Rachel, NV

Dean is really into the alien and UFO shows on TV so we decided to drive the Extraterrestrial Highway and overnight at Rachel, NV which has been featured on several TV shows dealing with UFOs. Rachel is also the town near the infamous Area 51 - the secret military base that does not exist.

The town (term used lightly) of Rachel boasts a residency of 70, 13 of which are children. There is no business in town except for the Al-e-Inn which has a bar/restaurant and 6 rooms to rent and a few campsites. Nothing fancy, trust me. This place is so remote you have no TV, no radio unless you have Direct TV.

We arrived around noon and got settled in then went back to the inn for a bite to eat. Dean and I both had the Alien Burger - very good! We spent time reading and napping in the afternoon. Around 3 pm I went back to the inn and played some 1 cent video poker until Dean came in then we sat at the bar talking with the ladies that were working and the visitors that were dropping in. It was amazing how many people stop by. Two young men drove over from Reno for the day just so they could say that they had been to Rachel, NV. We met a motorcyclist from CA. that passes through the area twice a year. He tours for 2 months in the spring and always makes sure to pass through Rachel. He was very interesting to talk to as he has been a lot of places that we still want to go to. Around 5 pm we both had a cup (really a small bowl) of homemade chicken vegetable soup - delicious! We really enjoyed our visit here as everyone was so friendly and treated you like they have known you forever.

Here are a few pictures from Rachel, NV....

The sign and their spaceship.....

The side of the Al-e-Inn building...

Resident aliens.....

From the inn, first looking west then looking east - lots and lots of nothing.....

The road to Tonopah, NV this morning, Friday, May 4th.

Some storm clouds off to the north that we skirted around today...

We are now parked at the Tonopah Station Casino in Tonopah for the night. Full hookups for $15.00. Again no TV stations that come in - grrrr. As we arrived in Tonopah we were greeted with snow flurries - yes you read correct - snow flurries. Thank goodness they didn't last long, but it is cold and the wind is blowing something terrible - around 40 - 50 mph. Tomorrow we head for Fallon, NV and Fallon NAS for a week. From there we hope to go to Reno, Lake Tahoe, and several other places. It will probably be a few days before I post again as our first couple of days there will be spend doing laundry, cleaning etc. Check back....