Destination: Area 51

New web site!

2011-12-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

The main site theparadiseranch.com has been gone for about one year now. I started missing the site and all of the cool stuff included within its pages. It was a lot of work. I recently started a new site www.watertownstrip.com It is a little different, but I am trying to build it up with much of the same material and photos. check it out and let me know what you think about the new site.

Watertownstrip.com

Book your Private Area 51 Winter Tours Now!

2011-09-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

I will be offering Private Area 51 Tours on a few selected dates during the Thanksgiving and Christmas Season. November 25, 26 and 27. December 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30. Email me (a51tours@aol.com)to check availability. The tour includes pick up and drop off service from any Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas. We will see all the sights. If you look to the right of the blog and scroll down, you will see photos from all the stops you will make. The cost of the tour is $150 per person. I can take up to three people at a time. All tours are private! Using Paypal is the most convenient and secure. I will also accept cash on the day of the tour. Winter can be one of the most beautiful times of the year to visit Area 51 and surrounding high desert.

Two Sisters from Chicago visit Area 51

2011-07-15T15:36:00.000-07:00

Two sisters from Chicago visited Area 51 in the beginning of July. A good time was had by all!

Recent visit to Area 51 6-27-11

2011-06-28T15:36:00.000-07:00

I recently visited Area 51 after almost a years absence. It was exciting to get out to the desert. Not a lot has changed. The few changes I noticed, were the new ET HWY signs when entering Rachel, the back gate to Area 51 in Rachel is now paved, there is a new weather station and Community Environmental Monitoring Program device at the Little A Le Inn, and there does appear to be a new device at the bottom of the large security camera on GLR. All of these new changes can be found in the video.

Structure at the Nevada Test Site

2011-06-05T19:20:00.000-07:00

This structure is in the North end of the Nevada Test Site near Armagosa Valley. I can't recall seeing it before. Maybe it has been there for a while and I just didn't notice it. The structure looks to be trailers, but they are too big to be trailers. The photo was taken from HWY 95 and is quite a few miles away. I am sure somebody who is into Google Earth can find it and see what it is???

JANET Terminal from the Luxor

2011-05-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

A very good friend of mine at work is moving back home. A few of us from work took him out for a great dinner and some poker. We were in the room at the Luxor Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip and I was watching the JANET planes land. There were two planes that landed back to back at around 6pm. It was Friday evening, so I am sure the workers were glad to be heading home for the weekend! Of course, everybody in the room was watching the game and drinking some adult beverages and I was watching the JANET Terminal. We were on the 13th floor and in the East Tower. The room did have a great view. I only had my cell phone so the photo is not great. There was actually a JANET landing when I took the photo. I need a life!

New Google Earth Image of Area 51

2011-03-24T18:18:00.000-07:00

It looks like Google Earth has updated the images of Area 51 and the surrounding area. The image was taken in June of 2010. It really has great resolution. There are a few new buildings, but no exotic jets on the runway!

Great Video of the A-12 at Groom Lake

2011-02-10T18:55:00.000-08:00

Here is a great video of the A-12 and Groom Lake. These pilots and workers were really something. Great shots!

A-12 at Groom Lake

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T18:03:00.000-08:00

From my family to yours, "Merry Christmas"! This photo was taken on January 26, 2010 after a two day snowstorm.

Rainbow over the Nevada Test Site!

2010-12-20T14:17:00.000-08:00

It has been raining for the past few days and I guess it is supposed to continue for a few more days. This type of rain is somewhat rare for this part of the state. It does make for some pretty photos at times. This photo is of a rainbow over the airstrip in the Nevada Test Site just before Mercury. That is an interesting airstrip. I have seen the lights on before and have seen a few small planes land there. You can see it pretty well from the Highway!

Balloon Ride Near the Nevada Test Site

2010-12-05T14:27:00.000-08:00

While driving to the Pahrump Nugget to cash in my winning parlay card (I had USC -6, Nevada -9, Washington -6, and Oregon -16), I noticed a very rare sight. In fact, this was the first time I had noticed a hot air balloon floating into the Pahrump Valley. It appeared to me that the balloon originated somewhere in the Armagosa Valley near Crystal. The thing that caught my eye was the extremely high altitude of the balloon. I usually see 2-3 balloons per morning on the way to work in Las Vegas. The balloons do low Las Vegas view tours. The balloons are quite low and that really made this sight stick out. I could not believe how high the balloon was. I am guessing that the balloon was high to get over the mountain range that is to the North of Pahrump between the NTS and Pahrump. With the balloon being that high, with the right equipment and even with the naked eye, the NTS and well beyond Mercury would be easily seen. I have read many times and thought about hot air ballooning near the NTS, Range or even Area 51, but I have never seen on this close to the Nellis Range. The photo is almost impossible to see the balloon. It was extremely high up and far away from downtown Pahrump. I guess there could be tours of the Armagosa or Pahrump Valley, but there is not doubt they could get a great view if they knew where to look! I continued the drive further North to see where the balloon was landing. It started to descend shortly after I took the photo. I landed inside the Pahrump Valley in front of the mountain range that separates Crystal from Pahrump. It landed approximately 20 miles from the restricted area of the Nellis Range! Interesting to me...

A Busy Las Vegas Morning!

2010-12-03T20:41:00.000-08:00

With the weather change, the contrails over Las Vegas really develop high above the valley floor. Each morning driving to work in Las Vegas, it is really a show high in the sky. The amount of passenger and military jet activity is impressive. I am glad the air traffic controllers know what they are doing!

Edwards AFB Research Laboratory

2010-11-27T21:14:00.000-08:00

With such a welcoming sign, who could resist driving down the road to see what is up? After heading home from a wonderful Thanksgiving, I decided to venture down a road that has always interested me. I promised the wife (after the unauthorized Nevada Test Site Tour) that I would NOT go down these types of roads any more with the family in the car, so I turned around after a few ominous signs. What is the security like farther down this road? Is there a gate, guards, or fences? How close can you get to the rocket engine testing site? I haven't spent much time around Edwards AFB or the rocket engine test site. I have a feeling that I should start spending a little more time snooping around this area. I drive by continually on the way to my parent's house, but rarely stop to snoop around. I think Edwards AFB needs a little more attention!

Beautiful Southern Nevada Sunset

2010-11-23T19:41:00.000-08:00

I captured this photo today at about 4:30 on the way home from work. The shot was taken at Red Rock Canyon. Red Rock Canyon is near Mt. Charleston. The Southern Nevada desert is a beautiful part of the country.

Aviation Nation 2010

2010-11-14T09:58:00.000-08:00

What a great day. My dad and I had a wonderful time at this years Aviation Nation airshow from Nellis AFB. The Thunderbird's were as sensational as usual. They had a tremendous static display this year. We were able to see the UAV's from Creech AFB in action. They had a predator drone 18,000 feet above and nearly 3 miles away filming the airshow. The technology is very impressive. I am always fascinated by the amount of security. The above photo is of an A-10 with snipers on the corners of the Thunderbird Hangar. For more photos check out my Photobucket page and Youtube page. The show stopper was definitely the F-22 demonstration. What a plane!

Another recent video of F-117 flying near Area 51!

2010-11-08T17:19:00.000-08:00

This appears to be another video that has recently surfaced showing the "retired" F-117 still very active in the Range near Area 51. The individuals on the video claim the date is July 27, 2010. I am starting to think that maybe this is a test plane for a completely remote controlled version. A F-117 UAV. I don't think that is too far out there. The F-117 is one of the first electronically controlled cockpit. It wouldn't be too far of a stretch to think they have completely taken the pilot out of the cockpit!

F-117 Flying Again Video

Click the above link to watch the video

Jesse "The Body" Visits Area 51 (almost)

2010-11-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

The episode of Conspiracy Truth aired dealing with Area 51. Jesse didn't quite make it to Area 51, but he did get about as close as possible. He made it to the restricted area warning signs on Groom Lake Road with the help of Joerg Arnu of Dreamlandresort.com. Unfortunately, the show tended to go into too much alien folklore. I don't blame the show for this since it is obvious that the alien folklore continues to sell! The show has been put on Youtube by somebody in three parts for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Possible UFO or cow spotted above Creech AFB

2010-10-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

While driving home to Pahrump, I caught what appeared to be a UAV returning home to Creech AFB. I usually travel with my digital camera or video camera, but did not this time. I only had my cell phone. While driving I managed to snap a shot of what appeared, with the naked eye, to clearly be a UAV, but upon further review, at home, it appears to be a flying cow or UFO! It is really cool to drive by and catch one of the UAV's flying around Creech AFB. It truly is the wave of the future for the Air Force. There has been a tremendous amount of construction at Creech AFB. The construction started a few months ago and it appears to be continuing with quite a bit of construction in all areas of the base. It is really an awesome sight to see the Predator flying past the car along the Hwy heading home to Creech AFB. This Predator UAV landed shortly after 6pm.

F-117 Resurfaces Again (well sort of...)

2010-10-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

It appears that the Chinese have a mock up of the F-117 at one of their air bases. The interesting fact is that this base deals with UAV's and missle defense systems. It does make you wonder if the recent photos and scanner info. showing that the F-117 is again flying around Groom Lake. Lets not forget that the F-117 was the first completely wired jet. How hard would it be to disconnect the cockpit? I wonder if they are using a F-117 with some new technology making it completely remote controlled!

Image of the Week: Luoyang Nighthawk
Click on the link above to read more about this photo!

What Happens If You Cross the Line at Area 51

2010-10-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

This video has been around for a while, but it never gets old. This should put to rest all of the people who keep talking about Area 51 being moved to Utah or other nonsense along those lines. Area 51 is as busy as possible and the security is as strict as any place on Earth!

Jesse "The Body" Ventura visits Area 51!

2010-10-16T21:52:00.000-07:00

It looks like the new season of Conspiracy Theories with Jesse Ventura started this past Friday. The episode was about the germ lab on Plum Island. I watched all of the episodes last season and was entertained with the show. The topics were good, but Jesse just never really seemed to get any "smoking gun" concerning the topics covered, but he is an interesting character and made for an entertaining hour. The second show this season is going to be about Area 51. The previews looked interesting, but sort of gone over many times on many shows before. It looks like he interviews George Knapp and a few other regulars. The webmaster of Dreamland Resort and overall top notch Area 51 researcher is in the episode as well. The show airs Friday at 10pm Pacific. I will definitely DVR this episode. I don't expect anything monumental to come from this episode, but I am hoping it will at least be entertaining.

Possible F-117 alive and well at Area 51?

2010-10-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

For the last few days there has been quite a bit of "buzz" about a possible sighting of a F-117 near Area 51. It is reported, from a very reliable source that the two photos and video of the F-117 are legit and they are recent and they are from near Area 51. I will work on posting the photos and video when permission is granted. The photographer wants to remain completely anonymous. It was verified that the F-117 did not come from Tonopah Test Range where the F-117 have been stored in a "mothball" state since the official retirement in 2008. If one is alive and well and being flown out of Groom Lake, that may not be too surprising after all. I can imagine Area 51 using a F-117 for testing purposes. Maybe some new technology has been added or they it has been designed to fly as a UAV. Who knows? Any guesses? When the photos and video becomes available, I will surely post for all of you!

Click the link below to visit a site that has the two photos and a video of the F-117
F-117 Post Retirement

Great Fly-By photo of Area 51, Papoose, and Yucca Dry Lake

2010-09-18T15:33:00.001-07:00

This has been on a few sites for a few days. It really is an interesting shot. From what I can tell these shots were taken from an airplane just outside the restricted area over the Nellis Range. The flight might have been the Phoenix, Arizona to Oakland, California on US Airways. The photos are really great quality for shooting out of the window of a commercial airliner. Enjoy!

Fly-by photo

Groom Fest 2010

2010-09-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

This should be a lot of fun. A public hike of Tikaboo Peak with Glenn Campbell.

Groom Fest 2010

Groom Lake Photos -July 2010

2010-07-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken this July by one of the top Area 51 researchers. He is the webmaster at www.lazygranch.com His photos are top notch. These recent photos are the best and most detailed I have ever seen of Area 51. The photos are from Tikaboo Peak. Visit his site and this link. You will not be disappointed!!!

Groom Lake Photos

Click above to view the photos in an Area 51 discussion forum!