Baker, California: Alien Fresh Jerky

They only have one flavor of turkey and no other non-beef options. Whiskey beef is tastiest! Had five flavors to taste. Lots of nonsense candies and the typical small town store supply of custom-branded sauces all made by the same company somewhere. Was a great excuse to stretch the legs but we won't stop next time.

This place changes every time I'm here. I love how unique the Alien Fresh Jerky building is! It's like a space ship.

Looks like they added some fancy parking lot lights and were doing some work on the UFO-themed hotel.

Well, this explains the space alien/cow mutilation correlation.

On the weary I-15 stretch between LA and Vegas, and in the middle of the three mile-long truck-stop known as Baker, a brilliantly themed roadside jerky stand/shop beckons. $8 gets you a 4-ounce bag of dried goodness, or an Andrew Jackson buys you three bags(tax-free, out-the-door!). Alien Jerky offers several different degrees of ass-burning heat levels and flavors to choose from! And to aid in making the right purchase, they have a self-serve, "sample" counter. Mmmm! (use the tongs). Don't do bovine? Game jerky is your alternative. Critters include: turkey, buffalo, ostrich, alligator, and I think I even saw some salmon.

Filling up the rest of the shop is overpriced alien candy, snacks, gimmicky sodas, and energy drinks. And a lot of souvenirs capitalizing on that familiar image of the small-gray alien with the big head.

Since our last alien jerky encounter, the density of extraterrestrial races, vehicles and gourmet meat snacks in Baker has increased. Or it seems so -- the proprietors of Alien Fresh Jerky like to move around the props and characters promoting their dried meat products and space monster souvenirs. If the silver "Galaxy Peace Patrol" car with its three green dummies is missing from the parking lot during your visit, it will probably be back the next time you pass through.

Inside the store, a mechanical alien fortune teller offers advice from a coin op glass case. The store displays plenty of E.T. bric-a-brac to buy -- t-shirts, glasses, signs. Jerky is available in many flavors and configurations.

The manager didn't laugh when we asked about how the new "UFO hotel project" is going -- he said that it was underway for 2013. The plan, publicized in late 2012, is to build a 3-story, saucer-shaped motel with a pool resembling an E.T.'s head. If all goes well, Baker will be promoted as the "Gateway to Area 51"...