Jaunted

Secret Tourism

Secret Tourism: Reading Material for Guys in Bunkers

May 21, 2007 at 11:43 AM | 3 Comments

Deny it all you want, federal government, Jaunted's on to you. Area 51, the military site whose secrecy has inspired alien and weapons theories for years, is gaining mainstream acceptance as a travel destination, we hear.

In Harry Helms' book Secret Tourism (Feral House Press), he makes traveling to forbidden places sound like a rewarding trek -- and not something reserved for guys with Scully posters hanging on their bedroom walls.

On the Feral House blog, Helms chronicles his journey through the desert of southeast Nevada, offering helpful advice along the way. Fill up on gas whenever possible, he warns, and prepare for oppressing loneliness on the stretches of road in between.

Along Route 375, dubbed Extraterrestrial Highway, warning signs line the road leading to the test site. At the border, threats dissuade curious travelers from driving onward.

These signs are no joke-you will be arrested if you go past them, and the Area 51 guards are authorized to use deadly force against intruders. Be like me, and be content with photographing a "No Photography Allowed" sign.

Man. And we thought it was tough getting into Lotus.