A visit with the aliens (Roswell)

We had originally planned to move Gracie to Roswell on Wednesday, but we got a really good rate to stay a week at The Ranch, so we elected to drive the Jeep to Roswell on Wednesday instead!

Coming into town was a display of how the alien encounter may have happened - someone's pickup had broken down and friendly aliens offered a ride in their spaceship! I guess the buildings behind are the city of Roswell (I didn't notice them when I took the picture!).

Alternative story: Maybe the alien spaceship crashed into the welcome sign for Roswell?

We went to the visitor center where Carl met up with this fellow!

The Visitor Center had a photo op area where they offered to take our pictures with a couple of aliens!

On the end of the Visitor Center Building.

The young lady who gave us information at the Visitor Center recommended a few businesses down Main Street that we might want to visit. We decided to walk...

... enjoying various sights along the way!

A mural honoring the New Mexico State Song

A pocket park along the way...

... with a spaceship touching down!

We decided to head to the International UFO Museum and Research Center.

Some of the folks in the storefront windows welcomed us...

Signs warning us: "Beware of Aliens"  "Beware of UFOs"

We decided to check out the Research Center first....

... thought this was a funny sign!

All sorts of articles, magazines, newspapers, etc. about UFOs

Some media posters...

... in the research center

Newspaper clippings

So... if UFOs really came, how come there has been a cover-up of the information that has been gathered?

Some theories

Carl pointed this out to me -- he has one of these wire recorders that his father-in-law had owned and on which there were wire recordings of Sue as a baby (but he has not ever been able to make it work).

Timeline of the events of July, 1947 (it was displayed on a timeline along the wall as we walked, so read the dates starting on the right and moving to the left)

Continuation of the timeline

Interesting display / diorama in the museum area

Video of the display coming to life:

Information about the display

We went into a room where there was a simulation of what it may have been like on the alien spacecraft. The theory is that the explosion of the nuclear test at the Trinity site in the mid-1940s attracted the attention of intelligent life on another planet and caused them to come to Earth, and specifically to New Mexico, to check it out!

We checked out items in the gift shop...

Alien blanket/throw

Another alien blanket/throw

This was on the front of a teeshirt -- I was wondering if the implication is that aliens are Texans, or Texans are aliens -- or is it just that a lot of visitors to the museum and store are from Texas and it makes sense to have something that they would want to buy?!?!?

"Normal" businesses in town are happy to serve aliens!

The McDonald's has a spaceship motif...

... and aliens at the drive through...

... and welcoming at the entrance!

We then drove over to...

... Spring River Zoo.

From what I've read, this zoo has only rescued animals. It is a free attraction (and, to some extent, you get what you pay for!).

Carl compared his wingspan to that of several bird species - his "wingspan" is not quite as wide as an eagle's.

Some bison...

... and a couple of llamas...

... there were three foxes (picture of only one)...

... and a bald eagle.

I was hoping that there might be information about how each animal ended up at this zoo (how they were rescued, or what they were rescued from) -- but that information was not provided. Regardless, it was a nice stop and good place to walk around.

We knew going to Roswell that it was a "tourist trap", but went in expecting to enjoy seeing some interesting things, and we did!

A visit to Artesia

On Tuesday, the SKP park residents had their monthly lunch out scheduled, so we joined them for lunch in Artesia at La Fonda.

We arrived at the restaurant a few minutes before they opened and joined the line of folks waiting to get in - more than just our group were there!

One of several bronze statues around Artesia was right outside the restaurant.

We had an enjoyable Mexican buffet lunch with new friends from The SKP Ranch RV Park.

The weather was threatening thunderstorms so we decided to skip walking to see the different statues in town and instead drove to the Artesia Historical Museum (http://www.artesianm.gov/154/Museum-Art-Center). It was located in a historic home in town and had various exhibits on the local and area history.

Photos of artesian wells - origin of the town's name.

I was wondering what causes artesian wells to gush -- Wikipedia said (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artesian_well):

An artesian well is a well that brings groundwater to the surface without pumping because it is under pressure within a body of rock and/or sediment known as an aquifer. When trapped water in an aquifer is surrounded by layers of impermeable rock or clay, which apply positive pressure to the water, it is known as an artesian aquifer. If a well were to be sunk into an artesian aquifer, water in the well-pipe would rise to a height corresponding to the point where hydrostatic equilibrium is reached.

A well drilled into such an aquifer is called an artesian well. If water reaches the ground surface under the natural pressure of the aquifer, the well is termed a flowing artesian well.

Fossil water aquifers can also be artesian if they are under sufficient pressure from the surrounding rocks, similar to how many newly tapped oil wells are pressurized.

Not all aquifers are artesian (i.e., water table aquifers occur where the groundwater level at the top of the aquifer is at equilibrium with atmospheric pressure). The recharging of aquifers happens when the water table at its recharge zone is at a higher elevation than the head of the well.

Ice order card

 

Phone directory from 1923

There were some Williams relatives in Artesia at that time!

Upstairs, there was a display of Mrs. Tom Heflin's Demitasse Cup & Saucer Collection. I thought the heart shaped cup and saucer were pretty!

More of the cup & saucer collection -- the information indicated that there were over 300 cups & saucers in the donated collection, and that she also donated the display case.

Arthur Wood donated his "Bob Wire" (barbed wire) collection

I think that "Brotherton Two-Strand", patented in 1878, may be similar to what I remember from the farm in Virginia.

Interesting mounted steer head....

...after I got closer to the steer, I saw the additional information about the steer.

We stopped at another of the statues in town -- of an oil derrick -- but since the thunder storm was very close, we decided to take a picture from the Jeep rather than risking a close encounter with lightning!

We continued on to Walmart to get some shopping done, and then headed back to "The Ranch"...

Joining Happy Hour for "Crazy Hat Day" ...

... aka "Wear a Hat Day".

Signups on the table for various upcoming events.

We are enjoying our visit in southeastern New Mexico.