Thanksgiving to Roswell – Day 3

Roswell, New Mexico

As one might imagine, aliens play a large role in this remote desert community. Lucky for the residents of this outpost, a spaceship crashed nearby back in 1947 because, without this as a tourist draw, I don’t believe there’d be much reason to stop here other than passing through on the way to Carlsbad for those coming from the north.

Mark Shimer, Caroline Wise, and John Wise in Roswell, New Mexico

We stopped for breakfast and ordered pancakes with green alien faces cooked into them, some green eggs and ham (oops, wrong story), and some cross-sections of abducted and dissected pigs.

Roswell, New Mexico

Checking out the local gift shops while they check us out. You just have to know that we left with more than one of these little guys; we left with three of them.

Roswell, New Mexico

The UFO Museum & Research Center is the main draw here in Roswell and is worth every penny of the few dollars it will cost you to visit the place.

Caroline Wise and John Wise in Roswell, New Mexico

Here on this Internet terminal, we paid to bring up our website, Alienzoo dot com. The t-shirt I’m wearing is from my last project called TheLinuxStore, which you can guess was focused on all things Linux. Now that I’m working on all things alien, I see lots of similarities with the Linux community.

Socorro, New Mexico

Oh wow, check out that amazing neon sign, said the driver as we sped by, not really giving a second thought to stopping in. But then we look at the map and consider where we are staying in Alpine, Arizona, and figure this might be our last best chance to get some dinner. Good thing we did, as this place rocks. When you find yourself in Socorro, New Mexico, be sure to stop at this kind of New Mexican Denny’s where green chili on their steak and eggs and a side of guacamole is a great way to enjoy dinner.

Thanksgiving to Roswell – Day 2

John Wise, Caroline Wise, and Mark Shimer at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico

Human bats entering the cave. We are at Carlsbad Caverns National Park and are about to enter the bowels of the Earth.

Robert Bell at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico

Better be careful about my metaphors else someone might think I was talking of a friend’s bowels or their full bladders.

Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico

Okay, so the photos down here will leave a lot to desire regarding image quality, but they are the best I have to offer.

Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico

Yay, more poor-quality cave photos are just what everybody wants and needs, right?

Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico

Okay, how about stacks of generic lunches that are just as uninspired as their packaging?

Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico

Speaking of those bowels of the Earth here after lunch.

John Wise, Caroline Wise, and Mark Shimer at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico

We have emerged back on the surface and will go north in search of dinner and aliens.

Robert Bell in Roswell, New Mexico

Robert found the aliens right where you’d expect to find them. Welcome to your anal probe at Walmart.

Thanksgiving to Roswell – Day 1

Caroline Wise, Robert Bell, and Mark Shimer in Superior, Arizona

What you do on Thanksgiving is not as cool as what we do on Thanksgiving. After a couple of bungled holidays with my mother and family, we’ve now learned better and will use the long weekend to get out of town and do our own thing. Leaving Scottsdale, we picked up some friends and dinner supplies and drove east to Superior because who wouldn’t want a roadside meal in this funky little town in Arizona that just two years ago was the backdrop for the slightly surreal Oliver Stone movie with Sean Penn called U-Turn?

Robert Bell in Superior, Arizona

Thanksgiving Superior style.

Mark Shimer

Back out on the road, we have a long drive ahead of us as it is 551 miles to our destination in Roswell, New Mexico. Well only 487 miles from Superior, but you get the idea. Matter of fact we have a detour somewhere else before we get to the Alien Capital of America.

On the road in Arizona at sunset

We’ll be driving into the night as not only do we have about 10 hours in the car today, but it is November, and the days are short.