July 15, 1996
Source: PRnewswire
CARSON CITY, Nev., July 15 /PRNewswire/ -- There are some folks in rural Nevada who claim to have experienced first-hand encounters with visitors from other planets, particularly on a lonely stretch of pavement in rural Nevada called the Extraterrestrial Highway.
Still, there's no guarantee that drivers traversing State Route 375 in Lincoln and Nye counties will come face to face with alien beings --despite its new designation. So, the Nevada Commission on Tourism will soon begin doing its part to make a trek along the 98-mile route enjoyable for those who don't encounter intergalactic visitors.
Beginning July 15, the NCOT will inaugurate the ET Experience, a program geared to increasing awareness of the ET Highway and promoting tourism in the wide-open spaces of south-central Nevada.
"Since inexplicable phenomenon happen randomly, we have created The ET Experience, a club and membership kit featuring some of the more reliable attractions on the route," said Lt. Gov. Lonnie Hammargren, M.D., chairman of the commission.
Callers to the NCOT's toll free information hotline -- 1-800-NEVADA-8 -- will receive a kit, featuring a brochure about the ET Highway and nearby attractions such as the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, the historic mining towns of Tonopah and Goldfield, and the Lunar Crater Volcanic Field. The brochure also contains a mileage chart and a suggested travel itinerary. Callers also will receive a Pioneer Territory brochure, a list of regional traveler services and a state map.
To become official members of the ET Experience Association, visitors must obtain a receipt from any business in Rachel, Nev., near the halfway point of the ET Highway, and a receipt from at least one business in Alamo, Amargosa Valley, Ash Springs, Beatty, Goldfield, Hawthorne, Luning, Mina, Pahrump, Scotty's Junction or Tonopah. Prospective members must submit these receipts, plus a written account of their ET Highway experience (suggested length: 200-250 words) to the NCOT, Capitol Complex, Carson City, NV, 89710.
Upon receipt of the article, travelers will be sent a collection of exclusive ET Highway memorabilia, including a glow-in-the-dark license plate frame and a bumper sticker, both bearing the legend, "I Was Out There." They'll also get a cloisonne lapel pin reproduction of the official ET Highway road sign. In addition, the first 1,000 respondents to drive the highway will receive a T-shirt with "The ET Experience" printed on the front and "I Was Out There" on the back. In addition, all travelers will be eligible to have their articles printed in the official ET Highway newsletter, "Eyes Only," tentatively scheduled for publication twice a year.
The Nevada Transportation Board renamed State Route 375 the Extraterrestrial Highway in February 1996, in deference to the road's proximity to the super-secret Groom Lake Air Force Base, also know as Area 51, near Rachel. The area is a popular gathering place for UFO enthusiasts seeking a glimpse of otherwordly vessels. Gov. Bob Miller and other state officials formally dedicated the highway April 18.
For more information about the ET Highway and the ET Experience, contact Ken Evans at 702-687-4322.
All rights reserved to WUFOC and NÄRKONTAKT. If you reprint or quote any part of the content, you must give credit to: WUFOC, the free UFO-alternative on the Internet, http://www.tripnet.se/home/west/ufocentr.htm