Empire, Nevada R.I.P.

Empire Nevada is now officially a ghost town.

Shopped at the little store (no allergy meds, eek!) and drove thru the  village streets.  Someone was having a big birthday bash.  Looked like fun with people, balloons, children and normalcy.  The town seemed to be two towns, having  well-to-do and not-so sections, like all towns.  Management and worker-bees. During Burning Man, cars, trucks and campers were lined up on both sides of the highway.

I am so sad about this, and now poor Gerlach, next door will just have a one room school, probably like the one I attended in first grade in a little Colorado mining village.

The Empire store had lots of Burning Man books for sale, and I always hoped that Festival Madness would join the collection, but alas, it's not to be, because Festival Madness is still in search of a publisher, and the store may close after this year's "Man."
Read all about Empire's closing on this link.  The death of Empire

Someone should erect one of those sad little gravestone crosses that mark someone's misfortune in the desert.

The road to Empire, Nevada
Sad, sad, sad! 

NEIBA photos

The car is unpacked and the booth needs to be stashed on the garage shelves, a two-person job.

I'm drooling over all the books we picked up, including War and Peace, Christmas presents, and plenty of good airplane reading.

Toni Kelner and Dana Cameron are blogging NEIBA, as well as many other Sisters in Crime and MWA members. Isn't the blogosphere cool?

I'm going on one of my semi-annual pilgrimages to my tiny place Northern Nevada tomorrow, so postings may be scanty. On the other hand, I may write volumes. Photos will be fab. And the books come with. That's a Chicago expression that pains S.O., but I still like it.

Next post will be recipes, so come back soon.

Grapeshot

Things To Do At The End of The Road

Collect rocks. Find wild flowers. Drink. Bird Watch. Fish for Trout. Plant a garden. Become a local history buff. Drink. Make friends. Learn to fix stuff. Listen to the train when it comes through town. Collect almost everything, including old beater cars and pickups, campers, bits and pieces of weird stuff that you have to learn to fix. Drink. Drive to the end of the dirt road. Hike a mountain. Drink. Sit on an old couch outdoors and watch the sunset. Drink. Smoke. Talk to your neighbors. Grill. Build your own pizza oven. Take photographs. Drink.

When The Pavement Ends, The West Begins

Here are some photos at the End of the Road. The scenery is en route to Soldier Meadow way the hell north even of Gerlach. We picked up some cool rocks and admired a few wild flowers.

The End of the Road

So here I am on Mother's Day at the end of the road in Northern Nevada on an unspecified mission. (mystery!)   Yesterday in Reno I finally made it into St Vincent's Resale Shop, mentioned multiple times in Festival Madness.  There was a really cool Mission desk for $50.00, but whatchagonnado?

Saw lots of wildflowers yesterday, none of which I could identify.  Cool pelicans all over beautiful blue Pyramid Lake.  Swallows darting over the road. 

Saw the Mother of All coyotes yesterday morning en route to Reno.  Big critter.  Must have had a belly full of rabbits.  

Lots of folks smoking in Reno, and funky old western buildings, sleaze, hot sun.  People are friendly, and I've been gone from the West for so long that this takes one aback.  Sad, really, to be startled by friendliness.  Very sad.   

I drink rum and sit on the porch in the evening, listening to the birds and petting a friendly cat.  So things are good at the end of the road. 

Grapeshot