Saturday, June 23, 2012

Mystery Spots: Places Where Bizarre Forces Obscure Reality

By Anna Goldwater Alexander

Lat: 37.254" N || Long: -115.806" W

Area 51
Groom Lake, Nevada—Government-run alien crash pad

The Mystery: For conspiracy theorists, Area 51 has been ground zero for the nation's secret military projects since U-2 spy planes were tested there in the 1950s. But as any sci-fi fan knows, it's also a hot zone for the extraterrestrials recovered from an unidentified space vehicle rumored to have crash-landed in nearby Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. Over the past few years, several former Area 51 workers have tried to sue the government for exposure to toxic materials (presumably not from Mars), but they've been thwarted by presidential exemptions allowing the Air Force to keep its operations hush-hush.

The Reality: Aliens make for great TV but are otherwise pure fiction. Really.
Photo Portfolio: Uta Kögelsberger

Uta and Uwe checked online maps to see how close they could get to Area 51. They learned their best bet for getting insider information was at the Little A’Le’Inn motel in Rachel, Nevada.

Little A’Le’Inn hotel gift shop.
Staying at the motel provided them with no shortage of rumors, including one of listening devices placed throughout the area to track potential intruders. Also, the boundary markers are placed so that they are very hard to recognize, yet, says Uta, "if you aren't careful, you can easily cross the barrier. And if you cross, the guards are allowed to shoot to kill."

Groom Road, a dirt road on the way to Groom Lake/Area 51. "The implied danger is quite strongly felt. You get a sense that the folklore has built a much stronger fence than would be physically possible to construct," Uta says.