On the royal barge, Queen Elizabeth is leading a flotilla on the Thames to celebrate her 60-year reign. Photo by Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images

Although I’m back in Nevada for two weeks and trying to ignore the 108 degree temperatures, this has been a Diamond Jubilee-joyous weekend at my house. God Save the Queen. Working through my days, the television channel locked on BBC, it’s been wonderful to watch those “stiff-upper-lipped” Brits go wild.

Here’s a 60-gun salute to Queen Elizabeth. On Sunday afternoon, standing on the royal barge that was leading a 1,000-strong flotilla up the Thames, she never played the diva. At 86-years-of-age, waving to the crowds, enjoying the merriment, she seemed at the top of her game. Did I mention it was rainy and cold?

But, back to 108 degrees. The Extraterrestrial Highway, Nevada State Route 375, is a remote, desolate 98-mile stretch of road in south-central Nevada. According to a Nevada Commission on Tourism spokesperson, there are more U.F.O.’s sighted in this area each year than at any other place on the planet!  Please. Does Nevada really need this distinction?

I think this sign is clear – Stay Out! ufocasebook.com

Let’s just put the blame where it belongs: AREA 51.

“Area 51, a top secret military installation for testing unacknowledged, or black, projects, lies in a desert valley northwest of Las Vegas. During the Cold War, CIA and Air Force officials chose this remote location to shield such efforts from foreign spies and US citizens. Although the base has been known by many names–Paradise Ranch, Watertown, and Dreamland, among others–the designation “Area 51” has taken root most deeply in the public imagination. Since 1955, it has grown from a temporary camp into a national test facility supporting nearly 2,000 military and civilian workers and dozens of projects, including aircraft capable of cruising at Mach 3 and stealth airplanes that are virtually invisible to radar. Although secrecy surrounding Area 51 spawned rumors of UFOs and reverse-engineered alien spacecraft, declassified photographs provide a rare glimpse into the true nature of America’s most famous secret base                Peter Merlin, “Area 51: Images of Aviation”

Acknowledged as the “most secret place in America,” most of the land surrounding Area 51, along this desolate road, lies within the Nevada Test and Training Range and the Nellis Air Force Base restricted area. My advice? If you drive on State Route 375, look straight ahead. Do not look Left. Do not look Right.

Rachel, Nevada, the lone survivor along State Route #375

The old mining town of Rachel, located about 115 miles northwest of Las Vegas and 27 miles north of Area 51, is the sole outpost along Route 375. Now dubbed the “UFO Capital of the World”, it has a population of 98 people, maybe, 50. No gas station. No amenities. No nothing.  Well, there is the Little A’Le’Inn, (pronounced little alien) Restaurant & Bar, owned and run by Pat, Bill and Connie.

That’s why, instead of motoring to Rachel this weekend, I grabbed a front row seat to hear a lecture at the National Atomic Testing Museum. An affiliate of the Smithsonian and founded to preserve an accurate history of the Nevada Test Site, it is located in Las Vegas. In a lecture entitled “Dreamland: The Secrets of Area 51”, aeronautical historian and author Peter Merlin, was going to spill the beans on Area 51.  He was also pitching his new book, “Area 51: Images of Aviation.” This all tied nicely into the museum’s newly-launched exhibit, “Area 51: Myth or Reality.” (Apparently in the last few years, boxes of classified documents have been “de”. )

Author Peter W. Merin ( Does anyone think he looks like Indiana Jones?)  photo by dreamlandresort.com

Indiana Jones (Does anyone think he looks like Peter W. Merlin?) photo by lamemovies.net

At the intriguing lecture, and who doesn’t love mysteries and secrets and yet-to-be-discovered’s, I was as interested in the lecture-ees as the lecturer. The auditorium was packed, standing room only. Primarily an older crowd. (The youngers were still at the topless pools on The Strip. Remember the 108 degrees?)   I suspect they were retired military or former Area 51 employees who are so programmed to secrecy that even in the question-and-answer period, they wouldn’t admit it. Shhhhhhhh. Then there were the UFO fanatics. You gotta love ‘em.

If you are ever in Las Vegas, I strongly urge you to visit the National Atomic Testing Museum. The exhibits are astounding. As more classified documents become available, we will learn more about radioactive America and our nuclear role in the world whether that’s a topic of interest or not.  There already are several museums devoted to this topic. To visit one near you, go here.