Rachel is a tiny settlement of about 50 people on Nevada's Extraterrestrial Highway, officially State Route 375. The town exists almost entirely because of its proximity to Area 51, the classified US Air Force installation whose secrecy has fuelled decades of UFO speculation. The Little A'Le'Inn, a bar and motel decorated with alien memorabilia, is the only real business in town and the main reason most visitors stop.
The real draw, though, is the landscape. Rachel sits in an empty valley surrounded by desert ranges, and the skies here are extraordinary. With no light pollution and virtually no commercial air traffic — the military base keeps the airspace restricted — the night sky is as dark and clear as anywhere in the Lower 48. You can park on a dry lake bed off the highway, set up a chair, and see the Milky Way in detail that city dwellers will never experience. Sonic booms from military aircraft are a regular occurrence, and strange lights on the horizon are easy to spot — whether they come from experimental aircraft or something else is a question Rachel is happy to leave open.