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.

Desert Boy Loses His Hat

See the cute hat Desert Boy is wearing? It's a denim cap with an embroidered horse and bear. His babysitter got it for him when she went on a trip. He had worn it only about a week when we decided to take a hike. I loaded him up in the backpack and we went out on the ranch for a walk.
It wasn't long into our hike that I saw some dark objects come into view. Hmm, must be some curious cows. But surely they won't come too close.
They kept coming closer and closer and even tried to surround us. I kept talking to them in a loud voice. Desert Boy helped. He likes to talk and shout a lot, and that's especially loud when he's in a backpack right next to your ear. I looked back at Desert Boy and found that he was not wearing his hat. In all the excitement of watching the cows come racing towards us and then alongside of us, I didn't notice him pitching it from his fair head. We started retracing our steps.
That's when I noticed that these aren't just cows, there are some bulls mixed in, like this big Red Angus. He seemed really big. And I noticed I was wearing red. I figured I was going to see if he really did ignore red like bulls are supposed to. (For more on this and what kind of cows these are, click here.)
Fortunately the bull kept on walking, and then we got a visit from this friendly horse. Desert Boy seemed to enjoy all these animal adventures. But we didn't find his hat. I went back twice and still never found it. And now I feel really bad that we lost his special hat. 

Proper Footwear for Hiking in the Desert

While I was sitting on a trail this weekend, holding a sleeping Desert Boy who increasingly got heavier every minute so that I lost all feeling in my legs, I found I was at eye level with people's shoes as they walked by. And what an interesting array of footwear! The park newspaper, park rangers, and park signs all stated that hiking boots were strongly recommended for this steep and rocky trail. And that the number one injury was due to improper footwear. So I want to show you what some of the people were wearing and see what you think.

Snazzy red sneakers set a fashion statement in the desert.
Probably the kind of boots the park rangers are talking about when they mean "proper footwear."
These big black boots certainly give a lot of ankle support. And the camo capris are quite the fashion statement.
Running shoes, a comfortable choice for many surfaces.
White tennies were certainly the most common footwear we saw. I like the black socks for contrast.
These checkered tennies also show some fashion awareness, but I'm not sure about the velcro.
These shoes look comfortable and the red is certainly eye catching.
A one and a half inch heel might be a little slippery, and the cutouts in the shoes might let in sand. But with two pairs of anklets bunching up around the ankles, she should be okay. I think.
These white shoes have velcro, I think, and not too much arch support. Perhaps no socks helps keep the feet cool? 
Sports sandals are all the rage, but I wouldn't want to stub a toe.
These shoes certainly provide plenty of ventilation in the desert.

So which do you like best?

Astrophotography

Night sky over Great Basin National Park, 

courtesy of the NPS Night Sky Team

Over the weekend I met an astrophotographer who is touring the Desert Southwest taking pictures of the beautiful night skies. With clean air, little atmosphere, and lack of light pollution, many desert locations are wonderful places to get clear views of the night sky. 

I had never heard the term astrophotography before, but as it was explained to me, I felt my interest in astronomy reawakening. If I can look at a photo and ask about what I'm seeing, it's so much easier than asking about "the little white star-like thing that's just to the left of the bigger star-like thing and a little below the hazy whatchamacallit. What, you can't see it?" 

To increase interest in astronomy and show off their night skies, many locations hold star parties, where people interested in the night sky gather to learn more about what else is in the universe. Some people bring telescopes and help explain what might be out there. Like ET. Hopefully like ET, and not the alien in the movie Alien. 

Back to the (main) subject, Wikipedia has a list of organized Star Parties, and maybe one's in your neighborhood. You can also search nearby national parks and see if they might be having any special programs. While researching this post I found that Great Basin National Park is having astrophotography tips and night sky viewing July 4 and 5 at 7 p.m. If you know of another event coming up, let me know! I'd also like to hear about any extraterrestrial sightings.

Back Home

Desert Boy and I just returned from a lovely adventure, which will be featured in next Monday's Desert Destination. But to give you a teaser, it involved all the elements needed for a successful trip:

Getting Dirty

Playing in Water

Hiking until Utterly Exhausted