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Category: Travel Photo Essays

Travel tips, photos & travelogues from all over the world.

Photo Essay: UFO Themed Town of Roswell, New Mexico

OK, so it was actually more of a roadtrip through Roswell than a roadtrip to Roswell, New Mexico, but I am glad we stopped by because I made two startling discoveries: The singer John Denver hails from Roswell, New Mexico. (Gasp! Perhaps his ultralight aircraft was reverse engineered?) New Mexican style Mexican food is quite different than the Tex Mex we get here in the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex. I didn’t spot any UFOS in the sky, but shop windows and signs featured aliens galore: For those who don’t know, Roswell’s main claim to fame is that in 1947…

1897 UFO Crash & Alien Body – Is this the Roswell of Texas?

Did a UFO Crash in Texas in 1897? The following is an adapted excerpt from Unexpected Texas – my best-selling travel guide to quirky, offbeat and overlooked places near Dallas and Fort Worth. Check it out if you enjoy learning quirky facts, or are looking for offbeat road trip ideas in north Texas. Back in 2012, I learned of a strange incident that allegedly occurred in Aurora, Texas. According to a newspaper article published by the Dallas News in April of 1897, a cigar-shaped object crashed in a farmer’s field, an alien body was found in the debris, and this…

Unexpected Texas: Building Made of Salt

The following is an excerpt from my upcoming quirky travel book, Unexpected Texas: Salt Palace in Grand Saline While the French equivalent of “window shopping” translates as “window licking” this is something that literally occurs every day at the Salt Palace in Grand Saline, Texas. The unusual building, which houses a visitor center and museum for the town and the nearby Morton Salt Company mine, is built entirely out of salt crystal bricks held together by a salt/mortar mixture. This strange combination proves tempting to many visitors who satisfy their curiosity by taking a tiny lick of its walls. The…

UFO Shaped McDonald’s in Roswell, New Mexico

McDonald’s Worth a Road Trip Detour I usually avoid McDonald’s restaurants on road trips, simply because I want to taste local flavors and support small, non-franchised family restaurants whenever possible. Plus, we all know what the menu is like, and if we’re really craving one of their burgers, we can always get one at home. Alien Themed McDonald’s Address That said, if you ever travel through Roswell, New Mexico there is one McDonald’s fast food restaurant worth visiting, not for the food, but for the architecture: this particular McD’s looks like a flying saucer! Here’s the address for the alien-themed…

Azle, Texas: Where Chuck Norris Buys his Toys

The following is an adapted excerpt from my Amazon Best Seller: Unexpected Texas. Enjoy! Wild West Toys in Azle, Texas If you enjoy retro collectibles, Wild West Toys in Azle, Texas will knock your socks off. This funky shop is stocked with vintage playthings from the 1950’s and 60’s, as well as specialty sodas (sarsaparilla and the like), candies, turquoise jewelry, western-themed dishes, housewares, and play clothes for kids. Made in the USA Wild West Toys is also the only place in the USA to manufacture metal cap guns. They must be top notch, too, because even Chuck Norris owns…