You knew it was coming, didn’t you? There was no way we could be down in this pocket of the USA and not stop by to see if we could find any little green men. Well, we found some weird forms of life, but alas, they were not green, so we have no other race to laugh at than our own.

Spent the past hour exploring the UFO Research Centre and Museum (aka Craporium). With such scintillating displays as “Crop Circles : Phenomenon or Hoax”, it was hard to pass up. Of course, they never bothered with little details like, say, information. Much better to go with the “what do you think?” comments on everything and then there does not need to be evidence.

The really sad thing is that I walked in the door as a believer in the existence of other life forms and yet, when I walked out through the gift shop (aka Great Wall of Crap), I was kind of ashamed to have been there in with all the kooks. Oh well, it is how it was presented, and that does not change my opinions on the subject. I am a kook. Just not as kooky as the other kooks.

Checked out Carlsbad Caverns yesterday, and we found one of the most interestingly stupid ideas we’ve found so far. When you go to the caverns, you have the option of hiring a US$3.00 audio presentation of the tour and you can listen to it while you walk around. Whole families were showing up and hiring one each instead of one parent getting one and then telling the kids what the tape said, in a quiet voice, at each formation.

No, with everyone wearing the headsets at full blast, the caverns were full of tinny little voices coming out of people’s ears, and then being drowned out by the people wearing the headsets speaking REALLY LOUDLY to one another because they had things over their ears! And so, with 95% of people wearing these things, the caverns were full of people walking aloud saying “HEY LOOK AT THAT ONE!” when standing less than two feet apart. Not a good thing to do in a cavern where the sound echoes off everything! Let’s hear it for the NPS who couldn’t think about putting that information on the signs that they put up in the cave anyway.

An interesting twist on the “Survivor” line of questioning - one of the people in the hairdressing shop today (yep, went and got shorn) was living on a diet of rice for a month since she made a bet with her teenage nephews that anyone could live eating just rice for one month. If she wins, they are her slaves for two weeks. She was at 2.5 weeks already and looking quite fit and healthy, so she was hardly wasting away. She was, however, looking forward to deer season so she could “get out there and kill Bambi and Bambi’s dad and Bambi’s grandpa too”. It takes all kinds, I guess.

We’re heading off now to go look at sand. Yes, driving through the middle of the deserts of New Mexico to look at gypsum which is apparently a National Park. Quite warm today, so not a smart idea, but hey, nobody ever accused us of being overly intelligent.

Categories: Travel, Odyssey 2001