Do You Think Dave Was Ever Abducted?

By heading to Roswell from Lubbock we enjoyed a vacant drive on wonderfully resurfaced roads along the 82/380 highways.  I really thought we would find some 'Alien' hitchhiker but no such luck.  However a fine; 'Thank You' Mr. Obama and your 'Put America Back to Work' program for the condition of the roadways.  The first leg, SW down the 82, took us right through downtown Brownsfield.  The main street is all red paving brick, beautiful to look at but hell to drive over pulling a trailer.  A block or so would have been sufficient but the whole mile was a killer.  I may need to see a dentist when we get home and there were lots of screws to tighten on the rigging.

Leaving Brownsfield we entered flat grasslands that traversed in every direction.  There were no mountain ranges or hills to break up the curvature of the earth.  It was just like heading out onto the ocean on the West coast of BC.  Land or ocean just disappears into the skyline.  When the rolling hills did begin again, Oil Rig Pump Jacks also appeared in mass.  Each one has its own cattle following and you can smell the dollar signs. 

Kaye has been looking for a Pelican for our deck.  Our fascination began when we filmed them diving for dinner at Avila beach right at the start of our adventure this year.  As we slowed to pass through Tatum, she spied a large metal art display that showed promise.  We turned our freight train around in a gravel parking lot just as the noon bell rang.  The lot belonged to a Steak House and it was packed.  Very good sign.

Speaking of signs, all of the street signs in Tatum are metal cutouts, even the sign for the Steak House was metal and it turns out Juan Manuel Carbajal has been producing metal art here for the last 25 years.  No, he doesn't have a website and he doesn't need one.  Everyone knows Juan from 'Poor Boy's Metal Art'.

The cafe diner sat about 30 people, had a little salad bar, old fashioned milk shake maker and a 14oz Rib Eye steak for $13.  Most expensive meal on the menu and it included the salad bar!  Two big cattlemen, who had spied our licence plates, chatted to us about visiting BC and told us that the 'steak strips' were the best in the land but to only get a half order.  No chicken fingers in this part of Texas, when you order ribs, you get beef not pork!  We were tempted but the waitress said the strips were deep fried with 'Chicken Fried Steak' coating, so we had to pass.  I had the Rib Eye and Kaye had chopped steak with mashed potatoes, gravy and beans.  Just like Mom used to make, so make sure you visit this gem.

Juan had no Pelicans but he sure had some great artwork.  He uses 1/4in. plate for most of his work and is still working with Oxy/Acet vice a Plasma Cutter.  Here is a link to photo album of his work, we have his address if you are ever interested in a custom order.

Roswell is a much bigger city than I had imagined.  My knowledge of it, was based on History Channel type shows and the sensational coverage of the UFO craze.  Turns out Roswell hosts a major university, a military college, technical companies and is a popular convention centre.  Every hotel chain is represented along with the locals. The UFO tourist trade is no slouch as part of the economy either but it is by no means the mainstay.

The UFO Museum and National Research Centre will only entertain children for a very short span, this is no Royal Tyrell.  Kids and 'un-aliens' can spend their hours in the gift shop.  The physical displays in the museum are 'cute' at best.  The focus of the museum is on documentation and education.  Lots of reading and of course, controversy.   Most of the material follows the period from 1947 to about 1973.  Not sure why there is not more recent material, maybe the aliens gave up on us, like we gave up on the moon, so many moons ago? Here is a link to more photos from the museum and around Roswell.

Our Trailer Village RV Park was a family owned business very close to the old part of downtown.  Super nice couple, Erin and Debbie, who have lots of dogs and cats of their own.  Erin also operates a custom powder coating business and his work looked extremely good.  Bit too far away for Steve G. to send his 67 Chevelle parts but I found a treat for him that I will show off later.  



It was lovely to have shade trees right beside the trailer on the 80+F day we arrived.  However, the nesting birds of various species were incredibly noisy at 04:30.  We have learned to sleep with ear plugs in.