Red Velvet Cake

It’s a bit slower going, but it also sounds pretty compelling… heck, these hills almost look edible.

If nothing else, it might be more photogenic than the rest of that valley. It’s pretty up here, for sure- but the road gets pretty sketchy at times, too. Doesn’t look like anyone really heads this way much.

As the sun starts to go down, the setting colors splashed onto the surrounding mountains reminds you of pictures you’ve seen of Oregon’s Painted Hills.

Other than the wind, it’s really peaceful… but still you start to think that heading North as long as possible might have been the best idea. It’s generally less hot in that direction, right? It’s only a passing thought- you definitely don’t have the gas to cover that kind of distance. Everything uphill around here is cooler at night, and it’s a lot closer.

“Well”, you think to yourself, “If I’ve got 200 miles to cover with what’s left of these gasoline dregs, I better not try back-tracking now.”

You take a long, deep breath and keep driving towards El Dorado…

“This better be worth it.”

Asphalt Stars

That graveyard was weird. It wasn’t worth sticking around to see what adventure might occur.

You have since been driving for several hours since leaving Tonopah; you didn’t really care that the same road that brought you in would only continue further into the desert terrain… so long as you could shake off the foreboding feeling of being anywhere near that old cemetery.

Before bedding down for the night, you enjoy the moon’s reflection on all the reflective bits of quartz (mica?) embedded in the asphalt; It almost mirrors the starry sky.

By noon tomorrow you should make it to Luning, Nevada. Hopefully there’s less creepiness there.

Towards Tonopah

The road that leads out to Tonopah doesn’t look that different from the one that got you to Rhyolite… have you actually been driving in a circle?

Oh, right. Your map is decent, but faded. After studying it for a bit, you realize that this really is the same highway. It starts to sink in just how easy it is to get lost out in the open desert expanse; so many landmarks look so similar, almost like being on the open ocean. 

You glance down another dirt road heading east off this road… but quickly get over the idea. Sticking to these highways is much better than trying to detangle yourself from the spiderweb of dirt roads that lead off in every direction. You’ve given a few of those dusty roads a thought, but this map of yours would be almost useless out there. 

You get back in and drive. The mile markers slowly tick down the highway miles as you persist deep into the heart of Nevada.

Deserted Hills

As the sun starts to set, the surrounding desert comes to life: coyotes, birds, snakes, all start shifting around the periphery of your makeshift little camp. There are more than a few times that you hear what sounds like that scuffling sound, but you never really see where it’s coming from.

It sounds big, almost like someone shaking an autumn tree… trying to make it drop it’s leaves. Which still doesn’t make it feel any less creepy than what you thought it sounded like earlier: one big-ass spider. But then again you have a serious thing against spiders, so it’s probably just your imagination running wild with the idea.

You try to just not think about it. The dying light looks brilliant for a time, setting oblique shadows dancing across the hills and desert floor.

After the last rays of light shift ever darker purple and violet and then inky dark night, the stars come on in full force. At first only the planets and brighter stars, but then an hour passes by without notice… and yet you can’t stop gawking at the uncountable, distant lights. So many stars!

Nothing really seems to be going on around you on the outskirts of some abandoned desert town, so you finally get over the sounds and the stars and try instead to get some sleep. By tomorrow morning you’ll be well on your way to Tonapah.

Cents Per Gallon

This gas pump is so old it gives a price in only “cents per gallon”.

Seems to reflect the overall situation in Gold Point pretty well… it’s pretty much an open-air museum too. There are a few houses around the area that don’t look abandoned, but also quite a lot of “No Trespassing” signs and fences, too. The Post Office looks like it’s in good shape.

You try to open the door, but it’s apparently locked.  So you try knocking… and you hear that same bizarre shuffling inside.

No one ever opens or answers. Whatever that sound was, it doesn’t seem eager to help. That same unsettling feeling… Nothing like that was ever mentioned in the Disney films, you think almost out loud.

You notice the sun is starting to go down; maybe you should just leave the area completely and head towards Tonopah?

Or you can brave the evening here in Gold Point and wait for someone to appear. After all… someone has to live in this town, right?

RUSTEZ3

As you approach what you think must be Gold Point, you notice a bunch of old trucks lined up as if on display. Laying on the ground next to this one, you notice a homemade sign that still barely reads “WE SHADOW FORTH…”  whatever that means. You can’t help but notice that the truck appears to have an almost cartoonish face to it.

There’s another vaguely familiar truck-face nearby… or you can just Git-R-Done and head over to what looks like the town’s Post Office.

Unleaded Only

You head out of Rhyolite and quickly lose sight of any other buildings. For a few hours it’s just you and the wind, sand and asphalt. Even though you don’t see anything like smoke in the air, a strong burnt-wood smell lingers around what looks like the abandoned husk of some gas station.

A strange silhouette catches your eye… is that a person leaning against the building?

As you close in, you realize the silhouette that caught your eye is just some poster thrown up on the wall. It’s apparently not that old, either… but damned if you can reason what it’s supposed to mean.

It’s still too early to make camp, so you decide to keep heading toward Gold Point Gold Point.

Daisy Dukes Was Here

These shorts have seen some wild times, it looks like.

Somebody decided the base of Icara makes a decent altar. Business cards, bottle caps, a busted watch, and now apparently a well-worn pair of daisy dukes- all left behind like the statue’s some kind of confessional.

You’ve got nothing on you worth leaving. Not that you’d leave a business card out here anyway.

Might be worth checking on those ghosts Icara pointed you toward, or you could just get moving before the heat gets any worse.