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I went
on a trip to see the rare occurrence of Death Valley in bloom. But I
also knew
there were other gems just across the border in the Nevada desert I had
to see.
One such gem was the town of Rhyolite.
I got there in the very
late afternoon and had the entire town to myself. There wasn’t even a
hint that
anyone had been there since the town was abandoned in 1919. Entering
the town,
I was simultaneously awe-struck and disappointed. The town was
magnificent with
many partial remains including a school and a general store. But the
most
impressive was the three story crumbling concrete remains of the John
S. Cook
Bank. It was definitely the most dominating feature of the current town
and was
also the most breathtaking. The disappointment for me was that the sun
was on
the wrong side of the building!
So off
to find a hotel. I found this little place with just two rooms
somewhere far
down the paved road that served as a highway of sorts. The proprietor
was
sitting in her doorway in her housecoat with a small oscillating fan
turned on
high. Sure she had a room! No, there were no restaurants within 50
miles (and
it was getting dark). She was very kind, and after a bit of
conversation and
settling up for the night’s room, she offered me some of her own fried
chicken
“so as you don’t starve before morning!”
Early
the next day, I was up before the sun rose, heading back to the ghost
town. I
was too early and, as the day before, was the only person for miles and
miles
around. I had to wait for the sun, so wait I did. And when it hit those
mountains behind the bank, I knew the trip, as well as the wait, was
more than
I could have ever hoped for.
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