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!