Update: Broken and Beautiful: Abandoned Homestead in the Nevada Desert

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Old House in the Nevada Desert

Dearest Readers:  A former resident of this homestead has provided information about her life there.  Please refer to the comment section for her memories.  –Vivian

During our recent trip to the Nevada Desert, my husband and I explored an abandoned homestead at the suggestion of an acquaintance who sets out each morning in search of gold and instead discovers some of the most beautiful places in the high desert.  We have followed a few of his recommendations for sightseeing and never been disappointed.  This homestead was no exception.  Its nestled canyon setting with rapturous views exudes the kind of beauty that stills the breath and slows the heart.

Nevada Desert Range

I love the desert in summer when seamless hours of sunlight weave around my shoulders a cloak of heat that draws from my bones the lingering ache of winter.  Had we visited the homestead in summer, I would have dallied in a fantasy about living there, even as I was cognizant that romanticizing the desert is a folly which can be fatal.  But in the dead of winter, with the freeze numbing my fingertips as I nipped at my shutter button, I was forced to confront the hardships that had been visited upon those who vacated this place.

Desert Home

My husband and I pieced together bits of the homesteaders’ story.  Scattered mines in the area appeared to have been dug by man, not machine, and inside the house were remnants of a family: magazines, a backpack and some toys.

desert house

Outside, adjoining the house, a corral was suggestive of chickens and goats.  Near that some posts resembled headstones but had probably supported an outbuilding since removed.

Nevada Desert Homestead

Walking around the homestead grounds it was easy to focus on views of Rye Patch Reservoir, Antelope Plains, and the Humboldt Range.  But sights like these could distract from the facts of desert life which, in waking hours, consist of working to survive.  In the high desert, winter cold is extreme and fuel for fire scarce.  Gathering enough wood for the winter would take weeks and perhaps the homesteaders never really found enough and the cold, mechanical in its indifference yet predatory in its ways, exacted the fortitude of a family or the life of a sick child.

Homestead at the Foot of Humboldt Range, Pershing County, Nevada

We saw no evidence of a well–perhaps we missed it–but water, if transported from the Humboldt River or a local spring, would also be a constant need and require a great effort.

Desert Homestead

Food is abundant for competent hunters–antelope and white-tailed deer–and furs would help to fend the cold.

But I wondered what price the family had paid for this dream.  Nothing they left behind indicated they were so well off that money didn’t matter.  Did they depart as broken as their home?

And where were they now, this family?  Dreaming of the desert as I often do?

Or reflecting that they came searching for gold and left having discovered one of the most beautiful places in the high desert?

Lighting Up Pescadero

Pigeon Point Lighthouse on the Central California Coast is a favorite destination for locals and travelers from afar.  The Lighthouse is oft photographed but last week it was Pescadero a bit further up the coast and inland which really lit up.  Bright yellow wildflowers are inhabiting the hamlet of Pescadero and the ground appears drenched with sunlight.

Yellow Wildflowers in Pescadero

Agricultural Pescadero is renowned for its artichokes. Sightseers seeking to dine there might consider Duartes Tavern which serves a thick, rich artichoke soup.  Travelers on a budget: try the gas station where, inside, a tacqueria serves consistently fast and delicious food.  The fish tacos with moist delicate bits of fresh white fish have just the right amount of heat. Continue reading

Saturday on Artichoke Road

Lane with View of Pacific Ocean, Pescadero, CAMy husband and I find inspiration in solitude, a meditative mood and beauty.  Solitude is the norm in the Nevada Desert but not so on the California Central Coast, especially on a day like last Saturday.  Warm temperatures and California wildflowers drew thongs to the beaches so we diverted to the agricultural center of Pescadero and Artichoke Road, a secluded lane which threads through a wood before spreading open a view of the Pacific Ocean and artichoke fields.Young artichoke plants, Pescadero, California

Chief Rolling Thunder Mountain

The folk art of Chief Rolling Thunder Mountain is a timeless exhibit of whimsey in the otherwise predominantly utilitarian environment of northern Nevada.  A self-taught artist and sculptor, Chief Rolling Thunder Mountain designed and built his home known now as Thunder Mountain Monument.  He resided there for the latter years of his life.

Folk Art of Chief Rolling Thunder Mountain

Named Artist of the Year by the State of Nevada in 1983, Chief Rolling Thunder Mountain was a vital man with varied and complex motives for his art.  His estate has been designated a historic site and is open to visitors.

The Gritty Side of Desert Travel

Nevada Desert Road

Wilderness survival has been on my mind since I learned of the fates of James Klemovich and a friend stranded in an isolated region of the Nevada Desert.  The bittersweet outcome of that incident–one lived while the other died–brought to mind for me other occurrences of desert breakdowns, some with similar outcomes.  As we approach another season of desert travel and adventure, it seems the perfect time to remind ourselves that no one is immune to the perils of the wilderness. Continue reading

Boulder Creek: Spring!

Downtown Shop, Plumline Vintage, Boulder Creek, CaliforniaOur home town of Boulder Creek, California was recently named by Sunset Magazine as one of the best places in the west in which to live.  Today before going to market, I took a stroll through town.  Boulder Creek is cheery and pink in spring! Continue reading

Desert Roads: Just a little bit further

Road descending from Coal Canyon, Nevada Desert

It’s spring and in preparation for a new season of desert travel, I have been researching desert maps.   I remain somewhat wary of the ones we’ve been using yet have been unable to find maps in which I am more confident. Continue reading

Man Rescued in Nevada Desert

…”this desert landscape is the indifference manifest to our presence, our absence, our coming, our staying or our going.   Whether we live or die is a matter of absolutely no concern to the desert.”

–Edward Abby, Desert Solitaire

This morning while researching desert maps I came across a headline: “Stranded Man Rescued After 10 Days in Nevada Desert, Friend Dies.”  I read the article and, being a frequent traveler in the Pershing County region of the Nevada Desert, could not help but be moved.  The men, who endured great hardships, earned my admiration for their courage.  I wondered if their courage was based on faith. Continue reading