Leaving our lovely Texas home, we decided to take the old Route 66 path through town. There are still some old shops and businesses from the 1930s and 40s which have been revived as bookstores, antique shops, and diners, but it's really nothing to get excited about.
Our first real thrill was just outside of town when we finally reached "Cadillac Ranch." Sitting in the middle of a cow pasture loom 10 Cadillacs of various makes. The Cadillac Ranch, located along the tatters of historic Route 66, was built in 1974, brainchild of Stanley Marsh 3, the helium millionaire who owns the dusty wheat field where it stands. Marsh and The Ant Farm, a San Francisco art collective, assembled used Cadillacs representing the "Golden Age" of American Automobiles (1949 through 1963). The ten graffiti-covered cars are half-buried, nose-down, facing west "at the same angle as the Cheops' pyramids." 
Carl had a great time spinning all the back wheels to check if they had posi-trac diffs.
Leaving behind the buried medal behemoths, we pressed onward toward our next destination, Roswell, New Mexico. Our path took us away from the main highway and the mother road of 66 and wound us by crops, cow fields, and slaughtered houses all peppered along the railroad.
We took this opportunity to take in the landscape a bit more, and we even did a bit of exploring. The sides of the highway were not only filled with seas of "moo and poo," but also tiny farm/ranch communities which have now become ghost towns. We passed through a few smaller dots on the map - Elkins, Boaz, and Kenna - all of which have nothing but a few wells and foundations; we also some more note worthy sites. Palmerton was once the county seat until it was moved in 1907. When the county seat moved, so did all the residents of Palmerton along with their houses. Today there is nothing there but some public land and a historic marker.
The other interesting site we found was the old Frazier School house and nearby Acme. Acme was a gypsum mining community until high freight cost in the 1940s caused the town to shut down. The Frazier school house is still visible from the main highway. We pulled off and took pictures of it. There is a main building, some stone archways, and a well house out back.
Leaving behind the buried medal behemoths, we pressed onward toward our next destination, Roswell, New Mexico. Our path took us away from the main highway and the mother road of 66 and wound us by crops, cow fields, and slaughtered houses all peppered along the railroad.
We took this opportunity to take in the landscape a bit more, and we even did a bit of exploring. The sides of the highway were not only filled with seas of "moo and poo," but also tiny farm/ranch communities which have now become ghost towns. We passed through a few smaller dots on the map - Elkins, Boaz, and Kenna - all of which have nothing but a few wells and foundations; we also some more note worthy sites. Palmerton was once the county seat until it was moved in 1907. When the county seat moved, so did all the residents of Palmerton along with their houses. Today there is nothing there but some public land and a historic marker.
The other interesting site we found was the old Frazier School house and nearby Acme. Acme was a gypsum mining community until high freight cost in the 1940s caused the town to shut down. The Frazier school house is still visible from the main highway. We pulled off and took pictures of it. There is a main building, some stone archways, and a well house out back.
At last, we left behind the desert and pulled into Roswell, NM. Carl and I were both surprised to see how large the town actually is. We were expecting a small few streets, but Roswell's size could compete with Fredericksburg/Central Park.
Of course, when in Roswell look for aliens… We went to the International UFO museum in downtown Roswell and the "Coverup Cafe" right next door. I'm not going to make any claims about whether or not aliens did crash here, but I think I will keep an extra close look on the skies tonight.
After visiting the museum, Carl and I took a look around town and tried to catch a glimpse at some local wildlife. We spent about 30 minutes looking for the bird sanctuary and when we finally called the visitor's center to ask about it they told us they had just received a grant to build it and the brochure was a bit premature.
We're staying in Roswell for tonight, and then heading north in the morning; I'm not sure what we will find, but we will keep you posted.
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