Day 22 - Alamogordo, NM to Santa Fe, NM

We saw aliens from outer space today!

But first, we had to drive two hours through the mountains and rural high desert to get there. We packed up the car and departed at 8:30am. It was 43 degrees in Alamogordo and it felt very chilly. The route took us on Highway 54 North then Highway 70 East. 

At 9am we were already at 6,800 feet in elevation with a noticeable difference in the landscape that changed to pine trees.

The mountain range we drove across is the Sierra Blanco Mountains, a subset of the larger Sacramento Mountains. The Sierra Blancos are the highest mountains in the southern portion of the U.S. At Apache Summit we reached 7,591 feet. Rob saw that the outside temperature was dipping, but interestingly as we dropped in elevation. 

The two-hour drive to our morning destination took us through Mescalero Reservation. There was nowhere to stop and good thing we didn’t need the bathroom. It was all grazing/pasture land or mountains with no towns nearby. 

As we approached Roswell, NM the lowest temp was 17 degrees with light flurries at 4,700 feet. Rob said, ”I didn’t see that coming. This is the coldest of all of our trips by a long shot." 

We also learned that aliens like donuts. Who doesn't?  

We arrived at the International UFO Museum and Research Center at 10am. The temperature had warmed slightly to 21F with a few flurries blowing around. The cold did little to curb Michele's enthusiasm to visit the museum, because she cannot resist government alien conspiracies and coverups! 

A main focus of the museum is the Roswell Incident that allegedly (depending on what you believe) occurred on July 2, 1947. During a severe thunderstorm, a flying saucer crashed on a ranch near Roswell. The nearest military base to the crash site is in Roswell. Over the next several days, military officials got involved and hushed up eye witnesses and moved the wreckage (and bodies) from the debris field. Exhibits explain many of the military and civilians involved including their first accounts of what happened.

There are no photos of the debris ("Of course not," says Rob.) A mock-up shows what it might have looked like.

This TV production set recreated it and comes to life with a spinning saucer space ship, smoke, lights and sounds every 30 minutes in the museum.

There were also exhibits about people who claim to have been abducted and TV shows and movies related to the incident, like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Roswell: The UFO Coverup. 

 Proof of aliens! Michele is a believer.

There were also smaller exhibits about space exploration. A research library is onsite and Michele found official documents, albeit with a typo.

After, we stopped at Sara’s Mediterranean Cafe for lunch. Michele enjoyed a delicious chicken kabob bowl with rice and salad. Our route after lunch picked up Highway 285 North. Another three hours of driving to go to Santa Fe. For a long while it was very flat, open ranch land for cow grazing. We listened to the comedy channels on XM radio to stay entertained.

Suddenly the scenery changed with snowy mountain peaks in the distance, blue skies, and hints of red in the hills.

We arrived in Santa Fe at 4:10pm with a temperature of 57F even though we had increased in elevation to 7,000ft. We checked into our inn. It is a casita-style hotel which will be a fun place to stay in historic Santa Fe for three nights. 

We got dinner at Lino's pizza a short walk away. Tomorrow we will visit the Manhattan Project National Historic Park and possibly a museum in Los Alamos, NM.