It started out innocent enough, with WC asking if I was interested in a trip to Roswell. I hesitated to give an answer right away, because with very little time off, there are a lot of things around here I could be productive doing.
    I finally threw my hat into the ring and agreed with the possibility of staying
here to pursue something that may or may not develop. I made an early morning phone call while I was finishing my packing and decided that Phoenix, and my unfinished business could wait.
    At approximately noon, we left town.
    Ladies and Gentlemen, I have just just returned from one of the most enjoyable excursions of my life. We started out with an idea of where we were going and an atlas if we had to admit we didn't know what we were doing. We went north along I-17 through Sedona to Flagstaff. Both of which are beautiful and need to be visited again, ate at a fast food Mexican restaurant and immediately laid down the rule that window lowering would be mandatory if needed, no exceptions.      Good Rule.
    We then took a right on I-40 and headed toward Albuquerque. The hope in the back of my head was that I might be able to see my son living near there if his mother was agreeable. We didn't get very far down I-40 when we realized that Meteor Crater was in that precise direction. (How we got lucky enough for a meteor to fall right next to the highway, I dunno. JK). There is nothing to make you feel small, like a big hole in the ground, and really nothing to remind you that we are just little people on a tiny planet, than to realize that a hunk of rock slammed into Earth and made that big hole. Yes, pictures will come.
  We drove/napped through the rest of AZ. (Yes, there are things like the petrified forest and the painted desert, but we were on a mission.) In Albuquerque I made a phone call, and yes I did get to see Adam. We had a good visit and if I never get to visit him again, moving all the way out here for that would be enough. I miss you, son, and I love you.
    We made a right turn on US 285 and headed south. Folks, when you are on your way to an Alien Hotbed, a two lane road in the middle of the night will really make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. We made it to Roswell at about 3 AM their time and stayed at the local Super 8. I mention this because I think they deserve a shameless plug. We were graciously received and well treated.
    Day two had us visiting the UFO museum in Roswell. If you ever get a chance, whether you believe or not, check it out. We spent a great deal of time looking at exhibits ranging from the crash in 1947 to unexplained phenomena like crop circles.
The exhibits are interesting and up to date and the entire thing is free. They are glad to accept donations, but are just as happy to see you if you don't spend a dime.
    Our next mission was to explore Roswell's night life. Folks, stick to checking out Roswell during the day. The town is still active, but with a few exceptions, there is not a lot going on.
    The people in Roswell, I have to admit were some of the friendliest people I have met so far, and I would encourage anyone to go visit.
    Day three had us on the road again and headed to Phoenix. In keeping with our "Space & Discovery" type theme, we stopped near White Sands to visit the International Space Hall of Fame. It is part of the Space Center situated on HWY. 2001. The cost is nominal ($2.50), but there are four floors of exhibits covering everything from the first man made satellite to the exploration of Mars, not to mention "introducing" you to most anyone that had a hand in our mission to discover what is beyond our blue marble. This is an international museum containing items from across the world, including a replica of Sputnik from the people that built it, (at around the same time.)
    A quick pass by White Sands and we were headed home. We made excellent time and GUS behaved very well. Our arrival in the Valley of the Sun was just in time for WC and myself to go to the local tavern and play a few games of Pinball. I mention this because the games at this establishment were "Attack from Mars" and "Revenge From Mars", the later of the two I managed to find a way to get the high score on BEFORE WC. Nah nah  Nah nah  Nah.
    Overall, I would rate this as one of the best excursions I have ever had, ranking pretty close to a "vacation" trip taken to Biloxi with Melissa. Pretty good company.

All three points of interest have web sites

Meteor Crater- www.meteorcrater.com
UFO Museum - www.iufomrc.com
Space Center - http://www.spacefame.org/index.html