| From Texas we cut back West to New Mexico, | | | | Take 400 stainless steal polls, arrange them in a |
| to bring you more tales of the off-beat and | | | | one mile grid, wait for lightning to strike, and zap, |
| bizarre from across the U.S.A. Spend a week or | | | | you've got mother nature's answer to the laser |
| two in New Mexico yourself and you'll quickly | | | | show. |
| understand why its earned the name, The Land | | | | For $250, you can spend an electric night in a |
| Of Enchantment: | | | | 3-Bedroom cabin, watching lightning violently |
| 1. The Black Hole: Atomic Surplus Store & | | | | batter into the metal rods before it. You better |
| Museum: Los Alamos New Mexico | | | | hope there's a storm in the forecast though, as |
| Put on your best radioactive suit, and head into | | | | there's no money back guarantee if lightning fails |
| the The Black Hole, a 17,000 square foot store | | | | to strike. |
| and museum brandishing some of the great relics | | | | 4. Roswell New Mexico |
| from Los Alamos' radioactive past. | | | | It wouldn't be a trip to New Mexico, without |
| Need a new fallout Shelter? You'll find it here. | | | | experiencing the extra terrestrial. Roswell's |
| Need a Geiger counter? You've come to the right | | | | downtown strip features no less than a dozen |
| place. Need a kilo of Uranium? Come on in (we're | | | | otherworldly attractions. Even the local Walmart |
| kidding on that one). | | | | and Arby's have signs exclaiming, "Aliens |
| Since 1970, store owner and former nuclear | | | | Welcome" |
| machinist "Atomic" Ed Grothus has been collecting | | | | For a close encounter of your own, head to the |
| and dealing non radioactive nuclear waste to the | | | | International UFO and Research Centre and learn |
| masses. His efforts to preserve Los Alamos' | | | | the mysteries behind alien encounters, crop circles, |
| nuclear history have been so profound in fact, | | | | and the infamous UFO crash of 1947. |
| that his story was made into an award winning | | | | Next, point your tractor beam at the Area 51 |
| documentary in 2002. | | | | museum and pose for pictures with E.T in the |
| 2. Smokey The Bear Grave and Museum: Capitan, | | | | over 20 handmade alien scenes. For the truly |
| New Mexico | | | | ambitious, there's even alien autopsy to perform. |
| Once just an average bear, Smokey likely never | | | | Bring your gloves, it could get messy. |
| envisioned becoming a national advertising icon. | | | | 5. Sparky's Burgers, BBQ and Espresso: Hatch, |
| After being rescued from a forest fire in the mid | | | | New Mexico |
| 1950's, Smokey took off to Washington, giving 20 | | | | Only in America could a restaurant serve up the |
| years of service to the United States Forest | | | | odd combination of burgers, BBQ and espresso |
| Service before his death in 1976. | | | | and pull it off with such flawless perfection. Drop |
| Today you can pay your respects to Smokey in | | | | in for a meal at Sparky's and be blown away by |
| his final resting place, a simple grave-site lying in | | | | how beautifully a fresh ground java cuts through |
| the small town of Capitan, New Mexico. | | | | the barbecued goodness of a pulled pork |
| If the emotion of it all leaves you feeling | | | | sandwhich. |
| famished, stop in the Smokey Bear Restaurant, | | | | Besides the unlikely coupling of cuisines, you'll also |
| and order up a famous Smokey The Bear Burger | | | | find enough kitschy decor to fill a museum. A |
| (we checked, and the meat contains no parts of | | | | giant Uncle Sam, a 10 foot tall A&W |
| Smokey or any other bear). Just be sure to | | | | momma, and an army of scrap metal robots are |
| smother it in plenty of ketchup because; only you | | | | just some of the many off-beat marvels eagerly |
| can prevent bland burgers. | | | | awaiting your visit. |
| 3. Lightning Field - Quemado, New Mexico | | | | |