I want to Believe

I got to sleep in an extra hour today since nothing was open until 9 or 10 (yay) I did get awoken by a storm around 5 or 6 though. I went out to my car and the poor thing is covered in flowers from the blossoming trees in the parking lot.

I am glad I didn't dilly dally about as I pulled up in front of the International UFO museum with only one other car there. I did worry about parallel parking that beast of a SUV I have but there were parking lots so it would have been fine. What can I say about the UFO museum? It's cheap. It's actually very well done, one part kitsch one part Hollywood one part history/science.

I thought they did a good job on it. There was even a VR(no not really but they called it that) I had fun with it. I did like the big replica of this so called Aztec ancient astronaut tablet. Does it look like an astronaut? Eh, not really, not to me but I can't read the iconography. Personally I believe it was a religious depiction of the ruler as god but it's still cool.

And then I went shopping (and damn near forgot my bff from college) You know what, I didn't spend anything more than I usually do for Christmas shopping but man I don't usually do it all at once and now my credit card is gently weeping. Now I have so much I'm going to stop by UPS and just ship it back. My luggage is sketchy on weight as is. I doubt I could lift it if I shove a dozen t-shirts plus some mineral displays into it. Mom said no t-shirt for her so she's getting a cat's eye alien head. Ha. I paid more than I should have for that but ah well.

I went to Stellar coffee and got a double dark side but I think the barista was worried for me because I got this art on my cup relax sweetie. Yes it's a 4 shot cup but it's a ristretto not espresso (less caffeine). You know what I was surprised that Roswell mostly isn't what I thought. I was expecting a Wisconsin Dell's/Ocean City Maryland boardwalk level of hokey but it wasn't. Mostly just alien statues and window art.

From there I went to the art museum and planetarium. I'll be honest, art museums are often a hit or miss for me. I'm much more a naturalist when it comes to art style and much of this was contemporary from the 80s to today. I did find some I loved though, like a huge mural-like painting from the 70s of Indigenous people in street clothes and pow wow regalia. I did take a few pictures but honestly I'm more tired today than I have been in a while so I didn't feel like sharing them yet. There was one interesting one made of salt crystal infused cloth sculpture

There was also something of a natural history museum to this which was interesting, a lot of Native items and calvary too from the 1800s and quite a bit of Goddard and his rockets (including one of them) The planetarium was something about meteors that I was only half listening to because I ate too many chips at lunch at the mexican place next door and I was sleepy. The constellation part was nice and I'm not sure I've been in a planetarium since junior high.

Came home relatively early so I could wash clothes, eat early and get in a swim. Got here to find out my credit card was cut off again. It was a legit issue and I think it was the same group as 5 days ago because the charge is the same but this time it was to an escort group (what are you getting for 2.99?) so they tell me i have to call the vendor and get the charge refused and then call them back

I do. They said well it was already declined here's a conformation number. I do it and call back and they're like we need these three things from you and boom it's working again but did NOT ask for the confirmation number. so why put me through this? Its now over an hour and half into it so I get to dinner late and I'm annoyed and once I am in OH I might very well have them close both credit cards just in case and reissue. Sigh.

( Roswell because you want to believe too )

I can't believe I forgot to say this but in my tram ride up I had three nuns and a Cistercian monk. I figured Jesus had that tram car covered

So it's raining and like 40 out there

Was NOT expecting that. I did not find out what happened in Roswell last night with all the first responders sadly. I started the day with UPSing all the Christmas gifts home. I almost didn't because of the cost. The first offer was over 100$. I said it would be cheaper to pay for the overweight fees (which I think IS 100$) Realizing I was serious, she found a smaller cheaper box that will take a week to get there and I had to put on a signature (since there was hundreds of dollars in merch in there, I was serious about my credit cards gently weeping) and it was still 75$. Yep next time look up overweight fees first because this is a bad bad option.

I took a few more pics around Roswell and FINALLY remembered to put Atsushi (my little white tiger) in my purse as my travel buddy so he got into a few. I finally noticed the cute little house on main was actually the welcome center and they take a pic of you with aliens and email it to you AND print it and it was free. I am sorry I didn't notice it yesterday.

I hit the Roswell bird sanctuary which honestly was just a walk in a park (dedicated by Jack and Susie Chew) I saw a lizard (too fast for photos) and I thought I took a pic of a crow but his call was not a corvid call so I'm not sure what black bird he is.

After that I headed North for Santa Fe on that same road with no rest stops (because I don't learn I had a huge coffee first) I had no idea HOW altered my mental state was driving down to Carlsbad/Roswell because I swear I didn't go through the town of Vaughn (but finding where route 40 was which I had been on suggests I must have but maybe not).

Anyhow there was a diner there, looking all 50s and I almost turned around to get lunch (love old diners) but then I saw the rest of the town....that diner and the RV campground were the ONLY things on the main drag not abandoned. Honestly I was creeped out and kept driving til I hit Clines Corner (a roadside attraction since 1934) Yay toilets but I wasn't that hungry after all and it was already 2 pm and I'm like just get to the hotel and eat an early dinner.

Then it started raining in the desert and the temperatures tumbled. By the time I rolled into Santa Fe it was in the 50s. Since I had two hours before museums closed I decided to go to the Loretto Chapel and I can say a) I love the looks of Santa Fe old town b) there are too damn many people c) almost no parking all paid on street and one parking lot.

Long story short, no can do on the chapel. I looked for the New Mexico history museum. Surely that has a parking lot. NOPE. But there was one handicapped (non-pay) slot and I jammed into it. And the museum was open until 7 for some reason instead of 5 so no need to rush. I enjoyed it. I learned a lot of things (not hard since I know literally nothing about this state beyond Carlsbad and Roswell).

I learned about a hotelier, Harvey, who decided on an all-female staff (after some of the male staff got violent with each other) and ended up giving women some autonomy at the beginning of the 20th cen. That is the one draw of New Mexico and Nevada (maybe Arizona, not sure) the women could step outside the gender roles way earlier in the SW than they could back east (side eyes current AZ) I feel like there's a mystery idea in this. Also by mere chance I ran across a display that told me who the above mentioned Jack Chew was (he was a local military man in WWII). Also one display had take home NM recipes. Yes thank you.

I made it to the hotel. The Sage was selected because a) boutique hotel and I'm a sucker for them and so few are in my price range b) free shuttle to old town (which is the only damn way I'm getting to see Loretto Chapel) It started in 2019 poor thing. Obviously it's an OLD hotel, I'm betting 60s-80s two story with exterior access only and you would know I'm on the second story, no elevator. They were willing to move me but I said no because first floor hotels with outside access freaks me out and it's the weekend in the middle of party town. I figured up here would be quieter.

But as I was saying old and obviously still updating. They're going with rustic southwest. TOO rustic in my room because the desk's shelves are just raw wood shelves with two massive splinters (I covered it because we all know I WILL impale myself on this) and a gap in the door. It's so old it has openable windows which I WOULD do since it's freaking 40 and I could cool down but I don't trust that so the a/c it is.

I didn't want to try to go out on a friday night in this area for dinner so ate in the bar/restaurant here but...it truly WAS bar food, basically scrawny appetizers. I've eaten a crap ton of Indian tacos in my life and I know how filling they should be. That's not what I got. Sigh. At least I still had the to-go breakfast from the Hampton I snagged this morning as lunch. It was a bagel because cold hard bagels with PB&J is what we all want (Yes I did eat it. cold. I have a fridge no microwave...)

Don't get me wrong the room is nice but I'm sure 2020/2021 really cut into the money for updating it. I'll be here two nights. The funny part is the bathroom. It's literally as long as tub and nothing more.

So I only have one more museum I want to see tomorrow and the rest will be wandering old town via that shuttle. I will need to take my cane for that.

( More Roswell and some Santa Fe )