Night Sky

 We went to a special night sky program the night of the Perseid meteor shower. We didn't see a whole lot of shooting stars (mainly because we were tired and went to bed relatively early), but I did take the opportunity to dabble in photographing the night sky. I have a ways to go, but it's a fun diversion while waiting for a turn to look through the telescope! In the above photo, can you find the Big Dipper? Desert Boy can identify that asterism easily now.

Do you know what you're seeing in the next photo?

 For those of you who know astronomy, there are lots of right answers (and please leave some in the comments!). For those of us who just dabble in astronomy, I'm looking at the big picture: the Milky Way galaxy. That cloudy-looking river of stars that flows across the top of the black roof above us is present nearly every night. We are lucky to live in a place with so little light pollution we can see so far out beyond our planet.

Sometimes we can even see some extra things in the night sky:

Like a UFO! Okay, I don't really think it's a UFO. Do you know what it is?

Cloudy Skies

 We went to town today for a fun day of dentist visits (yes, my kids consider those to be fun, to my great delight!), thrift store shopping (and dropping off more than we bought--hurray!), eating yummy food (do you know how overwhelming food choices are?), playing in an awesome playground (photos coming soon), swimming (yes, how could we resist the swimming pool), grocery shopping (every trip to town involves this), and best of all, getting to enjoy it with friends!

On the way back, the light was fantastic between the third and fourth mountain passes. (Oh, did I forget to mention that this little jaunt to town was over 130 miles one-way crossing four mountain passes? Oops. Little details.) Jenny and I couldn't resist taking some photos.

 Is this called virga when it could be snow? Actually, with the 40+ degree temperatures, it probably really was virga (rain that doesn't reach the ground). We are crossing our fingers for snow this Saturday. It would be too weird not to get any snow during the entire month of January.

 The colors in the clouds changed so quickly, and the view was spectacular in every direction. It was hard to know which way to turn. And the only other beings out there with us were some cows. I'm not sure if they enjoyed the light show as much as we did. I'm kind of guessing not. But you never know. Cows can be a little funny.

The desert is one beautiful place!

I should probably mention that it was in this same valley that a UFO was purported to land. Or rather, crash. From aerial photos you can make out the shape of the spacecraft in a playa. The report says that the aliens assimilated into the local population. So maybe the cows weren't the only ones with us enjoying the sunset. Or perhaps since we're the local population, maybe that explains some of the strange behaviors seen around the nearby towns and communities from time to time...

UFO Sightings

I wasn't able to attend the recent MUFON meeting in Ely, but fortunately KOLO TV was there and they've filed a story about a recent UFO sighting, including the video footage that the observers took.

I wonder if more UFOs are spotted during the winter, when the nights are longer, or in the summer when more people are outside, even though the nights are shorter. And is that same pattern evident in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, or do UFOs prefer one part of the planet earth more than another? So many unanswered questions...

Recent UFO Sightings Attract Attention

Apparently people have been seeing unidentified flying objects around the area lately. Someone, a credible person, apparently even captured one on video.

That's got the attention of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), which is going to be holding a meeting Saturday evening in Ely. I really wish I could go, but I think I'm going to need some help from my alien friends to get there and back.

A certified MUFON field investigator will be around during the weekend investigating recent sightings, and encourages folks to talk with him if they've seen something strange lately. I was wondering what it took to become a certified field investigator for MUFON, so I went to the MUFON website. Apparently you need to become a dues-paying member of MUFON, order the Field Investigator's book from their website, and take the open book test in the book and receive at least 80% grade on it. You are also encouraged to accompany an already-certified MUFON field investigator to practice interviewing methods, investigative tactics, collateral contacts, and technical background.

I think it could be a very interesting weekend...To see more info about the meeting Saturday night, here's a link to the Ely Times article and comments.

UFO Sighting

It was the afternoon and I was hiking in a desert ravine, concentrating on the fascinating geology surrounding me. Suddenly I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Something wasn't right with the cosmos. I turned around, and there, up in the sky, was the unmistakable track of a UFO. It had obviously seen me and turned on its reverse thrusters, unmasking its previous invisibility. I knew I had to run fast, because out in this isolated spot, they were desperate to find a specimen of Homo sapiens for their tests. But how could I outrun a UFO? After all, they had advanced technology like reverse thrusters. I had a plan, though. For up ahead, I knew there was a deep, dark cave, and I could hide out as long as  I needed. Which I hoped wasn't very long, because all I had left to eat were some of Desert Boy's fishy crackers and a juice box. But it was the best plan I had. So I went with it. And I'm still here to tell the story.

Happy April Fool's!

Alien Fresh Jerky

I'm afraid I have no idea what to write about this sign. 

The Extraterrestrial Highway

I saw this lovely cow crossing the ranch road the other day. Now, for most people, this would not be a memorable moment. But there was something in the cow's stature, the far-off mountains, and the winter lighting that made me remember of a trip I took a few years ago, a trip not to be forgotten.

That trip was out to a desolate highway, with plenty of open range, except the open range wasn't quite the same as it is throughout the rest of the West. This open range had the special designation shown above the cow on the sign. (Photo from rachel-nevada.com website). I kept expecting to see cows being beamed up, and the music from Close Encounters of the Third Kind played in my head.

This trip was out on the Extraterrestrial Highway, Nevada 375. This 98-mile long highway only passes one town, Rachel, NV. Calling it a town is a bit of a stretch, with just a scattering of buildings. Normally it would be totally ignored, but it has the fortune of being close to the infamous Area 51. If you like UFOs and aliens, this is a mecca. 

The Little A'Le'Inn is a restaurant and hotel. When I went in, some folks from the military base were enjoying a little time off by entertaining themselves with looking at the numerous photos covering the walls of UFOs and clippings of strange sights seen in the area. Locals offer tours to special spots where outsiders can peek into the ultra-high security area and try to determine what's happening inside. (By the way--the magnet above is a bit old--the new area code is 775, but the rest of the phone and fax numbers are correct.)

At the time I took my trip, the Nevada tourism office was offering a promotion that if I turned in a couple receipts from the ET highway, I could get this cool bumper sticker. I still haven't ever seen anyone else with one. I wonder why not??

And after recalling that wonderful trip and all the potentially strange things happening over the Great Basin desert, I look closer at the image of the cow crossing the road. Maybe some of those white clouds really aren't clouds after all...

A UFO Makes an Appearance

I was out one evening and saw this strange light in the sky. It was saucer-shaped, and it immediately made me think of UFOs. I kept watching to see what it would do...

...and as this picture shows, the light was moving towards the earth. We have beautiful, clear skies out here in the desert, plus many of good landing zones for UFOs, so whenever I see strange lights in the sky, I wonder who's coming in for a visit.

In this final picture, you can see a point of light on the ground. I think some of them made it down safely while the mother ship is still in the air. I haven't noticed any aliens around lately, but sometimes I think it takes time to assimilate into the local population. I'll be sure to let you know if something (or someone) odd pops up.

Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) in the Desert

The desert holds lots of wonders: incredible sand dunes, amazing plants and animals adapted to harsh conditions, stunning views, and, of course, UFOs.

I've mentioned in a recent post that the desert climate is an excellent place to look at faraway stars, galaxies, and whatever else might be out there. And surely there is something else out there. And if these visitors from a distant place decide to come to our lovely planet for a visit, it only makes sense that they are going to come to an agreeable climate where they can see what's around them and won't have anyone sneaking up on them through the forest or swamp.

The deserts of the U.S. have had great UFO sightings. And I have to admit, I've gone and visited some of them. How could I stay away from Area 51 (or just outside it, since I don't have the necessary clearance to enter the highly guarded perimeter)? And I just had to see the alien on display in Roswell, New Mexico. 

Have I seen strange lights in the desert sky? You betcha. Have I figured out what they were? Nope. It's easiest just to explain them as military aircraft. After all, the military, like extraterrestrials, have figured out that the desert is a great place to be. But is the easiest explanation the correct explanation?

Take a close look at the photo at the top of the post. In it you can see a triangular shape. That's where a UFO crashed in 1953. It was such a catastrophic crash that the vegetation still hasn't recovered. If you look really closely to the right of the crash, you can even see a little alien face looking back at the crash. According to the website that reports this crash, the ET's that landed took refuge in the area.  I'm still waiting to see them, but if I keep looking hard enough, I'm sure one will pop up. 

I've always figured that Fourth of July is the perfect time for the extraterrestrials to come in their UFOs, due to the fact that any strange lights will be attributed to someone shooting fireworks. So have a happy Fourth of July and keep a sharp eye out. You never know what you might see.