Roswell, New Mexico, Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, UFO Museum

We left our boondocking spot in Carlsbad, New Mexico and moved to Midway RV Park near Roswell, New Mexico, home of the famous "Roswell Incident" in July of 1947.  The park we are staying at is decent - not fancy but very functional.  We are staying here a week mainly to get mail and packages shipped to us and do some maintenance on the RV. 

Our Route

Our Site

We visited Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge the other day.  The refuge is remarkable for being a natural oasis in the Chihuahuan Desert for migratory birds and for other animals.  The bitter taste of the water for which the lake was named and the white patches of soil near the shore are a result of natural deposits of gypsum in the area.  We saw quite a few types of migrating birds but they were so far away and so skittish that it was difficult to get any decent photos.

Gypsum patches on shore

Probably a White Faced Ibis - taken from a long way away

A pod or squadron of White Pelicans from about 1/3 mile away - strange to see pelicans in the desert

 Male Shoveler

Another Shoveler

The largest solar farm I have ever seen just outside of Roswell - it covers 1400 acres (over 2 square miles) and produces 140 megawatts, enough to power 40,000 homes.

On the highway entering the City of Roswell

Roswell has lots of quirky shops mostly themed around aliens and UFO's

The UFO Museum - lots of historical information on the Roswell Incident and a few displays - worth seeing if you are in the area