Crashing to Earth…

In 1947 the US Military issued a statement saying they had recovered a crashed UFO and four Aliens from just outside Roswell New Mexico. Ever since that date they’ve been apologizing and saying they misspoke and what they meant to say was that they’d recovered one of their own missing weather balloons.
As we roll in to one of the highlights of this trip, we’re full of excitement at what we’re about to find.

If anything crashed in Roswell it was our expectations.
This is corporate-town-nowhere. There’s nowhere to eat that isn’t a chain. There’s nowhere to stay that isn’t a global brand. The downtown area is shuttered and closed (We were very disappointed not to be having breakfast in the now closed, Cover-Up Cafe). In fact the only place that is even trying to look UFO-ish is the funky off-brand McDonald’s housed in a big silver Saucer.

We start the day in the rundown looking UFO Museum, with our expectations now set gutter low. And we’re surprised. There’s nothing new on offer, after all it’s a whole museum dedicated to a single day in history that happened over 60 years ago, but what is here is amassed with a love and dedication that’s hard to find fault with. We loved it's basic, no frills, passion.

Over the road, I met a nice chap by the name of Thomas Armstrong. Tom’s dream is to build the Roswell we were praying for. Visit Earth Station Roswell for details. He and the team break ground this year and have a 20 month build plan. This plus Virgin’s SpaceStationOne plans will certainly put New Mexico on the tourist map. I’m sad to say I don’t believe Earth Station will happen they way Tom dreams it. The plans are impressive. The detail in them is incredible but it all just seems too big of a project for three guys to pull off without corporate backing. Still, as Tom says, there’s 50,000 people living in Roswell and 25% are retired and investing in the shared dream. If they pull this off we’ll be back: I’ve already promised him. Set your calendars, Roswell II, the return trip, 2011.
We can’t wait.