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Sunday, March 8, 2020

Northeast to Las Vegas, Nevada, with Stops Along the Way

Today's drive to Las Vegas has some roadside sightseeing and a few stops, courtesy of Atlas Obscura: The Definitive Guide to the World's Hidden Wonders.






Our drive starts on California












on the hillsides.








We take Exit 30 to Pearblossom

 Eric pulls to the side of the road so I can take pictures of....






... stone ruins in a field.





This is all that's left of the







Founded in 1914 by Job Harriman as an attempt to become Mayor of Los Angeles.  He believed that his colony based on socialist capitalism would boost his profile.  The group failed because of infighting, a growing water shortage and its inability to fulfill the goals Harriman founded the community upon.  After it fell into bankruptcy in 1918 the colony dissolved and this is what's left.






After driving through Victorville,
we turn onto Interstate 15 North.






Just 16 miles to Barstow &
174 miles to Las Vegas.





We follow the signs to
Peggy Sue's 50's Diner
in Yermo.










Atlas Obscura has a nice
write up on the diner.
 Our next Hidden Destination is...






Rock-A-Hoola Water Park 
in Newberry Springs.




The Byer family opened the Water
Park in the early1960s.

 Attendance declined in the 1980s
& Rock-A-Hoola Water Park
closed in 1990.





Breaks in the fence allow people to wander the grounds and leave their colorful souvenirs.






This skeletal Billboard is another
remnant of the faded heyday of
this desert region of California.




Exit 239 to Zzyzx Road takes
 visitors to the former Soda
 Springs & a deep dive into
  quackery & land fraud.






Curtis Howe Springer was a former insurance salesman and Radio Evangelist who filed a mining claim and acquired land adjacent to Soda Springs with no intention of mining the property.  He created Zyzzx Medical Resort to line his pockets with cash from good Christians in need of "the cure."  Springer also fraudulently sold land to his followers to build homes on. This remote community lasted for thirty years before the law put him out of business.  

Our next stop is in Baker.





It's the home of The World's















... & the Alien Fresh



















We see Ivanpah Solar
Electric Generating System
from  I 15 North.

It's the world's largest solar
thermal power plant.





Eric & I visited here in March 2014.  Driving around on the mountains above, I found this giant power plant to be awesome, beautiful.






Welcome to Nevada &


 Primm is home to three Casinos & an Outlet Mall.






Eric & I are here to see
the artwork at 







We leave the Interstate to get
diesel at the gas station across
the street from Terrible's Village.






Next stop... Las Vegas.






Eric drives through
the City to...









Las Vegas Resort.










Our campsite includes a
Fire Hydrant, making
it much wider than
our neighbors' sites.






We have 30 amp electric service with water and sewer hookups.  WiFi is available in the Clubhouse.  

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