GEOCACHING

April 25, 2018

Wanted to show you a few pictures of things we have seen while we were geocaching or just wanted to show you  that didn't really have a story on their own for me to post.

We carry 4 chairs and our barbecue with us. We also have our bikes.  I can't imagine where people put on the stuff they carry.  Some things don't even fold up. Most places have tables, so we  don't carry one.  

I have always heard the history of building the railroad, starting at Los Angles and Salt Lake City and meeting in the middle, but never really knew where it happened. It has always been amazing that they started in 2 different places and were able to be precise enough to meet exactly at the right angles to connect.  In 1905, they certainly didn't have the technology they have today to accomplish that. This was about 10 miles south of Las Vegas. 

Flowers in the Desert.  We saw a few flowers this year, but not many. Last year, the weather was just right so that the blooms were everywhere. We saw fields of flowers as far as you could see. This year, just a flower here and there

The pictures below are from last year. Wanted to show you the difference

This was our temperature today. It is getting a tad hot. Ninety Six degrees here is easier to bear because this is a dry heat, not like in Seattle. The 91 degrees on the right is our temp inside the RV. We don't usually have the air conditioning on during the day because we re usually outside.

This Saturday, April 28th, we are leaving and SLOWLY making our way home.  We plan to be back May 8th. Too soon for me, but probably not soon enough for Denny.

SOMETHING WE THOUGHT WE WOULD NEVER SEE OR DO!!

April 24, 2018

Nevada is the only state in the Union to have legalized prostitution. Before coming here, I thought it was all over the state, but it is only legal in certain counties.  In Clark County, where Las Vegas is located , it is against the law. The closest brothels are located here in Pahrump, NV., 60 miles SW of Vegas.   There are 21 in Nevada. The famous Mustang Ranch is located in Reno. Amazing that this little town that doesn't even have a theater or clothing store (besides Walmart) has 3 brothels. While we were out geocaching we saw 2 of them. They both have tours. I thought that would be very interesting to go on a tour. I had to talk Denny into it. I called first because I wasn't sure if the tours were only for prospective clients or anyone to see.

 One even has a restaurant  that I was told had excellent food.  Off we went for lunch and a tour. The food was excellent, the best Philly Cheesesteak sandwich  I have ever had. The Bloody Mary was the biggest we had ever seen (and very good).  We went in the door that said Sports Bar. The other door said Girls, Girls, Girls. There were alot of ladies sitting in the booths waiting for prospective clients. We did see several guys and ladies go through  the other door. Some of the ladies had short, tight dresses on. Others had VERY  skimpy outfits.  After lunch we took a tour. One of the ladies escorted us. Not sure what I was expecting, but we got to see more than I thought we would. She showed  us the  main room where the girls line up, different themed rooms, the pool and hot tub area and the list of all  their activities. Each girl sets their own prices, but from what the website says, anywhere from $500 pr hr to $10,000 a night. 

It is certainly nothing we ever thought we would see or do, but it was  unsual and interesting. We can cross it off our bucket list, eventho, it was  CERTAINLY NEVER on it.  Our travels have taken us to many places,  but, this is one place we never thought of.

 This is the Chicken Ranch. In the 1980's there was film staring Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton called  "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas". We never saw it but it was billed as a comedy and very funny. This Chicken Ranch was the basis for the movie. When it was forced out of town, it relocated to Pahrump.

This is the one we went to, Sheri's Ranch.  It is co owned by a Las Vegas attorney and a local politician. Not sure what he is running for, but we see his billboards all over the city. Says he will "fight for your guns" and " fight for the constitution " All the girls live here.

I will say that I surprised that it wasn't more plush or fancy. Both brothels seemed a little on the plain side.  Both of these brothels have a limo service to Las Vegas. They will pick you up anywhere and take you back. 

MOB MUSEUM

April 23, 2018

I  had heard of the Mob Museum many years ago from the original series CSI TV show that took place in Vegas.  It is a history of the Mob and the FBI  in the United States. It was very interesting. The worst part was driving to and from Vegas and trying to find parking. 

The first two pictures are of the first casino in Las Vegas in about 1905. Las Vegas means "meadows" in Spanish.  When it was first settled, it covered only a  few square miles. Now, including the outlying suburbs, it covers 100 square miles.  Las Vegas certainly looks different in the first pictures to what it looks like now. 

Bathing beauties in 1910 at the many "watering holes" around the meadows

Waxy Gordon, during prohibition, piped beer through the hoses placed in the Newark, NJ sewer system. For this he got 10 years. Can you imagine, just getting beer out of the kitchen faucet!

Bootleggers had all sorts of tricks to hide carrying booze from place to place. This was a truck  camouflaged to look like a  logging truck

People became very ingenious in ways to hide the booze. Bloomers had special pockets to carry metal flasks. 

This is Eunice Carter, who first connected prostitution and the mob. She was the first female  black prosecutor on Thomas Dewey's staff.  Before, it was all white and male.  She connected 2000 prostitutes to 300 brothels, laying the groundwork for Dewey's prosecution of Lucky Lucino, the biggest mobster of his time. 

GO EUNICE!!!!!

They wanted us for a lineup, we were each accusing the other of the crimes! Do you think we look like criminals? My boa is made out of money, wish it was real!

This is the first bullet proof vest made in 1926 by Elliott Wishbod. He said he was the most shot at man in America because  to sell  it, he had to go around to all the police stations to show how it would save lives. His wife shot at him, but he  was never really hurt.  It is made of 22 gauge steel, covered in wool fabric.  Of course, all the criminals also used it to protect themselves. 

In the 1800's gangs dominate the Lower east Side of New York. 

In 1890, the police chief in  New Orleans, was the first person to die from fighting the Mob.

By the 1900's, the "Black Hand" extortion rackets started. 

In 1902, "Big Jim" Colosimo married a Chicago Madam. They started a white slave ring that brings the Mob and prostitution together.

In 1908, the FBI was formed.

In 1921, Al Capone moves to Chicago for bootlegging opportunities during the start of prohibition

In 1924, J. Edgar Hoover becomes the head of the FBI. He pursued "Public Enemies" such as John Dillinger, "Pretty Boy Floyd", "Machine Gun Kelly", "Ma" Baker and Bonnie and Clyde. he at first didn't believe there was a mob, only individual gangs. 

In 1927, the St Valentines massacre occurred. It was ordered by Lucky Lucino to take over the mob.

The "Mob" now isn't what it used to be with all the violence, but it is still around, just doing things in  very subtle ways.  There are gangs  in every country, most still very violent.

DUBLINS GULCH CAVES

April 15, 2018

One reason I like to geocache is because it can take you to places you might never of heard of or see. One of these areas is the Dublin Gulch Caves.  They are in the Village of Shoshone, California, about 28 miles from Pahrump.  These caves were made from solidified volcanic ash  from an eruption in Yellowstone park 6000 years ago.  Historians think that the cave houses were built right into the rock in the late 1870's to the early 1900's by miners in the area. Fascinating (at lest to me) to see what minors did for housing.   They did what needed to be done with whatever they had.

 Notice the metal pipes coming out the top. Not sure if those were for ventilation or  for the wood stoves

This hasn't anything to do with the caves, but wanted to show you something else we saw on our geocaching travels.  Found this is a very small town of about 150 people. Can you imagine using this??

SEVEN MAGIC MOUNTAINS

APRIL 3, 2018

As I mentioned in a previous post, I like to see all things quirky.  This certainly fits the bill.

Seven magic Mountains is one of the largest land based art installations in the United States. It is about 10  miles south of Las Vegas. These are limestone boulders, each painted a different fluorescent color.  It is temporary, it was suppose to end May 31st, but it  is so popular, it will  be staying until Dec 31st.  Each stack is 3-6 boulders, totaling 30-35' high.  I would like to see how they dismantle it, each stone is very heavy.

This is to show you how high they are compared to Denny

This view is from the road to show you it is in the middle of the desert

HISTORICAL MUSEUMS

APRIL 14, 2018

I love history and like to go to historical museums wherever we are. Interesting to see how people lived many years ago.  Makes me glad I was born in 1946 and not in the 1800's or early 1900's. Can you imagine living like this!

WASHING MACHINES

COFFEE GRINDER

CAN YOU IMAGINE WEARING THESE CLOTHES, ESPECIALLY IN 90 DEGREE WEATHER!

STOVE

LOOKS CERTAINLY UNCOMFORTABLE TO ME

 MEDICAL TABLE, WHEELCHAIR AND LEG BRACES

THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST PHONOGRAPHS IN 1915. IT IS A 4 MINUTE CYLINDER RECORD. BY 1928, DISC RECORDS BECAME MORE POPULAR

GOLDWELL OPEN AIR MUSEUM

April 14, 2018

One of the reasons I wanted to go to Rhyolite was to see the Goldwell Museum, located on the outskirts of the ghost town. I like going to these quirky places. This museum certainly qualifies. All of the statues are outside on the grounds. Artists come from Belgium to create these works from 1984 to 2000. Amazing they came all the way out to the desert to do this.  

The earliest (1984) is by Albert Szukalski  tittled The Last Supper. It was made by wrapping live models in fabric soaked in wet plaster and posing them like the painting by Leonardo Di Vinci. When the plaster was set, the model was slipped out, leaving the rigid shroud. he artist then coated the figures with fiberglass to make them impervious to weather.

Other Belgium artists added to it later

Lady of the Desert. Done in 1992 by Dr Hugh Heyrman.  Made with painted  cement blocks. Reminds me of Lego's, but represents a pixilated presence in the high tech world of the 21st century.

Sit here was done in 2000 by Sofie Siegmann. Originally created for an artist in residence program for kids  at the Discovery Children's Museum in Vegas. It was moved here in 2007

Shorty Harris was a prospector in Rhyolite. The penguin was the mascot of Rhyolite. No idea why they picked  a penguin as a mascot. Penguin is the complete opposite of what you find in the desert

Icara, done in 1992 by Dre Peeters. It represents a female counterpart to the Greek myth of Icarus, the boy who tried to fly to the sun with wings bound with wax. This was carved at the sight

This last one reminds me of Waiting for the Interurban  statue in the Fremont district in Seattle. I don't have any additional information on it

This isn't part of the museum, but is at the entrance.  Clever use of shoes!