Valley of Fire

You will find Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, in your guidebook or at http://www.parks.nv.gov/vf.htm. I chose to include this place because it is near Area 51, has great petroglyphs, and the colors of the landscaped desert are very unusual.

Directions: From Las Vegas take I-15 North to exit 75. As you drive into the park you will notice numerous rock cairns on the side of the road.
Be forewarned! In the middle of the summer this place truly feels like a Valley of Fire!

Boynton Canyon Cliff Dwelling

The Boynton Canyon Cliff Dwelling is located in Sedona, Arizona, in the Secret Mountain Wilderness which is part of Coconino National Forest. This cliff dwelling is not located on the trail map or in any visitor guides.

Directions: From Sedona go South toward Cottonwood on Arizona 89a, the main road through Sedona. Just south of town turn right on Dry Creek Road, then left on Boynton Canyon Road. When you come to a T in the road turn right and continue a short distance until you see a parking lot on the right side of the road for a trailhead. If you come to Enchantment Resort you have gone too far.

Take the trailhead North along Boynton Canyon Trail. This trail follows the resort. Do not take Vista Trail. You will hike on a well maintained trail for a long distance. Keep looking to your right up in the cliff for the Indian ruins. Before you pass the resort you will come upon a smaller trail to the right. Follow this trail up the cliff side to the cliff dwelling.

Before you reach the larger cliff dwelling you will pass a small Indian cliff dwelling high up in the cliff to your right. The small trail to the large cliff dwelling is very steep with lots of loose rock. Watch out for the prickly pears. The thorns hurt! I got a few in my hand climbing up the side of the cliff.

The ruin has one large room and one small room. The walls are made up of rocks stacked on top of each other. It is located in the side of the cliff with a large overhang. If it was raining you would not get wet. The roof appears blackened by a fire. The view from the top is awesome. It is interesting to note the location the Indians chose for their home. This location has a view of the valley below. They could see anyone approaching. It is located in a cave-like alcove to protect them from the weather. Hauling rocks up the side of the cliff would have been no picnic.

Do not take any souvenirs from the site. It is a federal offense! Please leave the ruin as you found it for others to see.

I have posted 3 videos at the bottom. As I have said before, I consider myself a writer and photographer but NOT a videographer. The first one, although terrible footage, gives you an idea of how far up in the cliff the ruins are. Take note because you will be climbing up the side of this cliff. This is the smaller cliff dwelling.

While in Sedona we stayed at the Best Western on the South side of town. There is a more expensive one downtown. The hotel was very nice and had an awesome view. It is very relaxing to sit in the hot tub or swim in the pool at night and gaze at the spectacular view of the night sky. The continental breakfast was great. They even served belgium waffles. The only disadvantage was the location was too far to walk into town but it was away from the crowds.

If you have time check out the Jeep tours. I've been on the Jeep and Hummer tours. The best one is the Jeep Eater Hummer tour although it is not for small children.

Mount Irish Petroglyph Site

Mount Irish Petroglyph Site is located in Nevada near Area 51. It is so close that you will see aircraft flying overhead but so remote you may not run into any humans on the rugged dirt road.

Directions: From Las Vegas take I-15 North for 22 miles. Exit on US-93 North (exit 64). Stay on this road for 85 miles to the intersection of Hwy. 318 and Hwy. 375 (Extraterrestrial Highway). Take Hwy. 318 for 2.5 miles and turn West (left) on Logan Summit Road. This road is not marked. There is no sign. The sign in the photograph is farther down the dirt road. There is nothing marking the turnoff. A fence surrounds the area. Get out of the car, open the gate, and drive through. There may not appear to be a gate but the fence can be removed. If you found the gate closed, close it behind you. This dirt road requires a four wheel drive, high clearance vehicle. The road is very rough. The petroglyphs are spread over an 8 mile area and are carved into the soft, red rock. The first ones are on your left side quite a ways down the road. After passing the petroglyphs you will come to Logan Summit and a wooden mining cabin. The road past the petroglyphs is very rough.

Area 51

In the Nevada desert lies a not-so-secret airforce base UFO enthusiasts like to call Area 51. It is an adventure traveling to the only spot left to actually view the base - Tikaboo Peak.

My husband and I based ourselves in Las Vegas for this trip. We rented a Jeep Wrangler from Dream Car Rentals. http://www.dreamcarrentals.com/ They also rent Hummers. This place had some good and bad aspects. There are two locations in Las Vegas. The one we rented from was 3725 Las Vegas Blvd. next to the Harley Davidson Cafe. It is located right on the strip in a souvenir shop. If you were staying at a hotel on or near the strip you could walk or take a short taxi ride there. I believe they will also pick you up at your hotel. The Jeep Wrangler we were given was a piece of junk but for various reasons that wasn't so bad. They didn't really look it over for damage when we returned it and I didn't feel bad going 4x4ing, as I'm sure many others had done before us. It wasn't the safest vehicle to take off road but the dirt road to Tikaboo Peak can probably be done in a high clearance but not 4x4 vehicle. If I had to do it again, I would rent from a different place in hopes of getting a better vehicle. Maybe rent from a car rental agency at the airport for the duration of your trip.

The drive to Area 51 from Las Vegas is highway for 22 miles then on to smaller paved roads in the middle of nowhere to the dirt road that takes you to Tikaboo Peak.

Take I-15 North for 22 miles. At exit 64, take US-93 North for 70-80 miles. Alamo is the last town to get gas and make sure you fill up. The turn off is unmarked and very easy to miss. Look for mile marker LN 32.2. Make a left onto this dirt road. You are entering Pahranagat Wildlife Area. Shortly, you will come to a gate, if it is closed you can open it but close the gate behind you. After about 5 miles you will come to another gate that you may open and drive through. Drive down the dirt road for approximately 22 miles. At the end you may have to get out and walk as the road deteriorates. You should be able to drive within 1/2 mile of where the hike begins. There is a clearing where you can park your vehicle and camp if you wish. Please take your garbage with you! When I went there was quite a bit of garbage on the ground. Take a left up the hill marked by rock cairns until you get to the top of Tikaboo Peak. This is a very strenuous hike up a steep incline on loose shale. You will come to a summit where you can camp or just take a break. This is not the end of the trail. Continue on up the hill to the top.

A couple words of warning. Take PLENTY of water. There is NO cell signal. Make sure you have a full tank of gas. In the summer the heat is brutal! We hiked in over 110 degree weather and I felt like I would die. Try to make the trip early in the morning. We arrived late in the day and actually drove back part way down the dirt road in the dark and it was still excruciatingly HOT! This is a very remote part of the desert. If you break down, nobody may find you for days, if ever. It is a LONG walk back to the main road. Do not go alone. Take precautions.

There is a more detailed map with directions, GPS coordinates, and a wealth of information on Area 51 at http://www.dreamlandresort.com/. I recommend checking it out and taking a copy with you.

Directions for Extraterrestrial Highway:

Follow the above directions but instead of making the turnoff onto the dirt road continue on and turn left on Hwy. 318 for less than a mile. Take a left onto Hwy. 375. At the intersection you will see the sign "Extraterrestrial Highway". Next to the sign is a parking area where Area 51 workers park their cars and take the bus into Area 51. We did see a Janet plane flying overhead and other military planes such as stealth fighters.

Directions to the Black Mailbox:

Continue on Hwy. 375 for 20 miles to the intersection of Hwy. 375 and Mailbox Road. The mailbox is actually white.

Area 51 is located on Groom Lake Road. If you travel down this road DO NOT go past the warning signs. The armed guards will either shoot you or if you are lucky take you to jail. They are not joking.

The town of Rachel is 39 miles down Hwy. 375. There is not much of anything there but a restaurant called the Little A'Le'Inn where you may also spend the night. Most of the land around Extraterrestrial Highway is public land. You can camp anywhere you like. There is NO gas in Rachel. For more information on Rachel, Nevada, go to http://www.rachel-nevada.com/.

From Las Vegas you can make a day trip but there are a lot of neat things to see in that area including Valley of Fire State Park, Indian petroglyphs, ghosts towns, and a lunar crater. You may want to extend your stay. Check out the Other Places section on the Rachel site.

Dirt road to Tikaboo Peak

UFO Festival, Roswell, New Mexico

Every July ufologists and alien fanatics gather in the small town of Roswell, New Mexico, to remember the day in 1947 when a UFO crashed in the remote desert confirming the fact that we are not alone in the universe.

The annual UFO Festival takes place the week of July 4th every year. Humans dressed as aliens and extraterrestrial pets are a few of the unusual things that accompany the kids rides, haunted house, vendors, numerous experts in the UFO field, various seminars, costume contest, and the famous Roswell parade. For more information visit the UFO Festival website at http://www.roswellufofestival.com/. Book your hotel early as they fill up fast.


Be sure to stop by the UFO Museum as that is where all the action is.



My husband, 10 year old son, and I went to the festival in 2008. We stayed at one of the two Best Western hotels in town. Now I'm sure the Sally Port Best Western is a fine hotel but the Best Western El Rancho Palacio, located at 2205 North Main Street, left a lot to be desired. I booked the hotel months in advance and ended up here. Like I said book EARLY! I would only recommend this hotel if you are on a budget as it was one of the cheaper hotels. The free continental breakfast was decent but that's about it. Even though this hotel is located on the main drag, it is too far to walk to where the action is.

For souvenirs go to Wal-Mart on the North side of town. They have a whole section in the front of the store with just about every kind of alien paraphernalia you could want and they are cheaper than other places.

We ate at a mexican restaurant located a block South of the UFO Museum called El Toro Bravo. Talk about good but affordable food. I would recommend this place. The Crashdown Cafe (based on the Crashdown Diner in the television show Roswell) as shown in one of my photos below is sadly no longer there although I heard they may reopen in the future.

The parade is one of the bigger aspects of the festival. It was not as good as I expected it to be. The best part was the little dog dyed green toward the end of the parade. View the video below to see for yourself. Warning: I am NO videographer! View at your own risk. The video is of the entire parade. The parade takes place on Main Street in front of the UFO Museum. Arrive about an hour early to get a good space on the street. We parked on a side street across from the mexican restaurant and sat in the back of the truck.

We also went to the 4th of July Fireworks at the fairgrounds. This was a pretty good production. Don't miss it. Seems like everyone came out of the woodwork for this event. It was pretty crowded.

There are numerous seminars about aliens, UFOs, etc. I thought my son would be bored so we didn't attend these. I believe you might need to pre-register and pay a fee. There is a costume contest, showing of the movie Roswell, various bands playing, and a few things for the kids to do such as a jump house and kiddie rides. This might sound like a grand event but really, it was rather small. If you have any interest in aliens I would suggest going once to check it out.

There are other neat things to do in this neck of the woods. Carlsbad Caverns is a short drive South of Roswell and White Sands National Monument is Southwest of Roswell. Carlsbad was so crowded during the festival we could not get tickets for the cave tour but took a drive down a dirt road in the park marked on the visitor map which was very interesting. Saw a few salamanders, lots of plants and great scenery. White Sands is a very unique place in that the sand dunes are actually white. It feels like you are on a different planet. It is located near a military base. We saw military aircraft flying over while we were there.
















White Sands National Monument