Penis Rocks, and Fun With Cactus

We went adventuring today, TVNA and I, near Nelson, Nevada, elevation 3015, population a hundred or so people who live as far off the grid as they can and still have electricity. There’s no café, no gas station, no post office, no stoplights, but no doubt more guns per capita than Delta Force. Nearby are the rocks pictured above, in a dry wash that empties into the Colorado River about 5 miles farther down, 15 or 20 miles from Hoover Dam.

There was no getting into the wash from the two-lane (barely) blacktop to take closer shots, so it’s a good job TVNA has a keen eye and a telephoto lens. Flash floods cut the banks of the wash to sheer dropoffs on the side where we were, so the descent could have been accomplished, but getting out would have been another matter. So with nothing to give it perspective it’s difficult to get the full picture, but we’re guessing the big penis rock, the one with the single testicle, is around 30 feet tall.

So we drove to the river and backtracked up the wash, but the road, clearly marked with signs the size of playing cards, and nothing but dirt though recently graded, went nowhere near the channel of the wash that we wanted but veered off way to the south of the rock formations. Still we drove a mile or so, got out and hiked a couple of miles, just to see if we could even get close from the other side. We couldn’t but it was a fun hike, and really nice out, as you can tell by the fact I have my jacket off and Frank Sinatraed over my shoulder. More about that to follow.

We returned to the vehicle, a Ford Explorer with 4WD, and continued along the road, such as it was, and then up a mountain to see the soccer ball. Atop the peak, probably around 4000 feet, the weather changed significantly. It was still 57 F, but with a wind at about 45 knots.

We’re not sure what the soccer ball does, but are certain it’s something to do with commercial airline control – radar tracking or the like. The place isn’t guarded except by roads so steep, narrow and rutted you have to crawl up them in low 4WD, but they do let you know you’re being watched. Nice views of the surrounding valley of course.

I had tossed my jacket into the back of the truck after the hike, and when I pulled it out on the mountaintop I found this.

Well, I didn’t find it until I had my arm all the way in, and it’s nothing short of a miracle I didn’t skewer my hand on those spikes, because the little monster had attached at the cuff and had hold of the zipper placket as well. This is a souvenir that must have jumped on board when I brushed my Frank Sinatraed jacket against it as I passed during the hike.

That’s me pulling barbed spikes out of the leather with pliers, and if you look closely you’ll see more in the cuff. I got them all, and nasty, vicious, evil little buggers they were.

We rewarded ourselves for surviving another day in the desert with a late lunch at TVNA’s favorite Thai restaurant on the south side of LV, where we rarely visit. Excellent food, and we both decided we needed to take the seriously beautiful and way too young for either of us Thai waitress home. Can’t recall now why we didn’t but she isn’t here, so I guess we’ll have to go back tomorrow.

That is all.

Devlin out.