Alien hunting in Arizona

A hunt for aliens in the American desert is the dream turned reality for two members of staff at the University of St Andrews.

IT technicians Steve McLeod and Andy Braid are on a trip of a lifetime touring the sites of the most famous reports of alien landings and abductions in the United States.

The intrepid pair are travelling by motorbike across the American desert on the same type of all-terrain bike used by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman on their famous 19,000 mile journey from London to New York in 2005.

Steve and Andy started with a couple of days in Nevada City before beginning the trip, with Andy’s brother Peter, across the American desert, taking in iconic sights such as Lake Tahoe, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and the Valley of the Gods.

Their 3,500 mile journey will cross five states California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona ending up at Roswell where in 1947 it was believed aliens had landed, creating a world-wide media frenzy, before the incident was dismissed as a crashed weather balloon by the US military.

They will also visit the area near the town of Snowflake in Arizona, where American forestry worker Travis Walton claimed to be abducted by aliens, reappearing after a five-day search; as well as the town of Rachel – the closest community near the famous Area 51 a restricted military area which has become the focus of UFO theories.

Steve, 53, from Broughty Ferry, said: “This is a bucket list item for me, like seeing the Earth from space. It’s been a dream to visit these places I have watched on television and finally get a chance to see them for myself.”

Andy, 59, from Crail, said: “My brother has been asking me to join him on this trip for a while now and the time finally felt right to go now. Aliens are a fascination for both of us, there has to be something in it.”

The pair will spend around three weeks in the United States before returning home to Scotland.