Union Pacific Caboose

Looks like this caboose was repurposed into gas station or something before being left to it’s own accord. Other than some still-standing powerlines, not much indicates that it’s been used for anything recently.

You consider entering the caboose, but you can tell that someone has taken effort to prevent entry. The ubiquitous warning signs are posted, and what appears to be a tripwire inside the doorway cues you in on the possibility that the signs aren’t just for show.

Other than some stones, accumulated litter, and what appears to be dozens of small holes burrowed into the dirt floor, you really see nothing inside to risk going in for.

Nearby, a motionless, shrouded white form (ghosts?) appears to beckon you away from this relic.

Will you go inside the caboose anyway, or head over to this ghostly apparition?

 

Venus of Nevada

Welcome to Nevada!

Your vehicle, driven slowly and with the heater fully cranked, maintained its uphill composure pretty well.

Now that you’ve gotten out of the depths of Death Valley, it appears to be holding up just fine. In fact, the air itself is slightly less hot. It’s only 113F out here, yay!

The first thing you notice as you approach Rhyolite is some garish, 25-foot-tall pink sculpture off in the distance…  some sort of homage to pixel art, perhaps? Ah, this is the Goldwell Open Air Museum. You can stick around to check out the other artifacts here, or continue towards the town itself.

At least, what’s left of it…

Sixteen Fathoms Below the Sea

One word: Hot.

It’s over 120F here in the lowest point of North America.

You’ve drank almost a gallon of water just getting to this point, and yet your sweat feels like it’s nearly boiling.

If the ocean could be here with you right now, you’d be more than one hundred feet below the surface. Despite the thought of those depths, you still wonder if it wouldn’t be at least a slight improvement of this situation.

You struggle to squint through the windless miasma, but don’t see much beyond the dusty playas and outstretched road. A couple Joshua trees and Creosote bushes dot the desert floor.

For a while you’ve noticed the increased crush of air pressure… it reminds you of pressurized cabins on commercial flights, when your ears start popping and the wee babies start crying.

The heat is incredibly intense and your skin isn’t taking to it very well. Your vehicle is nearly overheating, so it’s probably best to stay the night rather than risk getting stranded. Maybe there’s some shade around here you could faint in? 

Well, let’s decide- you can either head back towards Nevada now and maybe risk overheating the vehicle, or you can look for some kind of shade and make camp. It’s gotta be easier to travel in this desert at night, right?

Bespoke

Custom motorcycle wheels come in all sorts of flavors, but I think the spokes are the most classy.

Poker Face?

The trickster coyote often works in a group to overwhelm and/or snatch from their prey.

One trick I find fascinating is when one (usually the youngest or smallest coyote) acts like they are tame, injured, or even playful. Meanwhile, the rest of the group flanks you while you take photos…

Death Valley, CA really has some hardened (and beautiful) coyotes. You find some shade under a big creosote bush to wait them out.

The road to anywhere

Just recently returned from a really fun project that involved driving over 3500 miles through the Nevada “outback”. More images on the way!

The Exercise Pen

Well this isn’t exactly a “pen”, I know… If I understand correctly, this was actually an area for a select number of patients of Fairview Training Center to get some nice… you know, outdoor exposure (without actually visually exposing them to any other nearby individuals, of course). So essentially an exercise pen, if you will.

History can be pretty creepy, especially out of context.

The Hook

Being a good vendor means, first and foremost, keeping your client entertained. Having a business-casual-ninja on hand is one method.