Here we are in Roswell New Mexico, near the 1947 alleged crash site of more than one flying saucer, the debris and bodies from which crash was transported to the Area 51 Test Site for research.  The UFO Museum is a wonderfully informative place, thanks to the founder (who happened to be there that day - you see him next to me in one picture).  The whole town has many references to aliens within the store fronts and signage, which is a real hoot - here's a few... This is the mini photo tour - I do have the full group of pictures on the "Alien Stuff" pages.

A few storefronts, a mural in front of the Roswell News, a lamp post, and a novel Walmart sign!

This is the Luna Mansion (south of Albuquerque, I believe, at the intersection of Hwy 6 & 314 near the town of Belen) where we had "luncheon" (that's not an ordinary lunch, you see) and were filled with more than just food - an eyeful of culture and elegance, and filled with the rich history of the place that we requested, which dates back to 1692; a fine lady named Josefita (Pepe) Otero (in the 1920's) is responsible for what you now see.  DO stop if you're anywhere nearby for a memorable luncheon.

In Old Town Albuquerque, New Mexico, we happened to be there for an unusual parade for the Spanish Heritage Days.  It started with a Devil figure, horses, Crests of the families represented, the Catholic church's importance in their lives, lovely Spanish costumes, representations of the weather, and a singer on a float that was quite good.  But the thing that stuck with us was the parade of LIBRARIANS with their colorful carts that did such a cute chanting/singing routine about books, the library and various book themes, and synchronized movements with their carts that I was so absorbed, I took no more than one picture (9th in the above series).  I hope other library personnel see this and think about the impact their appearance in a parade can bring!

A short trip from Holbrook AZ we started to come upon these dinosaurs!  (They're spin-off's from Adam's work, see below) so we took the two mile driving tour of the park.  Look out, Glenn, "history" is about to set its teeth in you!  No, it's not a movie set - it's the hard work of one man and his heavy machinery, that placed these dinosaurs and arranged the petrified logs for us to enjoy.  His property is cut through the middle by the State Park - Petrified Forest.  He informed us that the petrified logs exist up to 215 feet UNDERGROUND on his property.  The inventory was staggering.  The last picture is a lovely cactus that has taken root within nutrients in the cracks of the petrified log.  What an incredible history tour we had this day!

In Holbrook, Arizona we came upon these awesome dinosaurs!  Each made lovingly by Adam Luna, the owner of the Rainbow Rock Shop.  Look at the inventory of petrified wood he uses for cutting and selling!  A deeply religious man, the petrified rock shop has been the handiwork of his lifetime.  We saw (and purchased) some of the loveliest petrified wood from him, as well as numerous limb casts.  Thank you for the honor of meeting you, Adam!

Below is our stop east of Flagstaff, Arizona, near Winslow at the famous Meteor Crater.  Large fragments have been found, yet one man spent his life's fortune and energies digging at the center and all around the crater trying to find the main meteorite.  It turns out the impact was so violent that the main meteor vaporized.  (See my Meteorite page for a link to a simulation of the impact).

Equipment was finally abandoned at the bottom (it's soooo far down, it's hard to comprehend from the photos).  You will see a cutout of an astronaut figure on the right side of the tenth picture, showing where the astronauts have trained.  Also see the test capsule there at the Visitor's Center.

It was so windy, they closed down the rim after we stepped inside.  Also note the "road from nowhere to nowhere" that we came in on.  Finally, what looks like a large sofa picture is actually a wall of brick with a planned, empty rectangle in the middle - whatta view!

Just across the border from Nevada into Arizona is Rosie's, a true desert cafe..good burger and a cold drink, lots of folks with character hanging around..also a hot spot for the Arizona Lottery.

Below are the last views of Lake Mead, the Hoover Dam (notice the low water level from the drought), the bypass tunnels (originally to bypass the Colorado River bed so the dam could be built, now overflow for flooding, used once for that), the generator towers, the tribute to the construction workers from 1931 recently done in bronze, the "guardian angels" in the next photo, and a final view of the Visitor's Center.  We became quite protective of the dam during the time we lived in Boulder City (originally built for the workers of the Dam in 1931) as many fellow B.C. folks did.  We will watch developments of the unwanted Hoover Dam Bridge closely.

Is this a pot of flowers?  Noooo.  It's the 70th Anniversary of the Hoover Dam Fireworks!  AWESOME!  We admit, we just missed this celebration; these photos were sent by our Boulder City friend Larry.

Our pilot friend, Toni, arranged a flight for me over the Grand Canyon...thanks, Toni! (photos below)