Area 51 has long been a mythical place in UFO circles. Rumor has it that alien spacecraft are being reverse engineered in Super secret underground bunkers connected by a spiderweb of hidden tunnels that spread out beneath the desert floor. Others say that actual extraterrestrial beings are being held in secret locations within the Top Secret facility while efforts are being made to communicate with them. Whether these rumors are true remains to be seen but regardless, the myth seems to have attained legendary status. If Roswell is the UFO community's Mecca than Area 51 is Heaven...or Hell, depending on how you look at it.
Many intrepid UFO hunters have tried to penetrate the veil of secrecy that surrounds the base...and many have been arrested and fined for doing so. The fine can be anywhere from $600 to $1000 dollars for the first offense, and much higher for those who didn't learn their lesson the first time. That still doesn't stop people from trying though. The lure is just too irresistible.
I have already written about the recent trip I took to Nevada and my journey down the Extraterrestrial Highway that culminated with a visit to the Little A' le inn...the local watering hole and alien-themed souvenir shop that sits on the outskirts of the Nevada Test range. This is usually the starting point for those attempting to make the journey to Area 51. People come from all over the world to do so. Having heard all of the tall-tales about the infamous base, and traveling almost 2000 miles to get there, I was definitely primed for an adventure. The fact that I had a brief encounter with a shady man in black while at the A' le Inn only added fuel to the fire. I was definitely going, one way or another.
Believe it or not, despite the government's official denial that the base even exists, there are several methods one can use to get to it. The first is to drive aimlessly up and down the many dirt roads that criss-cross the desert until you accidentally wander across the boundary...or run out of gas, neither of which would be a good thing to do. Both the desert and the government can be unforgiving.
The second way is to hire somebody to take you there. There is actually a tourist guide service that operates out of Las Vegas and specializes in trips to the front gate of Area 51. The group is called Adventure Photo Tours and they can pick you up at the airport and drive you out to the middle of hell on Earth in air-conditioned comfort. In addition to the base, their tours can also include a visit to see the fleet of unmarked airliners that fly workers to and from the base, some Native American petroglyphs that supposedly resemble aliens, and a visit to the black mailbox and lunch at the Little A' le Inn. It's not a bad way to see the sights if you don't want to go it alone.
The third way to find the base is with a map. I managed to procure mine from the bartender at the Little A' le Inn. (They sell them there for 33 cents) In addition to giving detailed driving instructions to the front and rear gates, the map also shows the location of some of the other interesting sites in the area, like the "black" mailbox, Mailbox Road, and Groom Lake Road. Armed with this fiendish little device I hopped in my pickup and headed for Dreamland.
As I bumped and skidded down the dusty dirt roads I couldn't help but wonder what was in store for me. I had seen pictures of the base boundary before, (and even some of the base itself) so I pretty much knew what I was going to see, but actually being there in person is a whole different story. There is an aura of mystery that permeates the desert out there...a feeling that's very hard to explain. It's a sense of dread that echos off the mountains and flows down the dry ravines, sending cold shivers racing down your spine. It's a feeling of being watched...like somebody doesn't want you to be there. Every time I went around a curve I half expected a herd of MiBs to come stampeding out from behind the hills and drag me into some deep, dark, dungeon filled with little gray slanted-eyed cellmates. Definitely not a pleasant thought.
As I rounded the last curve before the base boundary my feelings of being watched were justified. Perched up on top of a hill overlooking the entrance was a white four-wheel drive pickup with two sinister looking guards in it. These are the infamous MiBs, or "camo-dudes" as some people call them because they always wear camouflage clothing. They are members of a private security firm contracted by the military to keep curious onlookers out and the base's secrets in. They reportedly take their job very seriously.
I was mildly surprised to see the Adventure Photo Tours people were there as well. Their big SUV was parked off to the side of the road just before the entrance marker. Two sun-shade wearing tour guides were setting up a camera with the biggest lens I had ever seen and pointing it in the direction of the camo-dudes. They could have counted the whiskers on an aliens face from a mile out with that camera. I was impressed.
I was also impressed with the lone tourist the tour guides were showing the sights to...a beautiful blond with big...uhh...eyes and an intoxicating smile. It was little wonder that two guides came along on the excursion with their single client. I had half a mind to sign up for a tour right there on the spot, even though I was already at the destination. The other half of my brain told me that Area 51 was nearby and waited to be explored. When the buxom beauty finally wandered over a hill to get a closer look at something or another I finally tore my eyes away from her and started reading the signs around me.
"Warning" they said. "Photography of this area is prohibited." That's nice, I thought, as I started snapping pictures. Most people aren't aware that it is actually legal to approach and photograph the boundary, you just can't go across. The boundary is clearly marked with signs and orange stakes stuck in the ground at regular intervals. There are no chain-link fences, minefields or concrete walls to keep trespassers out, but one false step will bring the wrath of the camo-dudes rushing down upon you. They even have miniature cameras and infra-red beams disguised as rocks and hidden in the cactuses just in case anybody tries to sneak across. Attempting to trespass into the interior would not be a good idea.
As I continued taking photos I kept a close eye on the white pickup sitting up on the hill. I wondered if the guards were watching me or the beautiful blond? There was no way to tell through the truck's tinted windows. In an attempt to find out I started to creep closer to one of the boundary markers...closer and closer I went. When I was only a few inches away from it I could dimly feel the camo-dudes giving me the evil eye and then, with a mischievous grin on my face, I reached out and touched the marker.
I know it was a silly thing to do and is probably something a thousand other people have done...but I couldn't help it. I guess the rebellious part of me just isn't going to rest until I get thrown in the slammer. I seriously doubt there was any possibility the guards would have come charging down from their lofty perch just because I touched a sign, but I was still a little bit giddy when I did it...especially since I made sure my foot was across the boundary line at the time. I can now triumphantly claim that I have set foot on Area 51.
Other than that there is not much to see out there. The base is completely surrounded by hills and the outer boundary is a long ways away from the inner perimeter where the action actually takes place. Anything secret would be carefully stored underground or out of sight and away from prying eyes. There used to be a couple of vantage points on nearby mountains where people could legally go and set up telescopes to observe some of the activity at the base, but thanks to the government's infamous land grabs in the 80s and 90s that is no longer possible. Both of the viewing areas at Bald mountain and Freedom Ridge are now off limits.
Whatever mysteries lie within Area 51 are going to have to remain mysteries for now. I don't see any way that anybody could get closer to the base than I did, at least not without getting arrested. The place may as well be an impenetrable fortress surrounded by miles and miles of cactuses, cameras, rattlesnakes and MiBs. Even the photos that I took are not much different than the ones I had already seen posted on the internet.
I'm still glad that I made the journey though. Being there gives you a feeling that you just can't get from looking at photographs. It allows a person to appreciate the isolation and sense of security that surrounds the base. Whatever the government has hidden there is definitely something they do not want people to see. Whether it involves aliens, UFOs or something more earthly in origin, the Top Secret experiments they are conducting there will have to remain a secret...at least for now.
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