Still a believer in extraterrestrial beings.

I feel like I am traveling through a time warp, probably because I sort of am. As I travel east, the time keeps changing and since I don’t always have an Internet connection or the ability to communicate with residents, I never seem to know when/where it happens. I am currently in Texas and I am almost positive that I am two hours ahead of western time.
After being in Roswell, NM, I can proudly say that I am no longer uncomfortable being in the smaller southern towns. At least in Roswell, the residents that I encountered are all so incredibly friendly and close niche with one another. In both gas stations I visited and the café I ate lunch in, the employees addressed customers by their names and treated me with just as much respect. I also met a friendly visitor named Sylvan at the Roswell Museum and Art Center who was from Canada. Anyone that knows me should know that I love Canadians. We chatted a bit, which was nice since I felt as if it had been an eternity since I have had a real conversation with anyone besides the extraterrestrial life of Roswell.

Highlights:


Not of This World Café, Roswell, NM. I stopped in here for a bite to eat before my museum visits. The food was DELICIOUS and the service, friendly. I would not have enjoyed my stay in Roswell nearly as much if it was not for the owners advice of where to visit in the town.

UFO Museum and Research Center, Roswell, NM. The museum housed numerous news articles, personal accounts, pictures and federal documents relating to the Roswell incident and UFOs and aliens in general. I want to believe in aliens, I really do, but unfortunately, I do not at all believe in the Roswell incident. The second picture is the remains of what was assumed to be a UFO that supposedly crashed in Roswell. Honestly, all it looks like is a tinfoil kite...

The third picture is interesting, so you really should enlarge it! Depicted are the anthropomorphic depictions of the Jornada and Anasazi Native Americans. The bottom three, which belong to the Anasazis are very similar to our illustrations of aliens today. Could Native Americans have encountered aliens or perhaps, it was Native American art that influenced our ideas of alien appearance. I also appreciate these figures because last term, in school, I studied anthropomorphic expression of the Columbia River Native Americans and these share a striking resemblance!

Silly pictures at the UFO Museum and Research Center.

Roswell Museum and Art Center, NM. Thanks to the friendly owner of the Cafe I visited in Roswell, I took a trip here. To my surprise, Roswell is more than home of a possible UFO crash site, but also has a rich Native American and space trabel history. It's a shame that these aspects of the town are overshadowed by the Roswell incident.

In flight space suit worn by Harrison Schmitt (a resident of Roswell) of Apollo 17 and a moon rock at the Roswell Museum and Art Center.

Robert H. Goddard’s reconstructed workshop at the Roswell Museum and Art Center. Goddard is the first to create and launch liquid fueled rockets. He was not born in Roswell, but relocated to the city to obtain peace in his research.

Oil pumpjack in SE New Mexico. They were located for miles and miles along the highways from New Mexico and into Texas. I’d be a hypocrite to complain with the amount of gas I am burning on this trip. To my surprise, though, Texas is actually pretty environmentally friendly with reminders to “drive clean” and trashcans located all along the freeways. Something seems to be working because their freeways are ten times less littered than those of New Mexico.

A grand ol' time.

Not in my wildest dreams did I expect to encounter the number of adventures and first time experiences that I have thus far in my trip. Its been great to see and compare different cities as they are often much different than my preconceptions and almost always vary greatly from one another. Phoenix, which is near Chandler Arizona where I stayed with my friend Merlyn and her husband Jason, for example, was larger and less densely populated than I had previously believed. Nonetheless, both Phoenix and Chandler were a whole lot of fun. Not only because of the fun things I got to do, but because I got to do them with Merlyn, who I hadn’t seen in ages and who I already miss after only having left two days ago.
Leaving Arizona was interesting as it may potentially have been the last stop where I have somebody to visit, although I do have family in South Carolina and Michigan, which I will see if I travel through either of the two states. Not only has the comfort of familiar faces disappeared, but the towns of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas that I have since visited are much smaller and spread apart than those of the beginning of my travels. Their desolate feeling and striking difference in culture from what I am accustom makes them very intimidating, but still, enjoyable.
Tombstone, El Paso, and Las Cruces are all three towns that I have passed through that are in very close proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border and so twice, I have passed through border control. The second occasion, though, was absolutely unexpected. As I was passing through an inspection station North of El Paso, I was given the third degree by the border patrol and was then asked to get out of my car while a search dog inspected my car. I was the only person at the station, so as you might imagine, I was terrified. Luckily, I was still able to enjoy the rest of my day and am now safe in Roswell, New Mexico, where I will be searching for aliens tomorrow. If I disappear, aliens will have most likely abducted me, and in that case, I will have chosen to stay with them. It’s sort of my dream, I think.

Highlights:


Chandler, AZ. Appletinis/Happy House with Mer before the game.

Chase Field, AZ. White Sox vs. the Diamondbacks. Sox 0-2. Merlyn scored us some free tickets to the game, which was my first major league baseball game!

The Grand Canyon-Southern rim. An absolutely amazing experience that words cannot even come close to describing. Because of the elevation, breathing is more difficult along the canyon, but still, the air felt like the freshest I have ever inhaled.

Papago Park, AZ. The first picture is of Hole in A Rock, which we were able to climb up and view a perfect view of Phoenix. Evidence suggests that early Native Americans used the holes in the rock and the sun to track the solstices. Neat, ay? The second, of one a group of ponds in the park and also home to many, many different species of birds.

After the park, we found the tastiest frozen yogurt shop. Customers get to first self serve their yogurt with plenty of choices in flavors and then choose from whatever toppings they want. You name it, they probably have it! Desserts are then paid for by the ounce. Seriously, best idea ever.

Boothill Graveyard, Tombstone, AZ. The cemetery is the burial ground for hundreds of individuals of the "West" who died of various causes such as being hanged, dieing of disease, accidental deaths and disease, all of which lacked the funds for a memorial service.

In a sense it is neat to visit the cemetery, but it is also upsetting that the bodies of these deceased individuals are being used as a means to attract tourists to Tombstone and ultimately, make money. The attraction completely robs the people of any sort of agency.

Downtown Tombstone, AZ. Here, people ride around on horses, walk around in old Western attire and occasionally break out in gunfight (planned, of course).

Big Nose Saloon, Tombstone, AZ. I stopped in an old fashion saloon for lunch. Being the only one not wearing a cowboy hat and boots, I stuck out like a sore thumb (to say the least). Then, a country performer took the stage and the crowd roared with excitement. Awkward, but honestly, a ton of fun and great food!

Las Cruces, NM. Only the beginning of horizontal streetlights. I am noticing them everywhere throughout NM and Texas too.

Highway 180 from Las Cruces to Carlsbad. This picture is worth enlarging. If you do, you will notice the hundreds of cows basically piled on top of one another in a much too small cow pen. Seeing multiple living situations such as this one for cows throughout NM was quite moving for me. Since I have been on my road trip, I have begun losing sight as to why I chose to be a vegetarian and have consumed meat on a few occurrences (finding suitable food is more difficult on the road). Seeing this; however, is enough to remind me of why it is important to not consume meat (or at least make efforts to prevent these sort of living environments). Not OK, not OK at all.

Highway 180 to Carlsbad. What felt like a never-ending stretch of road (120miles) after having the search dog check my car at the border inspection. I'm running out of CD's and the only radio stations throughout this area are religious or in Spanish.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park, TX. I did not have time to hike because I was in a rush to get to the Carlsbad Caverns, but still, they was nice to admire from afar.

Carlsbad Caverns, NM Believe it or not, the land that the Caverns now sit on was once a reef. When water dried and uplifting occurred, the Guadalupe Mountains formed above while limestone and water droplets formed the unique shapes and textures in the caverns below. The formations are still developing today, but at a much slow rate since the area is now a desert.

I think it is neat that they created restrooms down below in the caverns.

Pet love.

My Dad sent me a photo of our cat, Richie and dog, George that live with my parents. It was nice to receive because, even though I'm still having an amazing time, I am getting a tad bit homesick. Are they not the cutest animals you've ever seen?

Ricky Martin sighting.

As I mentioned earlier, this trip has been full of surprises, the most recent being my mom and grandmother putting me into contact with Claire, my second cousin (my mom’s cousin), who lives in Norwalk California. Now let me tell you a little bit about Claire. She is no doubt about it one of the nicest people that I have ever met, which up until my visit, I had never met. Immediately upon arriving, though, she made me feel at home and it seemed as if we had known one another for years.
One of the special things about Claire is that she has respect for all forms of life: human, animals, especially cats, and plants. Her and I, I feel have a lot in common, not only because she reminds me a lot of myself, but because we are both currently in a sort of crossroads in life. She is recently retired and me, about to graduate, so we were able to find a lot of common ground. I can looks to her as a role model because she has encountered a great deal of obstacles throughout her life but still retains a positive attitude and is ready to succeed. Also, interesting, her dad, at one time, played baseball with Jackie Robinson. Now, I’m not much of a baseball fan, but that is gnarly, right?
My stay with my Claire seemed much to short, but definitely long enough to build a relationship that will live beyond my trip. It was also long enough for her to show me around Norwalk, a bit of L.A. and Hollywood. She was a wonderful hostess! I am not in Arizona doing all kinds of awesome things with my friend Merlyn and her husband Jason. I am vowing to never write a post as long as the last, so my adventures here will just have to wait.

Highlights:

Hollywood and Vine Metro stop, CA. The Metro is exactly like the Max, only much more complex. It has, I believe, three lines that spread throughout Norwalk, L.A. and the Hollywood area. The Hollywood and Vine stop, though, was the neatest to see because it is underground and decorated in tile artwork and film reels.

A neat vintage shop that Claire and I found in Hollywood. Here you can find the neatest vintage boots, sweaters and best of all, a huge variety of 80's dresses. I needed this store last Halloween!

Hollywood Walk of Fame along Hollywood Blvd, CA. I saw stars for Desi Arnez, Jimi Hendrix, The Monkees, Walt Disney, Britney Spears, Olivia Newton-John, The Doors, and so many more, but honestly, I was most excited to find Ricky Martin.

Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, CA. "...I used to go to the Grauman's Chinese Theatre and try to fit my foot in a celebrity impression, it really meant to me that anything is possible...almost." -Marilyn Monroe.

Claire and I did the same, but with our hands. Her in the imprints of Gloria Swanson and me in the imprints of Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley from Harry Potter).

LA, CA. Need to go to the restroom while in downtown LA? You had better have .25!

Norwalk, CA. It is absolutely fascinating to me to see lemon trees. This one was growing in the yard of Claires neighbors. Since also grows into Claires yard, she let me pick a few for the road.

Claire and I in front of her lovely house. Her lovely house, where she grows many beautiful plants and flowers.

On Highway 10 near Palm Springs, which I took in getting to Chandler, AZ. Hills and hills of wind turbines exist along about 20 miles of freeway. Both beautiful and useful!