Land of contrasts — or landing zone for UFO’s? The Zona del Silencio in the Chihuahua desert is one of the eeriest places on the planet. To me, it was like what I imagined the surface of the moon to be like. There are literally millions of meteorites covering the ground in some parts. In other parts, there are inches of a fine, white, powdery dust that covers everything. Fossils litter the area. If you drive too far into it, your engine will cease working. Some have said

that it is because of the strong electromagnetic fields surrounding the area. Low-flying planes avoid it and Loran doesn’t work there. Others have said that is a lot of bunk, and that the area must be the site of some government hanky-panky, so they have perpetuated the myths. Me, I don’t know, but it surely is a spooky place — and I don’t mean the kind that works for the CIA, either.

To get to the Zone of Silence, go north from Torreon, Coah, towards Chihuahua on Hwy #45 for 83 miles. You’ll pass the road to Mapimi, another of my undiscovered places. You can also approach the Zona del Silencio from Chihuahua. It’s 190 miles south of the city on Hwy #45. Be sure to fill with gas before you leave and top it off with any unleaded station you see on the way. Although I didn’t, and came back, it was foolish as there is no gas in the Zona. Although finding unleaded gas is no longer a problem in Mexico, this is one area where an extra gas can could come in handy. If you were just driving to Chihuahua, you’d have no problem whatever.

Once you’ve turned off from the main road, you’ll be on dirt tracks. From time to time, you’ll see little wooden signs with arrows saying “Zona”. Don’t count on ’em always being where you need them. You can tell if you are going the right way by using a flat-topped mountain ahead of you as a landmark. Keep that bluff on your left going in and on your right coming back. My companion on the trip penned the phrase, “Be kind to that mountain “you will need it later.” She was right. It looks very much like the one in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Many believe that flying saucers land there. The National Enquirer did a story about it. Of course, the three headed sheep and “deformed creatures and people” they claimed lived there must have been sleeping during our visit. I’ve heard (but haven’t been able to verify) that, during the 30’s a group of believers in extraterrestrials from the U.S. went there and hung out for awhile, awaiting visitation. We camped out in the Zone and I tried to contact any aliens around, but they must have all gotten their green cards. My companion just gave me one of those looks that women give men they don’t love for centuries.

Far off in the distance from the bluff is a giant crater. How giant, I don’t know, but it looked as big as Crater Lake in Oregon from where I stood. I choose not to test the theory of engines not working and didn’t drive any farther. The trip back was only somewhat easier and we caught a cemetery with a spooky and sad feel to it. That didn’t stop me from taking pictures, but I felt guilty about disturbing something that should have been left alone.