Hello everyone! It’s that time of year again, my FAVORITE time of year! It’s fall and it’s time to do a little exploring! The last couple of months, my friend and I have been hiking religiously every week. We’ve hiked many different types of terrain and experienced breathtaking scenery. Lately, our fixation has been with old abandoned mines and ghost towns. Now mind you, abandoned mines are quite dangerous and one should be careful when exploring such places. There could be wild animals, toxic gases and lack of oxygen in these mines. Please do your research and be careful if you choose to explore such places. Here in Nevada , there  are thousands of abandoned mines. The state is rich in history for mining gold , gypsum, and different types of ore.There are many abandoned towns, whose life spans were very short in the making, and also mining towns that still stand to this day. In the vast deserts of this state, many mysteries are still yet to be explored. 

One such place we recently visited is called Rhyolite, Nevada.  It is an old mining town that was established in 1904 and came to it’s abrupt end in 1916. When the mines started to fail, many people started to move away to different cities. Most of the old buildings and homes were demolished and some taken apart, to reuse for materials. There are some structures that are still standing or partially standing, one in particular is the Rhyolite Gambling Hall and Ghost Hotel. Unfortunately, a fence with barbed wire encloses  the structure, and there is no access to the building. It is the only structure that is completely intact. The windows are boarded up and a well that sits right outside the fence, also presents a barricade around it.

Rhyolite is about 100 miles north of Las Vegas. I’ve always been fascinated by abandoned buildings and structures. I have always wondered how those places came to be abandoned and why. In pondering, this has sparked my creative imagination in my crafting. Ghosts and goblins, spooky haunted houses, and mines filled with gold… campfires and the beautiful night sky. People of the past forgotten as history quietly buries their truth. How has your September started? How are you holding up through this coronavirus pandemic? Let me know in the comment box or through my email, I would love to hear from you! Happy exploring!!