The Dreamland Resort site went over their bandwidth allocation for the month of May, so it was temporarily down - thus the reason for the missing banner. Meanwhile, UFOMind.com offers up some fun nuggets when DR isn't available, even though it is no longer maintained. Glenn Campbell (not the singer) was a mainstay around the perimeter of Dreamland for many years and logged most of his observations on this site before finally moving on.
Last winter, I bought & read a book titled "The Dreamland Chronicles" written by David Darlington. It turned out to be a descriptive narrative documenting the mysteries of Area 51.
For the uninitiated, southern Nevada hosts a very secret air base 100 miles north of Las Vegas. So secret in fact, that the U.S. government will not acknowlege it's existence. So secret that employees are chartered in to work out of Las Vegas by either a 737 with blacked out windows, or ride in on a chartered bus with blacked out windows. So secret that the only satellite imagery of the base, available for public viewing, comes from Russian satellites. So secret that any unauthorized flights that come anywhere close to the airspace of Area 51 will be quickly escorted away, or shot down. So secret that 'Cammo Dudes' watch you if you choose to approach the border of Dreamland. The closer you get to the border, the closer they get to you. Sensors and video cameras are set up everywhere and if you choose to linger near the border, you may just get buzzed by a military helicopter. Message being 'we really don't want you hanging out here.'
Area 51 is often referred to by several alias' including: Dreamland Resort, Groom Lake, Paradise Ranch, The Ranch, Watertown Strip, Watertown, The Box, Project 51.... The base sits in or next to Nellis Air Force Base on a dried up lake bed - Groom Lake. It hosts the world's longest runway and was made famous in the movie Independence Day. It had already gained some noteriety through the years for being the primary testing area for black projects such as the U-2 spyplane, B-2 Bomber, D-21 Drone and F-117 Stealth Nighthawk, among others. True noteriety began to come it's way in 1989 when a scientist named Bob Lazar began a series of interviews claiming he had worked at a secret base called S4 at Papoose Lake there & was involved in the science of studying captured UFO's (9 of them) to help learn all we can about the technology from those craft. Many people believe him while many others find it all too far 'out there...'
I found the book so intriguing that I ended up making tracks out that way over my spring break, in conjunction with an Elton John concert taking place in Vegas. Spending a night in Rachel, NV, which happens to be the closest town to Dreamland, I was treated to a stay at the 'Little A'Le-Inn' which I will never forget.
Upon arrival at Little A'Le-Inn around 8:30 p.m., I ordered some pancakes. Flapjacks were served up that would have made Paul Bunyan proud! Upon finishing them up, I promptly checked into my room, which was housed in one of the mobile homes out back. Each unit comes with a TV & VCR. The TV gets no reception, so I checked out the free video library, which is possibly the most complete UFO library you're ever going to encounter anywhere! Checked out The Andromeda Strain (which I hadn't seen since it was released in 1971), Independence Day & a host of homemade documentaries filmed in Rachel of various UFO conventions, etc...
But no matter how hard I tried to settle down & settle in, I couldn't ignore the constant roar in the skies. So, upon stepping out, I looked up, only to notice dozens of lights moving around amongst the stars. 'Red Flag' was the buzz word around the area this week - an excercise participated in by numerous countries where air fighters practice target bombing & other manuevers. It was truly fascinating to witness! Off to the north, I watched 5 different explosions from targets being hit - far enough away I couldn't hear them though.
The skies finally quieted down around 10 p.m., so I turned in to talk to a few guests & locals and check out the videos. The next morning, I was awakened to a violent shaking of my room accompanied by several loud sonic booms! It was so cool! Part of this day was spent trying to get near the gate of the entrance, but we ran into road work on Groom Lake Road. We followed that with a climb at Coyote Summit where we got 'buzzed' by F18's & F15's with B52 Bombers soaring overhead. 2 people who go by the codename "BlackF150" provided me with a skywatchers' "insider's perspective" as we searched for notable notes of note.
Unfortunately, my stay was short, leaving me longing for a return trip - I have a daughter or 2 who would love to return with me. Of course, I had to buy some souvenirs before leaving Rachel, NV. Area 51 is a mysterious place where all questions go unanswered, yet the unknown keeps those stories oh so interesting.
If you're looking for something different, Area 51 will not disappoint!
The most comprehensive site on the net pertaining to Area 51.
