation of over 6,400 feet. While on the ride we passed the Trinity Site, where the first atomic bombs were tested and the Valley of the Fires Recreational Area, a vast expanse of lava fields created when Little Black Peak erupted 5,000 years ago.
Riding through the Sacramento Mountain Range
Lava Field at the Valley of the Fires Recreational Area
Soon after we arrived at the Valley of the Fires Recreational Area we were approached by James, who was out walking his dog. James is well informed about the Valley of the Fires, as well as most other things happening in the area. He explained how the lava fields came about and then let us know that there were small, secret roads leading into the Trinity Site that are guarded day and night by people in tactical clothing and Humvees.
James telling Bill about the lava fields at Valley of the Fires.
The Trinity Test took place about 15 miles from this highway sign.
Tonight was spent in Socorro, New Mexico, where we dined in our fourth steakhouse in a row. Beef may be the new pork.
Friday looks like another day of sunshine, moderate temperatures and twisty roads - roads that lead to Santa Fe.
