Out of this world

Roswell, NM, is an interesting town. In 1947, the town made a splash in the news when an alleged UFO crashed on a ranch in the vicinity. The Air Force identified the debris as being from a weather balloon (initially) and more recently as being from a then-classified balloon research project. However, millions of people believe the government is covering up the crash of an extra-terrestrial space ship. The town attracts large numbers of UFO believers, and the town seems quite content to cater to them.

On our way to visit the International UFO Museum and Research Center, we made a short stop to see Roswell's unique McDonald's restaurant. The front of the building is build to look like a flying saucer, and the interior could have been taken from a Star Trek set. As we gawked at the interesting architecture, we noticed that a number of the people in line ordering food were wearing aluminum hats or alien eye-shaped sunglasses. Clearly, this town has a high tolerance for the eccentric!

The UFO Museum itself was a bit of a surprise. I was expecting it to be a cheesy bit of propaganda supporting the conspiracy theories of those who believe the government is covering up evidence of alien visitations to Earth. However, the displays were surprisingly balance, presenting both the arguments of the believers with the evidence advanced by the government (and others) that suggest that the events have a more down-to-earth explanation. The visitor was left to draw his or her own conclusions from the evidence. I didn't find any reason to change my skeptical attitude towards reports of UFOs and Alien contact, but it was interesting to see some of the things that remain unexplainable.

Snow White...or is it sand?

After our visit to the International UFO Museum, we struck out across the desert towards White Sands, NM. Along the way, we stopped at a little shop for a pistachio farm and winery. They had samples of both their nuts and their wine available, and both were delightful. We bought a couple of bags of roasted pistachios to munch on for the rest of the trip, snapped a picture of ourselves in front of their giant pistachio, and then finished making our way to the White Sands National Monument.

White Sands is a unique geological phenomenon. There are only three locations in the world where white gypsum sand dunes form, and the two others are each less than 10 square miles. Contrast that with the 275 square miles of dunes here in southern New Mexico. It is also a young feature, geologically, having only formed in the last 17,000 years or so.

Situated in a basin surrounded by mountains, the gypsum in the mountains is dissolved by water, which collects in a shallow playa or lake. The water evaporates, leaving the gypsum to form selenite crystals. Over time, the crystals erode into a white sand that blows across the arid basin floor, forming dunes.

Driving through the dunes was very surreal. For all visual appearances, it looked like the aftermath of a tremendous snow storm. They even have to plow the road to keep it clear of drifting sand, so that the roads are bordered by sandbanks that resemble plowed snow. Its only when you step out of the air conditioned car that you remember that it is summer, with daytime temperatures near 100F!

The visitor center sold sleds to use in the dunes, so we bought one and spent the better part of an hour sledding in the sand. It was the first time I've ever gone sledding in shorts! We also took a self-guided nature tour that explained the unique ecosystem of the sand dunes, and the evolutionary changes the dunes are creating in the plants and animals of the region. It was both a fun and educational visit, unlike anything I could have expected. Definitely recommended.