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For our July 4th weekend we decided to do something a little different this year . . . try a UFO festival in Roswell New Mexico. Yes, every year from July 1-4 the city of Roswell plays host to thousands that come crashing into town. The streets are filled with people dressed up like aliens. You can check out the Roswell Museum and catch an expert or two that would be more than happy to share their knowledge about the events that took place in 1947.
It all started in July, 1947, with an object that crashed on a ranch 30 miles north of Roswell. The Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF) issued a statement claiming to have recovered a crashed \"flying disk.\" An article ran on the front page of the Roswell Daily Record then the next day, RAAF changed its statement to say that the object was a weather balloon, not a flying disk as they previously reported. This revised statement sparked immediate controversy and has continued to be a topic of debate many decades later. So is it true, we’re there aliens? We sure found plenty of skeptics and believers roaming the streets.
Our trip would start on Saturday, July 2 taking a morning flight on Southwest Airlines non-stop to Albuquerque airport. You may not get an assigned seat on SWA; however, there was NO charge for our luggage. Our flight was a short 90 minutes, landing in Albuquerque to start our journey.
We knew we were going to be doing a lot of driving, so we rented a Cadillac CTS from A1 Car Rental – they had the most aggressive online rate at the time.
Saturday:
Landed around 11:30AM hopped in our Caddy and drove to Old Town for some lunch and shopping. After lunch, we hopped on the ABQ Trolley for a tour of Albuquerque. This open-air trolley was dreamed up by two ABQ tourism industry professionals; Jesse Herron and Mike Silva. The city lacked a tour guide service at the time – these guys really make their tour fun to be on.
For dinner we decided to drive to Sandia Peak Ski & Tramway. We took a tram approximately 10,378 feet up to the mountain and dined at their restaurant. Needless to say, as they put it, “it’s not a meal but an adventure.” They offer a full menu, with steaks, pasta and seafood, the meals are priced accordingly, again, remember it’s an event. Everything from my Backend Red Snapper to the molten lava cake was excellent. There’s also a nice gift shop in the restaurant. If you like me and maybe forgot to pack a jacket on a July trip, then you may end of buying a sweatshirt from them. It gets rather chilly at night waiting outside for the tram to take you down.
Our Saturday ended around midnight; we had a nice room at the Hotel Andaluz in downtown Albuquerque. The Andaluz is only one of two Historic Gold Leed Certified Hotels in the U.S. and the only Boutique Hotel in Albququerwuaq city center.
Sunday:
We drove to Roswell for the UFO Festival. The festival usually runs from July 1-4 every year. There’s not a lot to do in Roswell, however if you go for the festival you will have a blast. It’s a fun event for both enthusiasts and skeptics alike. You will find people dressed in their alien costume – while you’re there be sure to indulge in some Alien BBQ and brew, it’s really good. They hold a costume contest if you would like to crash in, there’s also plenty of authors and guest speakers to listen to.
You will find most events at no charge with the exception of the UFO Museum, there’s a small charge to go through and see exhibits, pictures etc. There’s no shortage of vendors, entertainment and food at this yearly festival.
We had reservations for the night at the Hampton Inn. It was a good size room, free internet service and a small fitness center.
Monday:
From Roswell, there are a few sites we checked out on our drive to Taos. We stopped in at the “Billy the Kid” Museum in Fort Sumner. You will find a ton of artifacts of the Wild West along with Billy’s including his rifle, chaps and spurs, the original Wanted poster, and even locks of his hair. Admission for adults is five bucks. If you wonder out back, you will pay a visit to his gravesite.
Our next stop was a visit to VLBA (Very Long Baseline Array) of remote controlled telescopes located in Socorro, New Mexico. Each station consists of a of an 82-foot dish antenna. The array works together as the world’s largest dedicated, full-time astronomical instrument.
After our visit that included a tour, movie and some pictures, we continued our drive to Taos New Mexico.
After a full day with a lot of driving in 100 degree heat we had a beautiful room waiting for us at the El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa.
If I had to describe the hotel and our room the word “oasis” comes to mind. The rooms were very luxurious; they certainly didn’t miss a beat in design or quality of materials.
The night ended by having some appetizers and drinks with a couple we met from Houston in the lounge.
Tuesday:
We were up early on Tuesday, got a nice walk in around the hotel grounds with some pictures. We did some walking, shopping in downtown Taos at the Plaza located in the center of town.
After a leisurley day, we drove to the Rio Grande Gorge just outside of Taos. The gorge is an awesome site with its white water rapids, great for a picture setting. The Gorge Bridge is the fifth highest in the United States. Currently there’s a good share of road construction going on however don’t let that stop you, this is a must see if your traveling in the area.
As our day continued, we had a long drive ahead of us ending our day in Santa Fe to the Hyatt Hotel.
On Wednesday, we went for a nice walk before our drive to the airport.
All in all, our trip covered a lot of road in New Mexico; of course our highlight was the UFO festival. I want to personally thank the members of the board, we had a great time.
Maybe, we’ll crash into Roswell, again sometime in the future!
It all started in July, 1947, with an object that crashed on a ranch 30 miles north of Roswell. The Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF) issued a statement claiming to have recovered a crashed \"flying disk.\" An article ran on the front page of the Roswell Daily Record then the next day, RAAF changed its statement to say that the object was a weather balloon, not a flying disk as they previously reported. This revised statement sparked immediate controversy and has continued to be a topic of debate many decades later. So is it true, we’re there aliens? We sure found plenty of skeptics and believers roaming the streets.
Our trip would start on Saturday, July 2 taking a morning flight on Southwest Airlines non-stop to Albuquerque airport. You may not get an assigned seat on SWA; however, there was NO charge for our luggage. Our flight was a short 90 minutes, landing in Albuquerque to start our journey.
We knew we were going to be doing a lot of driving, so we rented a Cadillac CTS from A1 Car Rental – they had the most aggressive online rate at the time.
Saturday:
Landed around 11:30AM hopped in our Caddy and drove to Old Town for some lunch and shopping. After lunch, we hopped on the ABQ Trolley for a tour of Albuquerque. This open-air trolley was dreamed up by two ABQ tourism industry professionals; Jesse Herron and Mike Silva. The city lacked a tour guide service at the time – these guys really make their tour fun to be on.
For dinner we decided to drive to Sandia Peak Ski & Tramway. We took a tram approximately 10,378 feet up to the mountain and dined at their restaurant. Needless to say, as they put it, “it’s not a meal but an adventure.” They offer a full menu, with steaks, pasta and seafood, the meals are priced accordingly, again, remember it’s an event. Everything from my Backend Red Snapper to the molten lava cake was excellent. There’s also a nice gift shop in the restaurant. If you like me and maybe forgot to pack a jacket on a July trip, then you may end of buying a sweatshirt from them. It gets rather chilly at night waiting outside for the tram to take you down.
Our Saturday ended around midnight; we had a nice room at the Hotel Andaluz in downtown Albuquerque. The Andaluz is only one of two Historic Gold Leed Certified Hotels in the U.S. and the only Boutique Hotel in Albququerwuaq city center.
Sunday:
We drove to Roswell for the UFO Festival. The festival usually runs from July 1-4 every year. There’s not a lot to do in Roswell, however if you go for the festival you will have a blast. It’s a fun event for both enthusiasts and skeptics alike. You will find people dressed in their alien costume – while you’re there be sure to indulge in some Alien BBQ and brew, it’s really good. They hold a costume contest if you would like to crash in, there’s also plenty of authors and guest speakers to listen to.
You will find most events at no charge with the exception of the UFO Museum, there’s a small charge to go through and see exhibits, pictures etc. There’s no shortage of vendors, entertainment and food at this yearly festival.
We had reservations for the night at the Hampton Inn. It was a good size room, free internet service and a small fitness center.
Monday:
From Roswell, there are a few sites we checked out on our drive to Taos. We stopped in at the “Billy the Kid” Museum in Fort Sumner. You will find a ton of artifacts of the Wild West along with Billy’s including his rifle, chaps and spurs, the original Wanted poster, and even locks of his hair. Admission for adults is five bucks. If you wonder out back, you will pay a visit to his gravesite.
Our next stop was a visit to VLBA (Very Long Baseline Array) of remote controlled telescopes located in Socorro, New Mexico. Each station consists of a of an 82-foot dish antenna. The array works together as the world’s largest dedicated, full-time astronomical instrument.
After our visit that included a tour, movie and some pictures, we continued our drive to Taos New Mexico.
After a full day with a lot of driving in 100 degree heat we had a beautiful room waiting for us at the El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa.
If I had to describe the hotel and our room the word “oasis” comes to mind. The rooms were very luxurious; they certainly didn’t miss a beat in design or quality of materials.
The night ended by having some appetizers and drinks with a couple we met from Houston in the lounge.
Tuesday:
We were up early on Tuesday, got a nice walk in around the hotel grounds with some pictures. We did some walking, shopping in downtown Taos at the Plaza located in the center of town.
After a leisurley day, we drove to the Rio Grande Gorge just outside of Taos. The gorge is an awesome site with its white water rapids, great for a picture setting. The Gorge Bridge is the fifth highest in the United States. Currently there’s a good share of road construction going on however don’t let that stop you, this is a must see if your traveling in the area.
As our day continued, we had a long drive ahead of us ending our day in Santa Fe to the Hyatt Hotel.
On Wednesday, we went for a nice walk before our drive to the airport.
All in all, our trip covered a lot of road in New Mexico; of course our highlight was the UFO festival. I want to personally thank the members of the board, we had a great time.
Maybe, we’ll crash into Roswell, again sometime in the future!
