Message posted by BASSic on February 02, 2004 at 20:57:23 PST:
I finally made it out to Area 51! I was driving down Groom Lake Road and noticed a car approaching me from behind. I slowed down and let them pass. It turns out it was a carload of people who were there for the same reason that I was there. As I approached the signs, the Chevy truck was there waiting for us (the people in the other car were already poking around). I got out of my car and snapped a few pictures, looked around for a bit, and then drove away. While I was driving back toward Hwy 375, I noticed that the other car of tourists was approaching from behind again (they were driving about 65MPH) so I stopped and let them pass. I started driving again and noticed another vehicle trailing about a half mile behind me (those dust clouds aren't too hard to miss) so I stopped to see if they would pass. When I stopped, he stopped. This repeated a number of times - every time I would stop the car behind me would stop, not getting any closer than about a half a mile. I thought about turning around and speeding up to see who was following me, but instead I took a left on one of the roads leading to the ranch. I drove a little ways, then turned around and headed back toward Groom Lake Road. When I got back to Groom Lake Road, the truck following me stopped (less than 1/4 mile away from me), turned around, and then sped back toward A51. After making it back to Hwy 375 I made it up to Rachel and stopped by the Inn. It was pretty interesting to see such a small town in such an open area. I couldn't believe how quiet it was! It was getting dark so I didn't get a chance to make it to the North Gate, but I was happy I got to get some pictures of the signs on Groom Lake Road and see a Camo Dude follow me. Is it common for the guards to follow people on their way out? I was also wondering aobut the speed limits along 375 (and 93). It seems very easy to exceed the speed limit. How strictly is it enforced? I was also wondering how well the border is marked around the perimeter. I'm thinking of going back when it gets a little warmer, taking a GPS and doing some hiking. What would happen if someone was to accidentally cross the boundary? It's nearly impossible to miss the signs if you're on the road, but what happens if you're walking around out in the desert and you cross a line of orange posts? Suppose someone who is not familiar with A51 at all is hiking in the desert and they come across a row of orange posts. How are they to know that the area is restricted? I wouldn't try to drive past the signs, but what if someone unfamiliar with the area was to buzz past them accidentally? Are there any instances of this happening? I guess that's what the Camo Dudes are there for - to prevent this kind of thing.
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