Crashed at Beatty

“Next Gas 167 Miles”

Driving long stretches of road without another car in sight is one of my super skills. Something about these vast regions of solitude and scenery sets my soul at ease. To end my whirlwind road trip, I took Highway 6 from Tonopah to Ely Nevada, which has a sign that reads “Next Gas 167 Miles”. This is no joke. There is no service between these two towns, but it is remote, peaceful, and beautiful.

This trip started with a $156 energy drink in Las Vegas, stopped at a friendly hotel in the middle of nowhere, navigating Death Valley on foot during a dark moonless night, several ghost towns and the most remote road I have driven in the lower 48. As usual, it was the drive of chasing brilliant light and photos that spurred this adventure, but ultimately, I just worked really hard for some very lackluster images. At least no one can say I didn’t try.

Great photography is always on the edge of failure.

-Garry Winogrand

Sometimes…well many times I miss capturing that brilliant image I seek and throw myself head first over the edge of failure. This trip was one of those many times that I came up without images I am happy with, but I rarely come back without some story and new insights after all the time thinking.

About a year ago I sold my beloved Fuji X100F and bought the earliest copy of the newest version, the Fuji X100V. It was great, and I sold it. Then, I regretted selling it for the rest of the year. There are cameras you sell eventually and there are cameras you keep for a long time, and the Fuji X100 series are cameras you keep. So, when I purchased another one, I needed to give it a good opening run. I had ample amount of time off built up at my job and so I set out to shoot street photography in Las Vegas and then sand dunes in Death Valley National Park. Both were failures.

Although Las Vegas was open, it was eerily empty when I was there. The normal crowds were missing due to Covid, and a dust storm was blowing over the city. These factors squashed any chance at making street photography, so I called an audible and found a ghost town, or more of a prop town called Nelson, that was about an hour away. I arrived in Nelson with only about 30 minutes of daylight.

This unique stop is basically a photographer’s playground. For a $10 fee, you can walk around the property and take photos of whatever you want. It includes props many antique cars, items and even a prop plane from the movie I can’t recall the name of.  I wish I had more time and less wind when I was here. The wind blew my hat off and into the dust several times, and my mouth was full of grit. Despite the short time and strong wind, it was better than Las Vegas.

On my way back to Cesar’s Palace, I stopped to get an energy drink as preparation for a 4:00 a.m. departure towards the Ghost Town Rhyolite and then Death Valley. I had already blown my great deal at Cesar’s Palace when I learned that the $80 rate did not include the $51 resort fee. I did not know just how far the hidden Vegas cost would be until one can of Bang energy drink made this a very costly hotel stay. You see, most hotels provide a small fridge, although they are often not very cold. Cesar’s Palace also provided a fridge, but, and this is a big but, it had a sticker on it saying that any personal use will cost you $75! Wow! I started wondering why and all I can figure is they want you to eat in their hotel. Curious, I opened this mythical fridge, and I found it was bursting with drinks of all kinds. I don’t drink alcohol, but I was curious what some bottles were, so I looked at them, then put them back where they were. I thought my energy drink may be warm in the morning and if you have ever consumed a warm one, you won’t want to repeat that. I then opened the fridge again and placed my can it on top of some drinks. The next morning, I grabbed my cold drink and started checking out through their online process when I noticed $154 dollars in charges for the fridge! It itemized four drinks and personal usage (which is technically true), but come on, it was an extra can! Instead of just paying it, I contested the charge with the front desk. They were nice and said that they will submit my request to drop the charge. The guy at the front desk explained the fridge had weight sensors, so if you grab a can or put stuff inside, it will charge you. That is kind of nutty and nothing I had ever seen before. As nice as the hotel is, I find it odd that they have a weighted fridge, a television in the bathroom mirror, a phone next to the toilet, but not one USB charging port. Anyway, on to the middle of nowhere!

As I downed the epic Bang energy drink, which did not live up to its cost, I left Las Vegas in as much darkness as the strip allows and in a short while sage and sky surrounded me. No people, no cars, just an open road. The first stop was at Rhyolite, a ghost town turned bohemian museum. As you roll up on the location, one of your first sights is the ghostly display of the last supper. The figures are kind of haunting and creeped me out for some reason. For years, these figures have sat motionless in the passing seasons and times. Like the shades in the Divine Comedy, these figures had a strange, unshakable vibe of crossing between life and death. Maybe it was too much caffeine and solitude, but I didn’t stick around for long because of an uneasy feeling. The town has other attractions and art installations which I drove past before I continued on my way into Death Valley.

“Ghosts don’t haunt us. That’s not how it works. They’re present among us because we won’t let go of them.”

“I don’t believe in ghosts,” I said, faintly. Some people can’t see the color red. That doesn’t mean it isn’t there,” she replied.”

― Sue Grafton, M is for Malice

This was my second drive into Death Valley. The first was a few years prior. I find the place unremarkable in mid-day light and magical in early and late sun. The secret sauce of Death Valley is the light playing with geology. Alone, both elements are simple, but when combined, they multiply their beauty in ways unique to this land. During my past trip, I failed to capture why Death Valley is special and I wanted to try again. My one location on this trip was the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. Although this location is not my first choice for sand dunes, it was the set I could get access easily. The challenge is that everyone can get there easily too, making pristine dunes, free or footprints a genuine effort in hiking. 

My hike to the dunes was peaceful. I parked along a roadway a few miles from the actual dunes. This gave me a straight shot across the open land to a side of the dunes I hoped were free of footprints. Despite my best efforts, the light faded fast, and I only had a brief chunk of time to take images. Instead of being upset, I just stood there and looked out at the world around me. It was so quiet I could literally hear my heart beat. That may sound strange, but it is true. This was the quietest place I ever stood. The moment was special and I broke protocol and set up a selfie.

By the time I started walking back, it was dark; very dark. I navigated back to my car across a few miles of rocks with a headlamp and analog compass. I loved it

When I arrived at my next hotel, which was a middle of nowhere oasis called Longstreet Hotel and Casino, I was beat. This hotel was great! The staff were kind; the food was good, and they had gas at a reasonable price. It was a welcome mat I needed after the boot in Las Vegas.

The next morning, I headed home through the town of Tonopah, Ely and Wendover. The sign leaving Tonopah to Ely said “167 miles to next gas” and it was true. All I saw were wild donkey and a couple of cars. About mid-way I found an old hotel/casino which was abandoned and fun to explore.

I left this trip with no great photos, but I had a decent time once I left Las Vegas.

““To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”
— Elliott Erwitt”