Extraterrestrial Highway
Put in the GPS: N37° 38.801’ - W115° 44.760’ . They are the exact coordinates of the **Little A’Le’Inn,** in Rachel, Nevada: the famous hostel, diner and souvenir shop that, above all, serves as an unofficial information office for the Area 51 for all those freakish tourists (and not so freaks, hey) who get there, following the Extraterrestrial Highway, to nothing, in the middle of the Mojave desert , in search of UFOs, aliens and the until two weeks denied Area 51.
Warning sign: you are at Little A'Le'Inn
The CIA acknowledged the existence of the Area 51 , located in the Groom Dry Lake, but it has only admitted that it is a military base for the development of surveillance programs and spy planes, the U-2 and OXCART. Nothing that there, in those hangars they built in the Cold War, have UFOs or aliens. Y? “I want to believe”, what Mulder would say . We want to believe. Nor were they going to say that they have the alien there Paul (Gregg Mottola) or what he saw Indiana Jones in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull It was true. So it doesn't matter, and Pat Travis and her husband Joe, the owners of the A'Le'Inn since 1990 They are convinced that it will not matter: their “Welcome, Earthlings” will still be there and tourists will continue to come to their business asking “How did we get to Area 51?”. "Through the 'Back Gate'" is always your answer.
The closest entrance to Rachel, 14 kilometers away, which you should only see from a more than reasonable distance, stopping, for your own good, the moment you see the first sign that says “Warning” in big red letters. Remember then: always read the fine print. “Use of Deadly Force Authorized” (“Use of deadly force authorized”) she says on these signs. Glups. "Don't get too close," Pat had already warned. "And if you get close, don't take photos, especially of any of the agents."
“Do not even cross your mind to violate the limits, doing so guarantees a trip to jail at the minimum,” says Chuck Clark, the Area 51 expert, in the detailed manual The Area 51 and S-4 Handbook they sell (photocopied) at the A’Le’Inn. First the jeep patrols would come for you, then the helicopter and even, say the most exaggerated, they can destroy your car. Just in case, we pay attention to the posters, and taking the required photo there is not much more to see there.
We want to believe
Well, you can expect to see the Janets: the secretive white planes with a red line, no names or logos, that transport workers between the Area and Las Vegas. Or, of course, at night spot strange lights, unidentified objects Which, in the end, is probably the Janets or the helicopter coming for you.
Back at A'Le'Inn, everything is just as quiet. Pat and Joe serve the same yankee breakfasts (three-egg omelettes, sandwiches, tarts), and their famous “alien burger” with “alien sauce” . In the premises there is not a single free space, photos of aliens and UFOs hang on its walls, its ceiling has been filled with bills with messages from customers and, of course, there is the souvenir shop: cups, glasses, caps, and even salt shakers in the shape of a green Martian.
park yourself
It is clear that the couple has known how to exploit the only remaining source of income for this town of 57 inhabitants, which lived from the mines in the 1970s and 1980s, when its first inhabitants began to settle in caravans. "Some think the name sounds like an 'inn' that serves 'ale', but others think it means 'alien' . We let you decide. We like them both”, they say on their website referring to the name A’Le’Inn that attracts so many tourists. Although surely not all those who would like (that morning only a group of soldiers would appear there).
The world, as we know, is divided between those who believe and those who do not believe. In alien life, of course. And traveling 250 kilometers to a place that goes from -20 degrees in winter nights to more than 40 in summer to spot little green men, maybe it's not the plan. Or if. “We Want to Believe”.
*Useful information: book one of the seven rooms at the A'Le'Inn ahead of time and before you get there. They are only open from 8 in the morning to 10 at night. Before and after you won't find anything for miles around. And when we say nothing is NOTHING . As famous as the Extraterrestrial Highway or Warning signs, are those of "No gas stations in 150 miles (241Km)". But neither should motels say. Following the advice of Chuck Clark, before embarking on the trip: “Make sure you have plenty of gas, water for everyone, well-inflated tires, and tell someone about your travel plan” . That way, if you're abducted, they'll know where to start looking… From Las Vegas, Adventure Photo Tours offers a complete day trip to Rachel and Area 51, with all the important stops.
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Area 51 in the middle of NOWHERE