The Alien’s Guide to Las Vegas

Walking down the famous Las Vegas Strip and looking at some of the passers-by, you may start to believe that extra-terrestrials really are among us. Indeed, if you use the American definition of alien, a non-U.S. national, then the city is indeed full of us. Yes, I admit it. Being a Canadian I am considered an alien here, though I arrived in Sin City not by UFO but by Air Canada.

My plan however, was to linger in Vegas only long enough to take in the Atomic Testing Museum’s AREA 51 exhibit then head out to the famous, top secret and until fairly recently totally unacknowledged US military/CIA base at AREA 51.

I first met with NATM director, Allan Palmer, who explained that his museum was associated with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The permanent exhibit is primarily aimed at giving visitors a feel for a scary, but important, historical and current topic, the military use of nuclear power. Many of the museum’s Retro exhibits will be familiar to those over 50, with displays which relate to the history of the development of nuclear weapons and their testing and deployment, and to their effect on popular contemporary culture. With the test range only 65 miles from Vegas, locals would often drive out and set up lawn chairs to watch atomic blasts (afterwards giving “glowing reports,” I understand).

Museum-goers can themselves experience an incredible simulation of a nuclear blast in the museum’s bunker/theater, get their picture taken next to a real B53 atomic bomb and take a look at the discontinued but successful nuclear rocket testing program. We human beings would probably be tramping around Mars now if these weapons had ever been deployed.

The museum’s current special exhibit deals with AREA 51 which encompasses the dry Groom Lake and lies adjacent to the crater-pocked atomic weapon testing area at Yucca Flat. It is so secret even the president of the United States can only go there by invitation! Fittingly you are welcomed into the “area” by a man in black (MIB)…who calls himself Agent Black. AREA 51 area locals say that those who reported UFO sightings often had a visit from these gentlemen, garbed in black suits or sometimes black air force uniforms.

Agent Black makes visitors swear to reveal nothing of what they see (which means I am probably in big trouble!). The exhibit integrates video footage, interviews, still footage and even some artefacts related to AREA 51, as well as interviews and displays related to various UFO sightings, including the famed Roswell, New Mexico incident. Popular speculation has it that in Roswell an alien or aliens were taken from a crashed extraterrestrial vessel by the military and brought to AREA 51. Supposedly scientists autopsied an alien and a famous video purports to show this. This was later found to be a hoax though others claim the footage was a “simulation” and re-creation of an authentic film which had degraded. Another popular belief is that the strange craft flying around AREA 51 were reverse engineered from an alien spacecraft.

In my opinion the “high point” of the exhibit was the items on display from the Height 611 UFO incident in Dalnegorsk, Russia. These are not impressive to look at but their provenance is astounding.

In 1986 a glowing object crashed into the ground and burned in this Russian region. After the wreckage cooled bizarre artifacts were retrieved including metal mesh and tiny glass spheres with a highly unusual composition and strange properties. For days afterward more lights were seen zipping around as if someone or something was searching for the downed object. The Atomic Testing Museum is a very credible facility associated with the prestigious Smithsonian Institution. Perhaps it’s possible these really could be extraterrestrial artifacts (at least more probable than anything else you are likely to set eyes on unless you are an MIB).

Many speculate that this was a crash of an extra-terrestrial spaceship, but some Russians believe it was a top secret American spy craft. Indeed, from what information has been released, AREA 51 has been a testing ground for American spy planes since 1955, first the U2 and later stealth type aircraft such as Project Oxcart’s SR-71 “Blackbird.” There was even a flying-saucer-like aircraft that was unsuccessfully researched here; apparently it couldn’t get more than six feet off the ground.

Armed with my AREA 51 orientation I was ready to head for Rachel, Nevada with Adventure Photo Tours. First stop was the whimsical Little A’le’Inn in Rachel, Nevada, the closest town to Area 51 and featured in a number of Hollywood movies, including Paul, and most popular was “Independence Day.” Galaxy Quest. Movie artifacts, memorabilia and UFO-related art and photos dot the walls of the former Rachel Bar and Grill. I was munching on my Alien Burger (made with real aliens?) when two soldiers in camouflage came ambling in. Dean, our guide, identified them as being from the base and warned me not to take their picture. They take security very seriously here, as I was to find out!

The civilians around AREA 51 have certainly seen more than their share of UFO’s. Strange lights have frequently been seen in the skies overhead, often enough for Nevada Route 375 to be officially designated as the Extraterrestrial Highway in 1996. Depending on who you listen to these are aliens visiting the base or even spying on the base. Others say that strange flying objects would not be all that unusual near a secret base which tests experimental aircraft! The aforementioned Oxcart Program, with its stealth aircraft, likely was responsible for many of these sightings. In fact, as you exit the Atomic Testing Museum’s AREA 51 exhibit this point is made visually and very effectively.

After lunch we visited the infamous “black mailbox” where alien messages are said to be exchanged. The disgruntled rancher, Steve Medlin, to whom the box belongs, was not amused by the fact that his post box and mail were often “abducted” in the middle of the night. The box is now white and made of heavily reinforced metal anchored in concrete. On a nearby hill is a look-out post and we are already being watched and monitored Dean tells us.

Now it was time to tackle the dusty Groom Lake Road and to approach the perimeter of AREA 51. Signs sternly warn unauthorized personnel to stay away and threaten the use of deadly force if not obeyed. Surveillance devices closely monitor uninvited visitors. A Ford 4-wheel-drive vehicle awaits us, perching mutely on a nearby ridge overlooking the perimeter. Even with binoculars and telephoto lenses the two figures in the truck remain only blurred silhouettes. Dean tells us that once two well-endowed young ladies on his tour confirmed that the occupants were probably human and male. They flashed their ample bosoms at the vehicle evoking an appreciative hand wave from the driver’s side window.

Dean warned us not to cross over the line demarcated with orange posts. Apparently an Australian woman got herself deported and a BBC film crew got themselves held for three hours at the point of M-16 rifles by doing so. I didn’t press my luck.

Afterwards, heading back to Las Vegas I reflected on what I’d seen. I concluded that though my experience of AREA 51 had been fascinating, it had left me with more questions than answers.

If You Go:

Adventure Photo Tours

National Atomic Testing Museum

Photo Credits

All Photos By George Burden – All Rights Reserved

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