UFO's and Cowboys

We’ve been zigzagging our way across the South West over the past few days and yesterday headed out to Roswell to see what all the fuss was about and to try and decipher the rumours for ourselves.

First impressions are that it looks like any other typical American town, it’s only when you start seeing giant alien figurines outside the car dealerships and billboards advertising the world’s only UFO themed McDonald’s that you realise where you are. When you pull on to Main Street it is clear that Roswell has fully embraced the events of the incident in 1947 (which actually happened 75 miles away nearer a town called Corona) to reel in a steady stream of tourists. The street is littered with various UFO and Alien themed gift shops, which truth be told are pretty run down and tacky.

There are only two attractions really worth any time in Roswell. The first was a shop-cum-exhibit that takes the whole alien existence theory firmly tongue in cheek and features various extra-terrestrial set pieces that you can pose with. This is where the photos uploaded yesterday evening come from. The second is the official UFO museum which takes the whole incident far more seriously and is devoted to exploring the truth about the alleged UFO that crashed near Roswell in July, 1947. It houses literally hundreds of various official documents, eye-witness accounts and news reports arranged in chronological order. The museum invites visitors to take in all the available information, including the varying Government cover stories, and make up their own mind about what happened that night.

I have to say the exhibit succeeds in remaining mostly impartial and allows you to come to your own conclusions. I also must confess that if all the evidence on display is real and not forged then it is hard to come to any other conclusion other than that something not of this earth crashed at that farm and the Government went to great lengths to cover it up. The most incriminating piece of evidence is a report published in 1997 by the US Air Force intended to close the case once and for all that attempted to claim the event never happened in 1947 but actually took place in 1957. This allowed them to come up with an excuse for the bodies many witnesses saw at, or taken from the site, as crash test dummies used in Air Force test flights which were never used until post 1947. The report really just insults the public’s intelligence since original newspaper copies reporting the incident are available in plain sight at the exhibit clearly dated July, 8th, 1947.

I guess at the end of the day we will never know the truth but it is within the town’s best interests to keep the controversy alive otherwise their tourist industry will surely die.

Today we rose early and left the hotel by 7 A.M as we had a drive that Google Maps lists as 475 miles, or over half way from John O’groats to Lands End. We were staying in Tucson, Arizona but wanted to get to an old preserved Western mining town, called Tombstone, and spend the afternoon their before heading to our hotel.

Thanks to the excellent US road system, no traffic and gaining an extra hour as we drove between time zones; we arrived in Tombstone at 12.45 PM! As another example of how cheap things are here (or perhaps how expensive it is in England). We stopped once to fill up three quarters of a tank of petrol (44 Litres), buy a litre bottle of water, a tuna sandwich, a rice crispies cake, an ice cream and a chocolate bar for a grand total of...$36.50 or £22.45. Yes £22.45! For 44 litres of petrol, a sandwich, two snacks, an ice cream and bottled water. It would cost nearly 3 times that amount at home.

Tombstone was well worth getting up early to make the drive. The town is in much the same condition it was in the 1880’s and is seeping with history. It was the location for the gun fight at the OK Corrall, which is generally considered the most famous gunfight of the old West. The whole town itself is probably the best modern example of what it was like to be alive in the Wild West and you can even see bullet holes in the walls of the famous Birdcage Theatre. We explored the main historic district of the town and took a tour of the Birdcage Theatre, picked up a replica newspaper reporting the gunfight on October 26th, 1881 and even caught a 45 minute show re-enacting the shootout. To find out more about Tombstone and its famous history click here.

Santa Fe, ABQ & Las Cruces

The last few days have been relatively low key compared to the previous few weeks. On Monday we woke up in Santa Fe and went and explored their historic district until lunch time. It’s a nice little placed filled with boutique shops, art galleries and a few museums. We strolled around the shops, had a wander through their Cathedral and then spent a few hours at the history museum and The Palace of the Governors, which is a museum housed in Santa Fe’s oldest building. The whole area is very touristy and quaint and doesn’t really feel at all ‘American’, I guess it is obvious really but the whole of New Mexico so far has felt more Spanish than American. After lunch we set off for Albuquerque.

We had two nights in Albuquerque but due to a busy day today we only had yesterday to explore. We decided to buy a combination ticket for a measly $12 each (about £8) that gave us parking, access to the Rio Grande Zoo and then a free 45 minute train ride on a narrow gauge railway to their Aquarium and Botanical Garden. We weren’t expecting much from the zoo but a few Lions, Elephants, Giraffes, Chimpanzees, Rhinos, Polar Bears, Komodo Dragons, Kuala Bears, Zebras, Sea Lions and Golden Eagles later we were amazed how good it was and both agreed how unbelievably ripped off you get in Britain for equivalent attractions.

That evening we went for dinner at a restaurant called The California Pizza Kitchen, which is best described as an American equivalent to Pizza Express. Jenny would like me to note that our waiter looked a lot like Orlando Bloom...whatever...

Today we set off early from ABQ (that’s hip local abbreviation for you) as we decided to take a detour on our way to Las Cruces and stopped off at an area called White Sands National Monument. White Sands is run by the National Park association and in short is 275 square miles of sand dunes in the middle of the Tularosa Basin in New Mexico. We didn’t stay long as we wanted to get to Las Cruces for the afternoon and there wasn’t a great deal to see (sand all looks the same!) but we did spend a while running up and down the dunes and watched kids sled down the steepest ones.

We arrived in Las Cruces late afternoon and just had enough time to visit Old Mesilla:

“Mesilla was a lively social center in the 1880s. People came from as far as the City of Chihuahua and Tucson to attend bailes (dances), bullfights, cockfights and theatrical presentations. As a social center, the town attracted more than its share of violence. It was not uncommon to see differences settled in the streets with guns. Outlaws such as Dutch Hubert, Nicolas Provencio and Billy the Kid frequented many of the bars and dances in town. It was at the jail and courthouse on the southeast corner of the plaza that Billy the Kid was tried and sentenced to hang in 1881. The town of Mesilla was as wild as the West ever was.” 

We browsed around the shops, including the Billy the Kid gift shop which is located inside the old court house and then went for dinner at La Posta Restaurant which they claim is ‘famed for Mexican Food and Steaks since 1939’. It wasn’t that great to be honest but I guess we can’t be treated to an Orlando Bloom lookalike every evening!

Off to Roswell tomorrow, UFO capital of the world! Perhaps they’ll come and take Jenny home...

Durango & Silverton Railway

Yesterday we raced from Cortez to Durango to catch the famous Durango & Silverton Railway.  Actually we caught a coach for the first leg of the trip and returned on the steam train as getting the train both ways would result in near 8 hours spent on the tracks!

The railway connects the town of Durango, which lies at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, with Silverton, which is located around 45 miles north of Durango and about 8,000ft higher in the mountains. The line was constructed to haul silver and gold ore from the mountains in 1882, but passengers soon realized it was the view that was truly precious. The scenic line has been in continuous operation ever since and is one of the few remaining steam engines to continue to offer a consistent passenger service in the world.

Once at Silverton you get around 3 hours to explore the town which remains in generally the same condition it were in when it was home to miners and brothel houses. Today the buildings are used as restaurants or gift shops but the charm remains. We picked up a few things incredibly cheap including a hand blown glass locomotive model crafted by a local for only $35.

On the way back down we were seated in open carriages and had incredible views of the scenery including the peaks of the Rocky’s (some still snow crested), the rapids of the Animas river and we were even lucky enough to see two brown bears foraging for food amongst the pines! It got quite cold during the ride but it was worth it for all we got to see. As we were rather chilly when we arrived at the hotel in the evening we thought it would be nice to take a dip in the indoor hot tub. Fortunately we were warned by another guest that there were a few pieces of child poo floating around the jacuzzi. The man bobbing up and down in the hot tub completely unawares was not so lucky!

Monument Valley & Mesa Verde

Yesterday on our way from the Grand Canyon to Monument Valley we passed a sign that said ‘Dinosaur Tracks’ so I slammed on the brakes and we turned down a dirt track to be greeted by a tribe of Native Americans, some more friendly than others. For only tips or donations, we were given a 20 minute guided tour of the limestone rocks scattered around the native’s homes which have dinosaur tracks and fossils embedded in them from millions of years ago. At first we were a bit sceptical but after a few choice questions and witnessing fossilised dinosaur eggs; half open so the membrane and nucleus were visible, I was 98% convinced the tracks and fossils were legit. The area is also featured on many official tourist maps of so I think it is safe to say the site is real. We saw a Pterodactyl claw, Raptor and T-Rex footprints and even craters left by T-Rex eggs (we were told the eggs are now in a museum).

We then stopped for lunch before heading off to more Native Tribe land, the Monument Valley Navajo Tribe Park. We read in tour guides that the landscape here was the best to be found in America. After all the sights we had seen over the last few days we were a bit dubious, however as we drew nearer we understood why. It is incredible standing on the edge of a cliff face and staring into an abyss as we did at Bryce and Grand Canyon but there is something even more amazing about a standing in a valley and staring up at huge spires of fiery red rock; weathered and chiselled away by wind and rain over millions of years to form such incredible formations. It really needs to be seen to be believed. You can get a good look at many of the buttes and mesas from the visitors centre. We decided to be adventurous and took the off road 17 – mile round trip into the valley to get up close to what they call the 8^th wonder of the world. They really meant it when they said it was off road, it took us the best part of 4 hours to get in and out of the valley and there were some hairy moments that our insurance wouldn’t have covered! But we managed to get the car out in one piece and again got some awesome photos.

Jenny would like me to add that the main way the natives make their money from the tourist trade passing through the park is by setting up stalls at the various scenic lay-bys on the off road route to sell their handmade jewellery. To be fair some of it was quite impressive considering it was handmade and Jenny picked up a few pieces...a nice little bracelet and a lovely ring both; using the stone turquoise as their centre piece. I would like to comment further and note how when asking which stones were used in the rings the tribes man told her, whilst pointing to each ring; ‘mother pearl, turquoise, black jack and tigers eyes’. To which Jenny asked without a hint of sarcasm; ‘What?! They are real tiger’s eyes?’

Today we left Monument Valley and took a brief stop at the four corners monument where the states of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona intersect, the only place in America where four states meet. The actual monument depicting the exact spot where they meet was under improvement construction so we didn’t stay long but did pick up some souvenirs from the stalls the native Americans run, including an arrow and a knife carved from  Buffalo rib.

We then set of for Mesa Verde National Park. Mesa Verde is very different to any of the previous parks we have explored. Here you enter the park and take a 12 mile drive to the visitors centre which is located on the top of a huge Mesa such as the ones depicted in the photos of Monument Valley. From here you buy tickets for Ranger guided tours from the visitor’s centre of incredible cliff side dwellings that an ancient native civilisation created beginning in A.D. 550.

Again, photos don’t do the place justice. It is hard to get a real feel of the scale in the photos of the dwellings but bear in mind when viewing that the cliffs they are perched on are on average 800ft high from the valley floor and the tribe that lived there were 5ft 3 on average. This gives you an idea of how incredible their masonry skills were to create such extreme accommodation. We took one guided tour of the pueblos; as we arrived late afternoon we were only left with the choice of the hardest to access area. The tour involved us climbing a 32ft ladder, crawling through a 12ft long tunnel, climbing up a 60ft open cliff face with stone steps and two 10ft ladders to exit the site – all over 600ft above the valley below. For anyone familiar with the park it was the Balcony House dwelling. To find out more about this amazing civilisation that seemingly disappeared in A.D. 1300 click here.

Zion, Bryce & Grand Canyon

I don't really know what to write about these national parks because words and pictures just don't do them justice. The last three days we have hiked, driven and climbed over some of the most amazing landscapes I have ever seen. I thought the drive down the Californian coast was incredible but driving from view point to view point in Zion and Bryce was scary and inspirational in equal measures. 


We also drove through Red Canyon on the way to Bryce and for anyone who has been on or seen Big Thunder Mountain at Disney will know what it looks like. It literally is a real life version that the ride was no doubt based on. The red 'hoo-doos' forking up from the cliff walls and hanging over the road were preparation for the incredible amphitheatre style valley of Bryce Canyon. It was was made even more spectacular by a distant thunderstorm that worked its way across the horizon above the 9,000ft high mesas. 


Today we drove almost 300 miles from Bryce to Grand Canyon but left early and arrived around 12.30 PM as we also went through a time zone meaning we gained an hour. After the spectacular views we had seen the previous days we were a bit desensitized to the sheer size of the canyon and whilst the mile deep gauge was breathtaking in its size, it's not quite as majestic or inspiring as Bryce.


After spending a few hours around the canyon you begin to forget just how big the thing is and it all becomes a bit hard to comprehend...probably why we climbed so close to the edge to get some amazing photos. Check them out (along with a performing squirrel) on the right!

Vegas

Oh my God it was hot. Not one day whilst we were in Las Vegas did it drop below 110! This really limited how much walking we could do and how much in general we got done during the days because the heat really made it hard work.


However we did get up and down the whole of the strip and visited 80% of the hotels. We were staying at the Imperial Palace which is perfectly located in the middle of the strip and has its own monorail station, but to keep costs down we paid for convenience with a pretty grotty room and one of the most run down Casino's on the strip. Whilst the older hotels are all undergoing renovation the Imperial Palace is like going back to the late 80's early 90's which coupled with the relaxed laws on smoking made the whole experience very strange and not particularly nice.


It was OK though since we spent the majority of our time else where, eating at 7 different buffets, gambling (and winning sometimes!) in various different Casinos and getting to see various shows, including:


Cirque De Soleil's KA (MGM Grand): Amazing...both agree it is the best Cirque De Soleil show we have seen and is worth checking out to witness the unbelievable set design alone.


David Copperfield (MGM Grand): Average...I’m no expert on magic shows but I like to think I know a thing or two after various previous shows that I’ve attended and the odd ‘Top 100 Magic Tricks’ show on Channel 4. Copperfield is the worlds most lauded illusionist and holds a Guiness world record for most awards won by a magician, but he left Jenny and I very disappointed. His prediction routine we’ve seen Derren Brown perform better and his illusions weren’t up to par with Lance Burtons just down the strip at the Monte Carlo. Even his best tricks were performed with such a lazy ‘I did this at 10 last night and I’ll be doing it again tomorrow...and the next day’ attitude that they came across as stale and sterile. The Yanks wooped and cheered, lapping it up when he made 13 audience members ‘disappear’ but I left feeling the biggest trick was making $200 disappear from my wallet!


Rihanna (Mandalay Bay Events Centre): Amazing...this is where Jenny's second letter of complaint came to fruition as the staff checking tickets, bags, etc... before entering the arena refused to let me in with my fairly modest digital SLR because they class it as 'professional' (apparently anything with a detachable lens is classed as professional). Therefore not only were we unable to take any pictures of Rihanna's incredible show but by sods law the one time we see celebrities (actually sitting 7 rows behind them) we can't get any pictures of them either! The celebrities in question... Wayne and Coleen Rooney! Although due to the fact we didn't have a camera and was unable to stand by word after exclaiming if I ever met Rooney (after his displays at the World Cup) I would refuse to shake his hand!


On our final day we headed down to the end of the strip and went up the Stratosphere Tower to take in the views of the city. I even managed to drag Jenny on Xscream, a ride that hangs you 800ft high over the edge of the tower, she volunteered us for the front seats, being the dare devil she now is!


This morning we lost our car in the parking lot for a few minutes but after managing to locate it we set off for a complete change of scenery; Zion National Park. The drive through the canyons to get here was incredible, we've never seen landscape like it before. It's so picturesque it is hard to believe it's real (it probably doesn't help we have been staring at themepark theming for the last few weeks). Our hotel is also lovely and the whole area is just very relaxing and inspiring, with views unmatchable by most five star hotels. 


Tomorrow we were supposed to be doing a sky dive but they were unable to book us in for the morning so we will be checking out a few of the hiking trails before setting off for Bryce Canyon in the afternoon. Our sky dive will have to wait for a later date!

Catching Up

Apologies for the lake of updates recently, we're not dead! We were so busy towards the end of our stay in L.A and then had no internet in Las Vegas. So the next few posts will be done diary style to catch up quickly. There are a few more photos uploading now but I can't add many because just the 20 I am uploading is going to take 2 hours on this wireless.


Sunday, July 11th:


We went to America's longest running themepark; Knott's Berry Farm. It's located about 2 miles from the Disney resort and we a had a really good day. There are lots of good rides, Xcellerator was our favourite roller coaster but got rivalled for ride of the day in Jenny's opinion by a trip around the park in a horse drawn carriage, wild west style.


Monday, July 12th:


Universal Studios Hollywood. Very different to Florida's version. The highlight here is a tram tour of the working studio back lot which included trips through various sets. We were looking forward to a peak at Wisteria Lane (home to the Desperate Housewives) but they were filming the next series so that section was closed off. The rest of the rides are the same or similar to the ones found across the Country. The Revenge of the Mummy roller coaster however was very poor compared to it's Floridian compatriot.


Tuesday, July 13th:


 Last themepark for a month or so; Six Flags Magic Mountain. A massive park built on the side of a mountain (surprise, surprise) in the hills of Valencia, about an hour north of Los Angeles. It is home to 17 roller coasters, the most any one park has in the world (a record shared with Cedar Point). Many of the rides are amazing, Goliath, Terminator Salvation: The Ride, Tatsu, but the park was the dirtiest and worse run out of all we have visited so far. It was a shame having to put up with snotty teenage kids who didn't know what they were doing run the rides because their incapability means longer lines and therefore an angry Jenny, who has decided she needs to write a letter of complaint to the Six Flags management. She can write that the same time as she complains to the management of events at the Mandalay Bay in Vegas, read on to find out why...