As we were driving into Roswell, New Mexico, the feeling of finally being at a destination was amazing. We had been driving for hours, and knowing we were finally that close was probably one of the best feelings in the world.

Of course, when you finally make it to Roswell, you have to do at least one alien thing.

We ended up stopping at one of the few places still open and explored the little kitschy Alien Space Walk. It was weird, cheesy, and exactly the kind of thing you should probably do when you find yourself in Roswell.





Afterward, we debated whether we were going to eat at the well-known alien burger joint or if Tony was going to make dinner. Since we already planned on coming back the next day to actually explore Roswell, the smart idea won and we made a trip to the grocery store instead.

That was when the adventure really started.

After leaving the store, we called the kind woman whose place we had rented through Airbnb. As it turned out, we hadn't exactly anticipated just how far away it was.

The unexpected drive gave us some of the most amazing views as the sun went down, which was probably the best part of our unexpected detour.

The worst part?

Somehow ending up in Lincoln National Forest in the middle of the night while trying to find our tiny farm trailer in the desert.

Going down Highway 55, I determined that it would forever be known to me as the “Highway to the Danger Zone.”

There were deer, bunnies, cows, and various other wildlife seemingly everywhere along the road. What was supposed to be about three more hours of driving somehow turned into closer to five.

Oddly enough, it ended up being one of my favorite parts of the trip.

We were supposed to be looking for a windmill.

We could not find the windmill.

After calling our host for probably the third time, she finally decided to come meet us. Keep in mind, by this point it was almost midnight.

She ended up being one of the best Airbnb hosts I've ever encountered. She was incredibly kind and even let me feed her horse.

 

Naturally, I bought apples and carrots for the horse afterward.

Naturally, I could never find the horse again.

Our original plan was to stay for two days and then head toward Albuquerque. However, once we actually got out to the farm, I wanted another day.

Tony was humoring me, and our wonderful host even offered us an extra night for free.

Things were definitely looking up.





One of the best parts of staying out there was the lack of cell phone service.

Normally, that might sound inconvenient. Instead, it became a welcome distraction from the fast-paced and mentally draining stress of everyday life.

We spent hours just talking and hiking through what felt like absolutely nothing, trying to get to some ruins that I desperately wanted to see.

I had also somehow “forgotten” to pack properly for a real hike.

It wasn't exactly what Tony had expected when he picked this little gem of a place, but that almost made it better.

We never found any arrowheads, but we did find farmland filled with cows, horses, bunnies, and plants I wanted to stop and look at every few feet because apparently even wandering through the desert turns into a botany lesson when I'm involved.

There wasn't a huge itinerary.

There wasn't cell service.

There wasn't much of anything, really.

And that was kind of the point.

Sometimes it's nice to just relax in the middle of the desert.

On the second day, we decided to go into the town of Carrizozo and push Roswell back another day. Since Roswell was a much longer drive than we had originally anticipated, it made more sense to explore the little town we had accidentally found ourselves staying near.

Neither of us had ever heard of Carrizozo, so we weren't exactly expecting much.

Turns out, the little town had a surprising amount of history.

The name Carrizo comes from a type of reed grass that grew abundantly in the area, with the extra “zo” added to emphasize just how much of it there was.

The town also became an important railroad stop, and stories of Billy the Kid are woven into the history of this entire part of New Mexico.

It was one of those places we probably never would have intentionally put on an itinerary.

Which is exactly why I'm glad we ended up there.

As we finished our stay in Carrizozo, we stopped at a small trading post where we met a wonderful woman who was a leatherworker. She told us more about the area and even gave us a magazine about the happenings in the little town.

It was such a simple interaction, but it was the perfect ending to our accidental stay.

We had gone to New Mexico looking for aliens.

Instead, we somehow found ourselves driving through a national forest in the dark, dodging wildlife on the “Highway to the Danger Zone,” searching for a windmill that apparently didn't want to be found, feeding a horse I could never find again, hiking through the desert, learning about plants, and discovering a tiny town we'd never even heard of.

And I think that's one of my favorite things about traveling.

Sometimes the places you didn't plan to find become the places you remember most.

So, if you're like us and occasionally want to forget about the rat race of life for a little while, you might want to wander into the lovely little town we accidentally found while searching for aliens.

Carrizozo, New Mexico.

Sometimes getting a little lost is the best way to start an adventure.