The Little A Le Inn: Bar and Motel
Rachel, Nevada
We're heading out into the middle of the Nevada desert, anxious to join the weekly (every Wednesday night) UFO watch on NV 375 south of Rachel. But we can't find any UFO watchers. We can't find anyone or anything, except for the occasional jackrabbit we accidentally run over. We decide to continue north, into town (pop. 54), to the Little A 'Le' Inn, for company.
This tiny place -- a combination bar/motel/gift shop, is now a well-known nexus for any traveler wishing to bathe in the unholy green light of UFO tourism. In 1996, the Governor of Nevada officially named Route 375 the "Extraterrestrial Highway," and that road goes straight through Rachel.
We find four men, two of whom are twins, who tell us that "there hasn't been much to see this month." The bartender (the responsible twin) has shaved his head and wears a groovy futuristic vest and his blonde beard trimmed into points.
The other twin regales us with tales of mysterious sonic booms and a persistent glow that can be seen over the mountains to the south. Isn't that Las Vegas?, we ask. "Las Vegas!" he scoffs. "That's over 150 miles away! You're looking at secret Area 51!"
This gives you a good idea how out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere the Little A 'Le' Inn is. But if you've absolutely got to have a bumper sticker or a coffee mug with a bulb-headed alien on it, this is the place to go. The ET Highway has increased in popularity (continuing movies, TV shows and video games using Area 51 as conspiracy fodder have certainly helped), and Rachel has even added a couple of flying saucers for the tourists to pose next to.
Along the Extraterrestrial Highway and about 70 miles closer to Las Vegas, there's now an Alien Research Center. Its giant metallic alien statue may cause you to veer off long before you get to Rachel.