To Places That Are Out Of This World!
Day 3 of our weeklong adventure took us to the beautiful New Mexico desert and a chance to experience the white sandy dunes in the White Sands National Park. This oasis in the desert is very unique as it is completely surrounded by those super-secret desert military installations…where they shoot off missiles! I mean, what other national park has to close its road for missile testing??
Once we were in the national park, we were in awe of the gypsum sand dunes towering all around us. Wind constantly changes the park so every trip is an opportunity to experience new formations. The gift shop even rents sleds so you can slide down the sides of the dunes.
From atop of the dunes, we could see the San Andres and Sacramento mountain ranges surrounding us. Hiking trails allowed us to travel further into the park but be careful to staying on the trail. We heard stories of people wondering into the military area and getting too close to top secret operations!!
Being that close to the secret military activities left us wanting more. So, naturally our next stop on day 4 was Roswell, NM. The first thing we noticed when we drove down the main street of this quirky town is that there are aliens and UFOs everywhere!!! The street lamps take on the appearance of alien lifeforms. Interested in alien jerky, cosmic rocks or an out-of-this-world Big Mac? Roswell has just what you are looking for.
We wanted to dig deeper, so we decided to head over to the International UFO Museum and Research Center. Once we were given our credentials ($7 per person covers the cost of the organization continuing their research), we were free to roam about the facility. Our first observation was a group of aliens who crashed onto our planet. Jay introduced himself and posed with them for a pic.
Next, we headed into the research facility/museum where we learned all about the 1947 UFO crash near Roswell. Originally identified by the Roswell Army Air Field as a “flying disc”, they later changed their statement to explain they retrieved a “weather balloon” at the crash site. Interesting…
To ensure its “international” status, the museum has an installation of ancient aliens depicted in pre-Columbian Mayan civilization stone carvings.
We got to witness an alien autopsy, and as a special seasonal bonus…a group of aliens landed in the research facility and celebrated Christmas with us! By the time we left the International UFO Museum and Research Center…we were believers!
Heading back to our RV, we captured a few more photos at one of the many murals around town.
Now we are off to our next stop… Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
To be continued…
For more information about the places we visited, check out the links below:
