Ghost Towns

They just don't make 'em like they used to, do they?

If this doesn't make you want to watch the movie Independence Day - then I don't know what will.

Yes it's the only $5 minimum Zoltar I've ever seen, and trust me I've seen just about all of them.

Yes everything here is too expensive.

But if you're heading on down the highway to Rhyolite, there isn't really much you can spend money on while you're there anyway, so be a good traveler and drop a few bucks while you're here, help keep these quirky, side of the highway, only in Nevada, small businesses open. 

I seriously love everything about this.

Could you imagine someone trying to build something like this today?

Private Equity and Corporate Greed would never dream of it. 

This is what road-trips are made for!!

Interesting no Impossible Burger option for Meat. I certainly would have gotten that sandwich if they had the option.

I opted for the Cosmic Chips with Garlic Parm aka: *redacted seasoning*, and Solar Relish instead - quite good actually!

Plus look at this 1950's / 1960's tabletop. 

You couldn't buy this thing today if you tried - everybody wants vintage stuff like this nowadays!!

Oh and don't forget to visit the Alien Cathouse Brothel while you're here.

Again, small town, limited job options - help keep them in business, you know?

Come to just outside of Vegas - where we have legal brothels, and actual Tumbleweeds.

If this doesn't represent the Wild West, I don't know what does.

No notes, 10/10.

Your local Steampunk Fever Dream.

I want.

Seriously though, this place is a Marvel.

It's empty inside (aren't we all?), but it's a Marvel.

I'm 4'10" tall - for scale.

Stick to the beverages - that's what they used to do in the early 1900's, and they knew what they were doing!

Anybody ever seen the movie Backrooms??

A little Mortal Kombat soda does the body good.

Techatticup Mine - one word to describe = legendary.

During our visit there were about 50 people on the property in total - they were from Brazil, Germany, England, Chicago, Colorado, Vegas, West Virginia, etc.

Our tour guide Bruce was exceptional, very knowledgeable, very informative, really funny, knew how to work the crowd, made it an overall super fun and memorable experience.

The grounds themselves were incredible, with the vast collections of oddities, automobiles, movie props (3,000 Miles to Graceland anyone?), and just fun quirky stuff they have throughout the entire place.

I would super highly recommend a visit to this one-of-a-kind very Instagram worthy attraction.

Bonus - it's only like $20 per person for the mine tour, one of the best deals in Vegas.

Call 702-291-0026 to book the Mine Tour held at 9am, 12pm, or 2pm daily

The children, they crave a day of toiling in the mines.

I'm glad I didn't have to build it, I just get to enjoy it.

Is this the entrance to The Spa at Encore on the Strip??

Yes, yes it is.

See, told you.

They obtained these directly from the crash in Roswell New Mexico.

But don't tell anyone though.

It's a (top) secret.

The tour does a great job of breaking up into different component parts - sitting outside talking, touring the little museum type of area, history lesson, artifacts, incorporating the movies it's been in, touring the grounds, the mine, etc.

Here was a snippet from 3,000 Miles to Graceland - with some fun trivia / info thrown in by our awesome tour guide, Bruce. 

Museum of the Strange, for sure.

Ouch!

Aren't aliens usually the ones who probe us??

On the left side there, is about a 10 story (100+ foot) drop, more pics below this pic.

One of the most interesting things in my opinion - is that this infrastructure, the catwalks, etc. weren't built by engineers - this is all equipment that was placed in the mine by workers using their best guess of what would/should work or hold up. 

Nothing like risking it in the abandoned gold mine. I guess that's why they have you sign a waiver before the tour!

If you're uncomfortable for any reason I'm sure they would let you just stand on the other side and not go on the catwalks - they just lead to a photo op for a closed-off part of the mine and then you turn back around, so it's not required to do them to complete the tour, and you don't walk on the boards pictured below, that would be insane.

#widow-maker

These are the  (reasonably safe) catwalks. 

Like 20+ minutes into the mine a lady in our group asked Bruce - is this safe?

I was like you're just now asking that?

Part of the fun of the experience though, it's an adventure, after all!

Another view 100' down.

In other parts of the tour the cave extends upward like 150+ feet, according to Bruce Bruce. 

They were really looking for the gold everywhere in that place!

To clarify, the snacks are not inside the mine.

Although I did joke they shoud have a speakeasy in there, when you climb up 150 feet! 

That would be awesome.

Potential abandoned gold mine, ghost town speakeasy location. Once you climb all the way up there.

Only the strong may access.

3,000 Miles to Graceland movie prop!!

More movie props!

The man, the myth, the legend.

And the other plane from 3,000 Miles to Graceland.

The (surprisingly) cleanest bathroom for hundreds of miles!

A highlight of the tour - mining by candlelight!

Truly a unique part of a unique experience!

Way way way up - I want to see what's up there - I just know it's a speakeasy, dammit.

Super cool experience - I love seeing the authentic Wild West in Las Vegas, and Techatticup Mine is definitely the real deal!

I read a lot about this through the Travel Nevada website, one of my favorite things about living here is all of the cool, quirky, artistic stuff we have access to here in Southern Nevada.

This is about 1.5 hours from Vegas, and makes for a nice little (holiday) mini-road trip!

It felt like we picked the perfect, unexpected, day to visit. 

This (rare) cloud cover really gave things a feely of spookiness and creepiness, which is about all you can ask when exploring an abandoned ghost town, right?!

The movie Backrooms called - they just wanted to say that you're doing it right!

And they say white people don't have culture.

That last joke works on multiple levels, you see?

One thing that's extra interesting to me about ghost towns in the middle of desert - how do some buildings still have parts standing, and other buildings are totally gone?

Or why is one wall still kind of tall, but the rest aren't?

It just sits out in the desert heat all day, so it's not like there are environmental factors to cause it to degrade...

Whatever the cause, I am glad there are still remnants because I think this historical stuff is so cool.

We counted about 30 other people in the area when we were out exploring - so I guess they must think it's pretty cool too.

Speaking of pretty cool....

If there's ever been a better inspiration for a Haunted House concept - I haven't seen it.

Gold Mine Boomtown Train Depot, turned Rhyolite Ghost Casino, with drinking, gambling, and "working women", turned abandoned, and presumably haunted, historic ghost town landmark?

It's checking all the boxes, for my interests.

What the actual f?

The Bullfrog-Rhyolite Cemetery.

An incredible, and sobering monument, to those brave enough to traverse the unexplored terrain near Rhyolite seeking to connect with the lives and stories of those souls who have found this particular patch of desert as their final, and hopefully peaceful, resting place.

Oh, and if you do go - please don't go on TripAdvisor and give the cemetery a "rating", that's so weird and disrespectful. It's a graveyard, not an amusement park. The people buried here aren't buried here for anyone's entertainment.

It's ok to appreciate the site, and to carry on the legacy and memory of those gone, but not forgotten - just do so respectfully please, thank you.

A reminder that the time comes due for us all, eventually. The question is how will you make the world a better place before you go?

Please be careful where you step, as not every site is clearly defined or marked, and each of these burial sites contains someone who meant everything to another person. 

This hallowed ground represents the life, death, struggle, victory, highs, lows, happiness, sadness, hopes, frustrations, anxieties, tensions, relationships, dreams, achievements, failures, worries, fears, celebrations, wins, losses, and the overall culmination of a person's existence here on Planet Earth, of someone who has passed on from this life. May they be gone, but never forgotten.

105 years of life is even more remarkable when you consider the standard of medical care that would have been available in such a small, remote town, during those time periods.

I hope she is resting well and peacefully. 

Rest in Peace to all of the souls buried here, who have allowed their passing to enrich the lives of those who visit this site - so that we may remember, and reflect upon our own lives, the rich tapestry of experiences that define what it means to be human.