"We're going where?"
Carrizozo, NM -- The best place to start an adventure.

As we were driving into Roswell, NM the feeling of finally being at a destination was amazing. We had been driving for hours and being so close to the destination was absolutely the best feeling in the world.

We ended up stopping at one of the few places open and explored the little kitschy Alien space walk.



We debated on if we were going to eat at the well known alien burger joint or if Tony was going to make dinner.seeing as we had planned to go back the next day explore. The smart idea was to make a trip to the grocery store.

After heading to the store, we called the kind woman whose place we had rented from Airbnb. As it turns out, we hadn't anticipated it being so far away. The most unexpected views as the Sun was going down was the absolute best part of the added unexpected detour. The worst part was somehow ending up in the Lincoln National Forest while trying to find our small farm trailer in the desert. Going down Highway 55, I determined it was forever going to be the "Highway To the Danger Zone". Seeing the deer, bunnies, cows, and various wildlife all on the road in the middle of the night was quite an adventure in itself although our 3 hr extra drive turned into about 5. It was a favorite of mine.

We were looking for a windmill that we couldn't find. After calling for the third time, she decided to meet up with us at almost midnight. She happened to be one of the best hosts I've ever encountered, even allowing me to feed her horse...

(that I bought apples and carrots for but could never find again). The original plan was to stay for 2 days and then head to Albuquerque. However, when we ended up at the farm, I wanted another day and Tony was endearing me. The wonderful host we had even offered a free night on her so things were looking up.



The lack of cell phone service was a great distraction from the fast paced, and mentally draining stress of life. Many hours were spent just talking and hiking through nothing trying to get to the ruins that I desperately wanted to see.

I had "forgotten" to pack properly for a true hike, it wasn't exactly what Tony had expected but we found the little gem of a place he had chosen and even though we didn't find any arrowheads, the farmland with cows, horses, and bunnies everywhere. The plants were a wonderful addition to my love of botany. All in all it was great just relaxing in the middle of the desert.

We ended up going into the town of Carrizozo on the second day of the trip and pushing Roswell back a day since it was a further drive than originally anticipated.Having never heard of the town we didn't actually expect to find much. Turns out the little town has a surprising amount of history.

Carrizo is a type of reed grass, they added the extra "zo" just to emphasize the abundance that grew around the town. It was a main stop for the railroad, and Billy the Kid was rumored to have broken out of jail for the final time in that location.

Finishing our stay in Carrizozo, we stopped at a small trading post where we met a wonderful woman who was a leatherworker who was very informative and gave us a magazine of the goings-on of the small town. If, like us, you want to forget about the rat race of life, you should consider wandering into the lovely little town we accidentally found while searching for aliens.