Circumstances brought the Basecamper crew to southern Nevada at the beginning of February for a tour of deplorableness, ghost town, abandoned mining claims, outrageous art installations, and natural hot springs. Several stops were also made at casinos to use wifi and respond to your inquires for vehicles. I know I'm bad at gambling--so I don't. Ninja Jeff can work remotely, so I was busy exploring and generating content for you guys during business hours.
While Jeff worked, I checked out Rhyolite, five miles or so west of Beatty, Nevada. Very pleasant in February--I imagine hot as hell most of the year.
Bottle house. Clearly resilient after a century of baking in the desert sun and still standing. Wind storms have damaged other mining ruins and art installations in the area.
"Nobody's Safe" -- good advice? Having grown up in a major metropolitan area in the midwest, still learning how to process paranoia in the desert west.


End of the road. Fortunately, there was a cut off right back to the main drag to Beatty just before this wash. Picture provided for dramatic effect. This was a really enjoyable afternoon exploring desolate terrain just east of a major National Park, with about zero red tape. Having spent nine years living in the rural Great Basin, the sage desert will always have a special place in my heart. More fun to come five miles north at the Beatty Hot Springs and Spicer Mountain Ranch mountain biking area.