Nevada! Techatticup Ghost Town and the El Dorado Mine Tour

May 3 - 4, 2026: I was so anxious to get out of Arizona! I spent a glorious eight months there with sun shining nearly every day, swimming every day under that sun, good food so hard to find anywhere else. But the travel bug bit. I headed back to Nevada. A couple months ago I attempted Nevada and California, but encountered snow. The weather up in northern Nevada is now in the 40s at night so tolerable. First stop, Techatticup Ghost Town and the El Dorado Mine Tour! 

This is the coolest ghost town I think I've ever seen! First, it has a LOT of buildings of all kinds, four of them are originals and the rest built over the years. Many of them are being used as homes. Second, it has a lot of old things just hanging around for interest and creative decoration. Over a hundred of every kind of old vehicle, ancient farm tools, musical instruments, weaponry, there is even something that looks like a time machine! So fun! See photos below.

I loved the "Big Sign" everyone is required to read, along with other sassy messages that constantly made me laugh:

Love number 5!

This is a mobile jail used at the mine for bad miners.

I went back the next day for the El Dorado Mine Tour. Very fun and informative!

Excellent day one of the Second Adventure!

The Second Great Adventure!!

May 3, 2026: Are you looking at the above photo and thinking, "Who cares? Another desert photo? Boring."

Oh, no! That is my new WINDSHIELD! It is so sparkly clean! And I'm so afraid to drive for fear, 1) it'll get bug guts all over it, and 2) some maniac driving a truck or semi will throw rocks at it! I am being very careful!

I am ready for my Second Great Adventure! Last year I left on Earth Day, or April 22, 2025, but it felt early. Once I got up to Wyoming I was driving down this beautiful country road I noticed no leaves on the trees!  I thought how beautiful it would be with greenery! So I waited as long as I could before getting so antsy I couldn't stand it. 

My to-do list was long! New back up camera, tune up, new water pump, new brakes, get rid of storage unit, donate or sell anything I couldn't fit in the van, go to the dentist, go to the eye doctor, get new glasses, get new drivers license, get new social security card, get registered to vote, get new virtual mailbox. Whew! The last on my to-do list was a new windshield. I was hoping to wait until next fall since it was already damaged and driving on freeways and rocky roads would only damage it more, but that last week one of the FOUR cracks started traveling across the width of the windshield. It drove me nuts. 

I'm still having problems with Big Blue. She's still leaking coolant, still overheating on inclines, still groaning like a wounded whale when I reverse, the transmission still doesn't know what to do, and the brand new brakes feel "jumpy". I've had it into different mechanics and they all say nothing is wrong. I disagree! But what do I do? I think in another few weeks when I get to "civilization" I'll find yet another mechanic and invest another too much money! It would alleviate a whole lot of stress if I could find someone competent who could fix her! Or maybe she's just old and fixing is not going to happen! I certainly understand that!

Until then, off I go!!! It's an adventure!!

More Arizona Meanderings: The Wildlife Tour

March 31, 2026 I drove from Carlsbad Caverns through New Mexico, Texas, and back to the corner of New Mexico along highway 9 which runs along the Mexican border. I could see the "Wall". I'd never seen it before! Border Patrol all over mostly in pickups, some on ATVs, blimps tied to the stations floating high above in the air. Lots of dead rattlesnakes on the highway. I camped just east of Animas out in the desert. So very quiet especially at night with no one on the highway and the stars bright in the sky.

The next morning I headed to Bisbee through Portal and Douglas. You know when you are in Arizona by the condition of the roads. No other state is this bad! Even Texas has awesome roads and they are a Republican state. WTF, Arizona?

But the weather has cooled to high 70s - low 80s and the prickly pears are blooming which makes up for it!

And then there are the rats...see him bottom of the photo? I think this is a pack rat? Not sure. I was told they are rather cute like chipmunks when they aren't eating your vehicles, but they are more like vampires coming out at night and not in the sunlight so I'm not sure. He does look like the pack rat photos online. Now I know I'm back in Arizona!! I have my rat beepers and blinking solar lights in the engine. I'm ready for them!

But what about the scorpions, giant spiders, and

RATTLESNAKES?

The news is warning there have been an increase in rattlesnake bites this spring. I've been trained by people who have lived here all their lives. When the nighttime temperatures are above 50 degrees, the rattlers are out in full force. In the spring they are aggressive, probably because they just got out of hibernation and are hungry. I enjoy hiking or walking since I'm sitting a lot when I'm driving or even when I'm not traveling I spend a lot of time on the computer. I like to get out of the van, exercise, and stretch especially now that I'm still trying to recouperate from the ankle fracture and trying to break in my new hiking boots. However, I am now nervous about hiking in the desert. My eyes are constantly scanning the landscape. Last night was 64 degrees. The rattlers should be out now regardless of whether I see them or not. I've only seen one on the highway to Arizona, but it was slithering off the road into the bushes so I only saw his tail.

One life-long local told me avoid walking near piles of rocks, bushes, or piles of sticks as that's where they are usually camouflaged or curled up. Don't reach for anything and be aware of your surroundings. OK. That doesn't help my stress and paranoia. Maybe I can avoid hiking until I leave Arizona? 

Another van woman said when you walk, walk hard, the vibration will warn them, and they will slither in the opposite direction (sometimes). They will usually start rattling about five feet away and this woman said, "It is unmistakable...the rattle of death!" I told her I'd seen rattlesnakes on TV and in the movies. She said, "No, up close and personal, the rattle is much more traumatizing! You know you are going to die if you don't get the hell away."

This morning I encountered my first rattlesnake...ever!!! Walking cautiously down the middle of the drive, watching my steps, watching the side bushes, rocks and sticks (Is that a snake? No it's just a stick! Whew!), and there he is about fifteen feet ahead sunning his whole three (?) foot long body across the dirt drive. OMG!

He's kind of flat and skinny. I wondered if someone ran him over, but no one has been driving around here and I hike this drive a lot. He's just hungry. Maybe he's a baby? He's shiny, unlike a stick. I threw some rocks that came close to him, but didn't hit him. I wanted to see him curl up and hear the rattle. He didn't move. No aggression that I could determine. I gave up and backed away. No need to tempt him. I imagined he'd slither after me out of spite. Hike over. Now everytime I hear a noise I'm jumping out of my skin. LOL!

OMG! I saw a gila monster! Sluggishly making his way across the dirt road in the desert! This camping location is great for wildlife which might not be a good thing, but it's definitely an adventure! This guy was about a foot and a half long. I stopped driving, turned off my van, and attempted to take photos before noticing he headed for under my van! I couldn't drive away for fear of running him over so I got a fly swatter and swatted his tail. He continued to the other side. They are venomous, bites can make one sick or dead (rare), but so beautiful! I kept my distance. I remember hearing stories of big ones that would attack pets and small children, but I think those are just urban legends. Arizona is adventure land!!

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

On the way back to Arizona, I stopped at the Carlsbad Caverns. OMG! They are so big! The caves are as big as a high school gym or an indoor baseball stadium. The holes in the floors are bottomless. Lovely cement walkways and railings which is good because it's dark in there, and often wet or slippery! We were told not to speak loudly so everyone was quiet walking silently down, down, down equivalent to 75 stories! The descent is a flat cement trail with handrails, steep until you get to the bottom, then mostly level with only one steep incline and one set of stone stairs totalling fifteen. The volunteer tells everyone if you have foot, ankle, knee problems or other health issues, don't do it. By the time I got to the bottom, my knees ached and shook with exhaustion, but I was fine. The temperature is an even 57 degrees so they suggest bringing a coat, but I didn't need one. Even though there were a lot of people, most of the time I was alone encountering only two groups: one school group and one organized tour. They were not quiet,! LOL! They stunk of shampoo, laundry detergent and fragrances of all kinds. I hussled passed when I could.

Entrance

What they don't warn you about is the smell! It smelled like dead things or moldy bat shit. My lungs felt a bit irritated, but I had no lasting effects. I can't imagine working or volunteering there for long periods of time. It's got to be toxic.

We were instructed not to take flash photos or point the flash down, but my camera doesn't really do that. Most people were videoing with their cameras which didn't produce a strong light. I did some videos, but they are too large to download.

Courtesy of the Carlsbad Canyon National Park Website

It's open between 9am and 5pm. Entrance fee is $15 unless you have a national park pass then it's free. You need to reserve in advance or get there when it opens to reserve a spot. They stop selling tickets or giving reservations around 2pm or whenever tickets are sold out. Special tours when available cost extra and require reservations.

Tex-ASS! The Eastern and Northern

March 26, 2026 Day Five: I left the beach in the morning just as the sun was starting to heat up and continued east driving the southern coast of Texas. Loved the architecture where everything is built on 10 foot stilts! Or 20 foot stilts! They are definitely prepared for high tides or tunamis!

Does this one even have a ladder? That would be a steep climb.

A giant, open crawl space would prevent rats, raccoons, and opposums living under the house! I love how they use the under space as a car garage, RV storage, sitting area with swings, or patio/barbeque area. Brilliant! I love the beach-house pastel rainbow colors, too. (I didn't get good photos because I was too busy driving.) I stopped to wash all the sand off Big Blue since I'm now done with the beach.

Finally I reached the eastern side of the state and my dream Texas emerged: green grass, green trees, rivers, creeks and bayous. Butterflies and wildflowers abundant. And DONUTS! There is a donut shop on every corner!!! Although Google Maps kept trying to force me onto the interstate, and into Houston, I refused and drove the smaller, country roads: 87, 124 (where I saw dead alligators on the side of the road), 73, then farm to market road 87 all the way to the Sabine National Forest. 

This is CR (country road) 253.

I love their "farm to market roads". Quiet, country roads where I can drive below the 75mph speed limit which is way too fast in my opinion, and look at gorgeous farms with acres of manicured fields. I could live here. The humidity decreased to 57%, too!

I camped on the Toledo Bend Reservoir near Huxley. It's very quiet. I am the only one here, although I have read there are alligators, water moccasins, copperheads, wild feral boars, coyotes and black widow spiders to keep me company. Hmmm...Big Blue will be closed tight all night!

Around 10:30pm in the pitch dark a pickup truck drove in, continued around the loop and parked at the top. Sat there. Hmmm...After about twenty minutes he left. I didn't stay another night. I hate not knowing what the heck he wanted that late at night on a Thursday...

March 27, 2026 Day Six (March is flying by...): The next morning I left to find a laundrmat and ended up in Center, Texas. Cute town. There was one laundry with all brand new front loading machines. It was popular. The whole room stunk badly of laundry detergent. I went down the street to the "Washiteria" and they had older top loading machines. Hardly anyone in the laundromat. A very nice attendant asked if I needed help. Reasonable price at $3.00 per wash and 25 cents for six minutes of drying. I love clean clothes. As I waited for the loads to be done, I washed my hair with a cold bucket of water. It was hot out.

Then I headed to San Augustin, another gorgeous little town with big, old mansions. Unfortunately the Ford dealership was housed in an antique garage and couldn't fit my van! Van is too tall! So I left for Dallas. Driving out of town I saw the weirdest building and decided I needed to circle back and inspect this phenomenon!

I thought it was a nightclub until I noticed the cross.

The woodwork is wonderful. Look at the spikes!

Window

Then I saw the matching house on the corner, walked around it. Wooden stakes jut out from the beams. Lots of huge drawings of demons or angels, and a sign that said "I SEE CROSSES". There was also a little Toyota pickup truck out in the front covered in black painted sawdust with the same designs. 

I couldn't help myself and headed to the neighboring business. I asked, "What is going on next door?!" One of the women came out explained in great detail about the man who is a professional carpenter and loves gothic stuff, plays gothic music that sounds like a horror movie soundtrack full blast for the whole neighborhood. He'll climb to the top of his architecture, wearing his black trench coat and stand like he's been crucified for four hours. The city hates him. They tried to prevent him from building, but he sued them and won. I said it sounds a bit like performance art. She said he is the nicest guy you'll ever meet just a little unusual. I was fascinated. I would have liked to meet him. She said if he were home he'd happily give me a tour, but then she told me his bed hangs from chains and I thought, "I don't want to meet him alone!" LOL!

I hightailed it to Dallas through Nacogdoches, the coolest old town with a western feel and cobblestone streets covering the whole downtown. Most of the little towns are gorgeous with main streets that look like something out of the wild west, town squares, and lots of round-a-bouts. I attempted to drive around the eastern side of Dallas instead of through it using backroads as Google Maps yelled at me to turn around. The closer I got to the city, the worse my headaches got. My lungs hurt, I started coughing non-stop. Darkness descended and the rain started making visibility challenging. I don't like driving in the dark, in the rain, in an unfamiliar city! I passed Walmart and decided to stop and stay in their parking lot.

March 28, 2026 Day Seven: I got up early to head to the Ford dealership for the oil change. First come first serve and I was told to get there by 7am. I got there just after 6am and there were already three cars in line! Ford decided I needed new brakes. Damn. There is always something. I think it's a scam. I probably should not have opted to have them replace the brakes because I know it's a scam. I could have waited, but then where would I go? Back to the scammy Tucson Ford? No thanks! And brakes are really important on those mountain passes or downhill grades. (A few days later  just outside Tucson the brakes started banging, grinding, and making the van shutter...the idiot mechanic forgot to bolt down the calipers! Scary ride! Getting my brakes done in Dallas was a stupid mistake!!)

While I waited, a pen pal I have written to for years came to keep me company! We'd never met! We didn't even know what we looked like, well, other than the sharing of childhood and young adult photos! That was delightful!

After the appointment and visit, I headed west determined to put as much air between me and Dallas. It rained all the way out of Dallas, but this was just the beginning of bad, mold-inducing weather. (A day later there were tornado warnings so my exit was timed perfectly!) The forecast for the whole of next week is rain in every location I'd plan to visit...except Tucson. I was determined to drive until the rain stopped. I stayed at a fishing boat ramp just west of Breckinridge. The sun is shining! I know that won't last for long! I'm heading back to Arizona where the weather has cooled and there is no rain forecasted for a long, long time!

March 29, 2026 Day Eight: Northern Texas on Highway 180 was delightful once away from the overpopulated towns. The highway itself was well-maintained, smooth with few vehicles. The little towns along the way often had huge courthouses that looked like they were built in the 1800s. Gorgeous. Lots of agriculture and good smelling air. 

Orange Texan dirt would make a glorious cob house!

West of Breckingridge the desert started enclosing, the trees disappeared replaced by scrubbrush, and west of Snyder the winds howled trying to push me off the road. I saw several oil pumping machines. After all, I am in Texas!

Arrived in New Mexico about 2pm...it's still the ugliest state!

TEX-ASS!! Yippee Ki-Yay!

March 22, 2026 Day One: I've always wanted to see Texas! Here I am! Finally! I drove from The City of Rocks in New Mexico to El Paso, then Balmorhea State Park, Alpine, and Marathon the first day.

Unbelievably F-Ugly. 
Am I jaded from living in Washington State all my life?

Yeah, I told myself I wouldn't do marathon drives, but it's HOT! I got to Balmorhea and it was 100 degrees! Now I knew between El Paso and just north of Corpus Christi it would be in the 90s or higher, but it's one thing to know and quite another to FEEL IT! While driving the air conditioner is on full blast, but once I stop to eat or sleep, there is no AC and it's like a sauna! Or an oven! Frying my brains. So I kept going thinking later in the day it should cool down. Again, just theory, it's 7pm with the outside temperatures around 95 degrees  which is slightly cooler than 100! The inside temperatures are roasting.

My first impressions of west Texas...I think the drivers here are worse than Massachusetts, and MA had the worst! Interstate 10 was mostly good and smooth, better than Arizona. At least in Texas they are trying to maintain them with lots of construction. The highways are in good shape, again, much better than Arizona. The landscape is New Mexico f-ugly. I always pictured Texas with green cow pastures, some trees. Nope. (Not yet.) Price of gas was about the same as New Mexico or $1 less per gallon than Arizona (about $3.69 gallon), but the further in the state it went up to $4.29 then back down to around $3.39. The highways have picnic areas all over with garbage cans and one is allowed to stay for 24 hours. The interstates have rest stops and one is allowed to stay overnight. So far no BLM land! I was told because most of Texas is privately owned. The flies are relentless, swarming your face. Maybe they think I'm a cow. My sinuses are killing me! Something in the high desert does not agree with me!

The people (so far) are fucking rude! Negotiating a grocery store parking lot is a hazard. They do what they want and ignore anyone else around. Same inside the store. They step in front of you, cut you off, and never apologize as if everyone else is invisible. It's very strange and jarring. I've always been told Texans are incredibly nice. Hmmm...

Then there are the Walmart checkers. Dumb as dirt. I bought three gallons of water refills from the machine. That would be .54 cents each or for a total of $1.62. The checker doesn't speak English. The register says 3 @ 1.62. I try to tell her that would be incorrect. She stares at me as if I'm stupid (or speaking a foreign language). I walk over to the water refill machine that is about 10 feet away, point to the huge 54 cents and say "54 cents each". I point to the register that is now giving me a total of $11 which is about $5 over what it should be (I bought a case of Spindrift, too). 

She has no clue what I'm saying so she calls in a young girl who can't be more than 16 years old, but who speaks English. I tell her what I just told the other checker and add, "She has charged me for three gallons of water refills at 1.62 and tripled it." The girl looks at the computer and says, "Oh, no it's right." I explain again, in great detail, pointing to the machine price, pointing to the register and repeat I am being charged triple what it should be." She looks again, points to the register so I can see it, and says, "Yes, it's right." I give up because my only option at that point is to cancel the sale, take everything to the self-checkout and start over. I would have been in self-checkout if there weren't already five people in line waiting. So I cash out with my credit card, get the receipt and find another employee walking around like she's a manager. I explain, show her the receipt and she immediate understands what the problem is. She gives me a full refund, and has me ring it up again at a self-checkout register she opens just for me.

As I start to leave the girl walks by so I show her the refund and say, "The checker was charging me three times the amount it should have been." She says, "Well, you should have said you were being charged triple." (Oh, for fuck sake!) I said with a smile, "I did say that and explained many times." She walked away and I yelled at her back, "Thank you for your help!" OMG! Is this ALL Texans? If so, it might be a very quick trip in order to get the hell out of here!

I went to the Balmorhea State Park which has a huge mineral-spring-fed pool, but it was so crowded. The line to get in was about six vehicles deep., but I do realize it's a Sunday. No thanks. I thought I would come back the next day but the only available free overnight parking were rest stops twenty-five miles in either direction, right on the interstate. I HATE rest stops with the RV generators and the semi-trucks idling all night. I left, driving through Fort Davis and Alpine. Alpine is an adorable town.

I kept driving and ended up overnight at a picnic area just east of Marathon. There is an RV from Oregon here and a guy on who I thought was on a motorcycle. Why does he have solar panels charging? What is he charging? The next morning I see him riding an e-bike! He's pedaling to Florida!. The sign says no more than 24 hours and no tents or camping. It was a very windy night!!

March 23, 2026 Day Two:  Headed to the beach via Del Rio, Uvalde, San Antonio and Corpus Christi. The temperatures ranged from early morning 72 degrees to 100 degrees in the afternoon. In Del Rio I started sweating, but it was still only 72 degrees? Oh! Humidity! I forgot about the humidity.

I'M AT THE BEACH!! It is so WET...not the water, the air! 92% humidity! Whew! It's about 79 degrees and cools to 71 degrees at night. Beautiful white, soft sand that reminds me of sugar cookie dough, lots of shorebirds: pelicans, avocets, stilts, plovers, yellowlegs, sandpipers, willets, and a really beautiful seagull but I can't remember what it's called. (See below.)

The first thing I did is walk the surf. I stopped to talk to my French neighbors and asked about high tide since we were parked only 100 feet from the water. They said no problem. I double checked. High tide should be around 10am tomorrow according to online information. There is a 14 day camping limit. The American the Beautiful pass works to cover the entrance fee although there were no kiosks or info centers around to confirm this. No one bothered to check to see if I was legal although plenty of rangers driving around.

March 24, 2026 Day Three:  I could not get to sleep last night. Was it the constant roar of waves? The swealtering heat? Or all the Benadryl, Ibuprofen and Sinus sprays I loaded my body with before bedtime? (That should have put me to sleep. Sinuses and shoulder pain are better though.)

Got up early and walked the surf. This time I picked up garbage. I figure nothing is for free and to show my appreciation for 14 days of free camping, I'll do my part and payback or pay it forward. Every beach has garbage recepticles. I love this state! So eco-friendly! I was rewarded with a handful of beautiful shells and a little girl's unicorn googles!

It's so darn beautiful here!

March 25, 2026 Day Four:  It is just so WET! My glasses fog up all the time. It's really hard to type on my laptop because my fingers are wet and sticky and stick to the keys! None of my window covers will stay on the windows because the windows are wet! Everything is wet in the morning. It's a little better in the afternoon when the sun has dried so much, but then night hits and I feel like I'm floating in my wet sheets, wet pajamas...the t-shirt I have been wearing is so wet it hangs nearly to my knees. But my hair is crazy curly which is so different from the dry air in Tucson!

Sunrise at Pedro Island National Seashore

Attempted to head east then north, but decided not to drive all day long after getting up so early. I stopped just east of Galveston. Galveston is a beautiful city with gorgeous huge old houses! Google Maps took me on a ferry that was free with dolphins playing in the water as we sailed! I ended up at Bolivar Flats, a free camping beach near the ferry landing. A white transit pulled up and parked next to me and I met a lovely couple from Florida who are headed west.

This beach is bigger so there is no risk of a high tide sweeping me away, the sand is more tan in color, it's a lot more crowded, a lot more garbage, and a lot noisier with the freighters moored nearby. But it's just for one night. Online comments warn about the humidity so I expected I'd wake up to wet everything inside and out, but it's actually less humid here!

I left the next morning. Post-beach adventures next...