Coyote.

Coyote's Flying Saucer Retrievals and Repairs

Ocotillo, California

It's just outside the gates to Desert View Tower, so it's hard to not notice a row of silver-rimmed, clear bubble-topped saucerettes parked among RVs and trucks. There may be a sign or a truck labeled "Coyote's Flying Saucer Retrievals and Repairs."

A guy nicknamed "Coyote" is the amiable steward of these familiar flying objects, which he's outfitted with mobile undercarriages, enabling piloting on the ground and pavement. He transports his saucers to festivals and fairs, such as Burning Man, to provide memorable rides to attendees.

If Coyote is around and not too busy, he may offer to take you on a spin in one of his saucers. There's room for a driver (Coyote) and passenger, and the stretch of road that ends at the Tower is usually empty enough for unimpeded meandering.

Coyote can also be enticed, with a little prompting, to slap on an alien mask for photos.

Coyote told us a friend owns the land, and lets him park his vehicles there. Though it's a temporary arrangement, it's been in place for years. And long enough to have sprouted "Coyote's Rattlesnake Saloon," an adjacent outdoor watering hole hammered together from corrugated metal scraps and junk wood. It's where companions and otherworldly guests may be sighted unwinding in the late evening.

Somewhere under a bridge in the vicinity, Coyote has erected Forbidden Zone scarecrows (see original Planet of the Apes movie) along a dry creek bed.