In October 2019, my daughter Jill and I spent a four-day weekend in Ruidoso New Mexico. We went sightseeing in and around the town and took a day trip to White Sand National Monument. Click HERE to read a short introduction about our awesome trip.
This story, which is part of a series, is about our day in Roswell and Glencoe.
This story, which is part of a series, is about our day in Roswell and Glencoe.
Roswell, New Mexico (October 17, 2019) Jill and I left Phoenix Sky Harbor airport at noon and landed at Roswell International Air Center less than 90 minutes later. International yes, but small by almost any measure. Why Roswell? The answer was simple. The Roswell airport offered the shortest fly-drive time from Phoenix to Ruidoso. And so there we were, “west of nowhere and south of lost” (from the book The Children of Roswell).
Jill and I retrieved our checked bags, rented a Dodge Journey, and headed to the #1 restaurant in Roswell (according to reviews on TripAdvisor) for lunch, the Cowboy Café. And you know what? The food was very good, and the friendly service was even better! I had fried chicken between a homemade biscuit and cheese, smothered in sausage gravy, and topped with a fried egg, with hash browns on the side. I know, I know – lots of calories, lots of cholesterol. Except, I was on vacation, and I don’t count either when I travel!
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The Roswell Incident
Fortified with good homecookin’, Jill and I were ready to learn about the “Roswell Incident,” which took place in 1947. On July 4th of that year, a UFO crashed on a ranch in a remote stretch of desert near Roswell. Well, at least that’s what many eyewitnesses claimed. They even wrote sworn affidavits attesting to what they saw. The U.S. military said that what they saw was nothing more than a conventional weather balloon. "Foul!" cried many. "Just another government cover-up."
Fortified with good homecookin’, Jill and I were ready to learn about the “Roswell Incident,” which took place in 1947. On July 4th of that year, a UFO crashed on a ranch in a remote stretch of desert near Roswell. Well, at least that’s what many eyewitnesses claimed. They even wrote sworn affidavits attesting to what they saw. The U.S. military said that what they saw was nothing more than a conventional weather balloon. "Foul!" cried many. "Just another government cover-up."
UFOs: The reliable cases are uninteresting, and the interesting cases are unreliable.
~ Carl Sagan, Other Worlds, 1975
~ Carl Sagan, Other Worlds, 1975
Whether or not a UFO crashed, Roswell became synonymous with UFO lore. And more than 70 years later, we seemed no closer to the truth, whatever that might be.
Well, inquiring minds wanted to know, so Jill and I headed to the International UFO Museum and Research Center, which “endeavors to be the leading information source in history, science, and research about UFO events worldwide.” Surely we would find answers to our burning questions there.
The museum, located on Main Street in downtown Roswell, was founded by Glen Dennis, a self-professed witness to the Roswell Incident. As we walked towards the museum, it was clear from the familiar looking facade that this was a former movie cinema. I learned later that it was the Plains Theater, which closed in the 1970s. The building and an adjacent store were purchased in the 1990s and remodeled to house the museum and research center.
Well, inquiring minds wanted to know, so Jill and I headed to the International UFO Museum and Research Center, which “endeavors to be the leading information source in history, science, and research about UFO events worldwide.” Surely we would find answers to our burning questions there.
The museum, located on Main Street in downtown Roswell, was founded by Glen Dennis, a self-professed witness to the Roswell Incident. As we walked towards the museum, it was clear from the familiar looking facade that this was a former movie cinema. I learned later that it was the Plains Theater, which closed in the 1970s. The building and an adjacent store were purchased in the 1990s and remodeled to house the museum and research center.
This museum has been a popular tourist stop. By 2001, it had its millionth visitor. The Sioux City Journal reported that 150,000 people visited the museum each year, and that they “come from every state and at least 34 countries around the world.” The price of admission was nominal – $5 for Jill and $3 for me (the "senior" rate).
Inside we found documents, photos, artifacts, and exhibits displayed in a dozen or so vignettes, each telling a part of the story of ETs and UFOs. Most of the vignettes related to the Roswell incident. Jill and I spent an hour walking from one display to another. We read some of the many eyewitness reports, looked at photographs of possible debris and flying saucers, and scanned information about the alleged cover-up. This was typical of the sworn affidavits from eyewitnesses:
Inside we found documents, photos, artifacts, and exhibits displayed in a dozen or so vignettes, each telling a part of the story of ETs and UFOs. Most of the vignettes related to the Roswell incident. Jill and I spent an hour walking from one display to another. We read some of the many eyewitness reports, looked at photographs of possible debris and flying saucers, and scanned information about the alleged cover-up. This was typical of the sworn affidavits from eyewitnesses:
I and my companion observed a bright flash and what appeared to be
a bright light source moving toward the southeast. Later, at sunrise, driving
in that direction, I and my companion came upon a ravine near a bluff that was
covered with pieces of unusual wreckage, remains of a damaged craft and a
number of smaller bodied beings outside the craft.
~ James Ragsdale
a bright light source moving toward the southeast. Later, at sunrise, driving
in that direction, I and my companion came upon a ravine near a bluff that was
covered with pieces of unusual wreckage, remains of a damaged craft and a
number of smaller bodied beings outside the craft.
~ James Ragsdale
We also had close encounters of the third kind with a few ETs housed in the museum. (As an aside, we were assured that no ETs were hurt in creating these exhibits.)
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For us, an hour was enough time to glean the information we were interested in, and to be able to say that we visited the museum.
Did we find answers to our burning questions? There was no conclusive evidence one way or the other, either about the Roswell Incident or ETs and UFOs in general. Regarding the latter, though – and this is just my humble opinion – I have no doubt that other beings exist, as it hard to imagine that we live on an island (Earth) in a vast universe otherwise devoid of other beings.
Roswell embraced its place in history. We saw ETs and UFOs everywhere as we wandered along Main Street, in and out of a handful of shops, looking for that perfect souvenir that says “I’ve been to Roswell.” ETs and UFOs are painted on windows and buildings, included in the names of many businesses, and are part of the public art. We even saw a 30-foot tall ET – maybe the world’s largest – standing in front of a car dealership. Oh, and that souvenir I mentioned? I bought a baseball cap with a little ET on the front, to add to my ever-growing collection of ball caps from places I’ve visited.
Did we find answers to our burning questions? There was no conclusive evidence one way or the other, either about the Roswell Incident or ETs and UFOs in general. Regarding the latter, though – and this is just my humble opinion – I have no doubt that other beings exist, as it hard to imagine that we live on an island (Earth) in a vast universe otherwise devoid of other beings.
Roswell embraced its place in history. We saw ETs and UFOs everywhere as we wandered along Main Street, in and out of a handful of shops, looking for that perfect souvenir that says “I’ve been to Roswell.” ETs and UFOs are painted on windows and buildings, included in the names of many businesses, and are part of the public art. We even saw a 30-foot tall ET – maybe the world’s largest – standing in front of a car dealership. Oh, and that souvenir I mentioned? I bought a baseball cap with a little ET on the front, to add to my ever-growing collection of ball caps from places I’ve visited.
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The Spirits Moved Us
Jill and I left Roswell mid-afternoon, and drove west on US-380 over rolling hills of desert scrub – which is to say, there wasn’t much to look at. Near Riverside, though, the road climbed a winding path up the highlands that lead to the Sierra Blanca mountain range, and here the foliage changed to more scenic shrubs and trees.
Jill and I left Roswell mid-afternoon, and drove west on US-380 over rolling hills of desert scrub – which is to say, there wasn’t much to look at. Near Riverside, though, the road climbed a winding path up the highlands that lead to the Sierra Blanca mountain range, and here the foliage changed to more scenic shrubs and trees.
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The distance between Roswell and Ruidoso was 75 miles, less than 90 minutes if we drove straight through. But of course, we didn’t. We passed several small towns along the way, including Tinnie and Hondo, and then stopped at a distillery in Glencoe for a tour and tasting that Ruidoso's office of tourism had arranged for us.
The Glencoe Distillery – whiskey, vodka, gin, and aquila (their version of tequila) – is owned by Will Ponder and Glen Barrow. We met Glen when we walked in, and Will a short time later, as he wasn’t expecting us for another hour. Jill and I sat at the bar, where we enjoyed a Moscow Mule served in an iced copper mug. It was sooo good!
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When Will arrived, he shared the brief history of the distillery, which was opened just a few years ago. He then led us on an informative tour, where we learned about the equipment and distilling process. We had a short lesson on cutting the head and tail of the distillate to leave the middle part, the heart, which was the finished product, rich in alcohol, flavor, and aroma.
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We were back at the bar after the tour to taste many of the spirits distilled on site. All were quite smooth, but I favored the single malt whiskey over the others. Will was the consummate host.
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Before we left, the bartender brought an us Apple Pie Vodka, a specialty drink of the distillery – apple slices and cinnamon soaked in vodka. Seriously, what could be wrong with that? Jill and I decided that we had a new favorite drink!
We definitely let the spirits move us at Glencoe Distillery! And, I picked up another souvenir, a bottle of the distillery’s commemorative whiskey named Asleep at the Wheel.
We definitely let the spirits move us at Glencoe Distillery! And, I picked up another souvenir, a bottle of the distillery’s commemorative whiskey named Asleep at the Wheel.
It was a short drive from Glencoe to Ruidoso. We checked into our condo and had dinner at Rio Grande Grill & Tap Room before we called it a day. And what a first day we had – from ETs to spirits, we were off to a great start!