In Which We Narrowly Escape Alien Abduction (Of Course We'd Say That, Wouldn't We?).

On our way through the empty desert of Nevada. Three perfectly normal signs by the roadside, but one is vibrating wildly. And then we see the cluster of abandoned cars:
A little odd, we thought, but then there was this:

We were entering the vortex near the dreaded Area 51! The highway was empty for miles in both directions. Had everyone been abducted? Could we avoid the Grays and their inevitable anal probes?

Nope.

But escape we did, tearing down the empty highway like bats out of hell, followed by lights in the sky:

We realized that it wasn't just us in jeopardy. The cows too were targeted for mutilation or worse. Even the highway signs show them starting back in terror from an unseen, but implied, alien presence:

Keeping a wary eye on the skies, we pulled off the road for a nervous lunch. We were beginning to relax when an alien craft swooped right over the car, not more than 100 feet up! it banked hard right in front of us, totally silent, then sped off between the buttes!

It wasn't until the blaring roar of its engines caught up to us a second later that we recognized it as an F-15. The government was providing us with aircover from the lurking UFOs.

Gratefully, we resumed our journey, a little shaken, but with growing confidence that we had escaped abduction.

And then we saw them:

CLOOOOWWWWWNS!!!
(Click picture to experience the full horror.)

Again we hightailed it down the highway, seeking now the shelter of the Sierra, the comfort of California. And as we crossed the state line we could feel our hackles reset and the hair on the back of our necks go limp. Even the cows had returned to their usual comforting placidity:


Still shaken by our narrow escape, we stumbled in to a funky (good) little motel in Lee Vining, triple locked the door behind us and gave thanks for our providential deliverance.