DAY THREE, part two: Tatum, NM to Roswell, NM

DAY THREE, part two: Tatum, NM to Roswell, NM


Tatum, New Mexico is a tiny one-stoplight town. And home to Tiny’s Burger Barn, a small one-room, six-table shack of a greasy spoon. We were a little nervous about stopping, but there wasn’t much else of a choice in Tatum. The restaurant didn’t accept debit or credit, so we needed to find an ATM. Three old farmers were out front, so we asked one to point us to an ATM. Turns out the bank doesn’t have one, but the Stripes gas station at the town’s stoplight was sure to have one.

I chatted a little bit with the old timer, who wished us luck on our trip. When John returned with the cash, we sat down to eat. The burgers at Tiny’s are anything but. We have not been disappointed by any of the places we have stopped yet. I am just happy to have convinced the family to avoid McDonald’s and try local small town diners and such. I wanted to truly get a “taste” of America. : )

As we rolled into Roswell, we could see what appeared to be smoke in the distance. However, when we stopped to take pictures of the “Welcome to Roswell” sign, it became evident that we were in the midst of a dust storm. That smelled ridiculously like horse shit and pee. Wow. You don’t want that getting on your tongue, if you know what I’m sayin’.

In the town, there isn’t much. A bunch of alien-themed gift shops, some alien lamp posts, and lots of alien statuary. We visited the visitor’s center and got some hints and information for seeing Roswell. I planned 4 hours. I’ll be surprised if we stay for 1.

Now we are not a house divided politically. Nor are we divided by religion. Hell, we’re even both Neil Diamond fans. However, we are polar opposites when it comes to our take on the incident in Roswell, New Mexico. John is a die-hard conspiracy theorist alien sympathizer. I am a conspiracy theorist who believes it was all at the hands of our government. Let me go on record as saying I do not believe in extraterrestrials.

The first museum we went to was recommended by the tourism lady. She said the man who runs it is a real character and a die-hard believer. Best part? Its free. If we wanted to pay $5 a person, we could go to the “better” museum, designed for both believers and skeptics alike. We opted for free. And walked into a gift shop. With Bitchy McStink sitting behind the counter. Selling things like “What happens in Roswell stays in Roswell” and “I’m From Roswell-I Probe on the First Date” gear, interspersed with Area 51 stuff. *Yawn*

So we walked over to the “better” museum, and our large group of 6, with a military discount and a child confused her. Instead of $30 to get in we paid $13. No complaints here. I think we overpaid by about $12. But this leg of the trip was meant for John. This is his Mecca. The only major disappointments for him were that the alien café closed up (the guy who ran it went to jail or something) and that the actual crash site is now on private property and cannot be visited. All I can say is well, damn.

The lady in the gift shop also warned us that on this next lef, we will have a very long stretch without any cell phone reception. Needless to say the girls and I are bummed. So if you don’t hear from us for a while, have no fear! We shall return. We’re off to Albuquerque for dinner and to visit the old towne, which was an unexpected deviation from the plan, but one I am looking forward to quite a bit!