Rhyolite

Rhyolite is a ghost town a few miles outside of the Death Valley park entrance, on the road from Beatty, Nevada. We stayed, believe it or not, for about two hours. This is a fun little town to walk through and the photography was delightful. I imagine that it is easier to visit in the winter due to the heat. There are no food places on site, but there is a restroom.

The site has been maintained by the Bureau of Land Management since 1990. Fred and Betty were the hosts and they did a great job describing the town, its rapid growth, and sudden downfall. They are shown here on the front porch of Tom Kelley's Bottle House, a residence made entirely out of beer bottles. This is recycling at its finest!



This railroad car was also converted into a home and looked quite cozy. There was a railroad line to the town, and even a fancy railroad station.



I think that someone said that the railroad station was later turned into a casino (what a surprise!) This is about the best that you could have for a photo, as the chain link fence was guarding it.



If you find this interesting, go to the town website. There is a lot of town history and old and new photographs. It may even be intrigueing enough to get you to take a day trip when you are visiting Las Vegas. I would recommend going in the early morning and working with dramatic light for your photos.


http://www.rhyolitesite.com/



On the outskirts of town is the home of the late Belgian artist Albert Szukalski and some of his works. The site is called the Gold Well Open Air Museum and has a number of very interesting works.



See more

http://www.mccullagh.org/location/rhyolitenevada.html