............Battle Born...........

Goldfield, NV
The Jewel of Tonapah (you cant tell me that this picture is not enough to keep you up at night)

I spent most of this week in Reno for work enjoying a bit of the northern Nevada dirt (not really I was working) but that is not to say I did not enjoy trip. I flew up there but had to drive home (long story and not the least bit interesting). I will say even though it was an 8 hour drive, I love the drive. There are some many cool things out in the desert to see. I made it to Hawthorn (huge Naval munitions site) around 7 and had a serious craving for a McDonald's snack wrap. Well after diving for 3 hours I decided to go in. While I was waiting for A HALF HOUR for two snack wraps I meet one of the coolest guys I have ever meet in my life. I sat down and talked to this old guy (had to be late 80's and blind) wearing about the coolest cowboy shirt I have ever seen and listing to and old school tape deck (the kind with the speaker built in). He was rocking out to square dance music so we got talking. He told me he did his first square dance in northern Wisconsin in 1937, called his first dance in 1941, and all he wanted to do was call one more dance before he dies. So he just walks around town asking people if they are interested. Needless to say it was worth my snack wraps being a half hour late. It is so cool how everyone has a story.

Back behind the wheel I made my way through the remains of what had once been booming mining towns and now are just reduced a few standing buildings. I pulled over outside of Beaty around midnight and checked out the desert sky. The Stars where killer and temperature could not have been nicer. I dig the Battle Born State (only state granted statehood during the Civil War or War for States Rights)