Viva Las Vegas | Day Two

“Not all those who wander are lost.” – J. R. R. Tolkien

Day two of our Las Vegas adventure : this was a big day and

I have tons of pictures to share, I hope you enjoy!

We headed out of the city on this endless ribbon of a highway.

The view was awe inspiring, vast, deserted, still.

I was thankful for the Ipod.

Our destination : the ghost town of Rhyolite, Nevada 120 miles NW of Las Vegas.

Brian referred to this place as the Pantheon of the West.

Part of the gold rush, Rhyolite was a bustling mining town in the early 1900's.  But like many of the towns of this era the boom was short lived and once the mine ran out, so did the town.

 

A visit to Ryholite was on BSG's bucket list...check!

Interesting glimpse of a life left behind.

This is my Kilroy imitation...pretty good, eh?

An unexpected bit of color in the desert!

I love the unexpected.

There are several geocaches hidden around Ryolite.

One of them hidden under the colorful couch and another near an old RR right of way. 

We went off road with the rental car...but stopped a half mile short of the cache. 

Getting stuck was not in the plan for the day, so we hiked the rest of the way!

BSG found it!

No visit to a ghost town is complete without

a walk through the cemetery.

So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,

till my trophies at last I lay down;

I will cling to the old rugged cross,

and exchange it some day for a crown.

~george bennard

After a longer than expected visit in Rhyolite,

 we headed to Death Valley National Park.

Sand dunes that stretch on for miles.

This hot place must be hell on earth in August...

thus the name = Death Valley

Incredible view across the valley floor.

Up next on day three - Red Rock Canyon!