Cheetah Velour

Viva Las Vegas!

On my recent vacation I met not one, not two, but THREE Elvii. This is only one of them. For some reason, the 'new' TypePad won't allow me to post more than one picture today. Anybody know what the deal is with that?

 

I love you, Las Vegas!
  

bristlecone

Here are a few more pictures from my summer vacation. The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is home to some of the oldest living things on Earth- some of them are thousands of years old! Methuselah is the name of one that is almost 5,000 years old. Yup, 5,000 years old! The location and identity of Methuselah is kept secret to protect the tree.

No pictures of Methuselah obviously, but here are some other interesting trees I met on my summer vacation.

 

 

 

 

 

marmot alert!

Back from camping, so there was no Vintage Photo Friday last week. I'll have to find an extra nice photo this week to make it up to you.

Here are a couple of pictures from my summer vacation instead.

 

 

This next picture was taken by accident, but I like it.

 

It's awfully chilly at 11,500 ft even in August. I love my hat from knixhandknit on Etsy!

 

Yes, that is our President on a commemorative bottle of local beer!

 

I'll post more vacation pictures later. I've gone a few places this summer, but I've been really bad about posting anything about it. I'll do better, promise. ;)

Death Valley critters

I forgot to post pictures from the most recent Death Valley trip. What was I thinking?

Here are some pictures of my new friends out in the desert-

 

 

MOTHRA!

 

 

 

 

this really deserves a post of its own

This interesting creature can be found at the Laws Museum (see previous post).

 

Now here's the other side-

 

That's right- it has two faces.

 

I haven't been able to find out too much about this, but you can find more information on Roadside America including some words from the daughter of the man responsible. She disagrees and says that the lamb(s?) lived for a short while.

 

This sort of thing happens more often than you might think.

Laws Museum

I recently visited the Laws Museum in Bishop, CA. I wanted to go there for the longest time but never had the chance. I love a good roadside attraction!

The museum did not disappoint! There are several buildings (these are just a few), each one having a different theme- one is full of old cameras, one is full of bottles, one is full of stoves, so on and so on. 

Here are just a few of the things I saw there-

(If you look closely, underneath the hearse is a wicker casket)

If you ever find yourself in the neighborhood with five dollars in your pocket, you know where to go.

Death Valley

These pictures were taken at the end of April and I forgot about them until recently. I hope you enjoy them.

 

 

 

 

  

 

you learn nothing by sitting in the car

I just got back from Death Valley and here are some pictures of a side trip to the semi-ghost town of Ballarat and the infamous Barker Ranch. Like the sign says, you learn nothing by sitting in the car!

So much has been written about Manson and his family, and there are so many rumors it's hard to know what's true and what's not. So instead of telling you what I think I know, I'll just show you what I saw.

Ballarat has a few disintegrating buildings, a small cemetery and a store that was fortunately open during my visit. There is an old Dodge truck sitting out front and the old man who runs the place told me, "That's Manson's truck". I read somewhere that it was abandoned by Tex Watson.

Stars painted in the cab. Yup, that's the right truck!

From Ballarat, follow the dirt road to Goler Wash AKA Goler Canyon.

Once you enter the canyon, it's about 4 or so miles more of even bumpier road with some tight squeezes in the beginning and some sharp rocks. High clearance 4x4's (like a Jeep) are recommended, but we got there in a Subaru Outback All Wheel Drive just fine. Took a long time, though. It was a pretty drive with lots of things to see- old mines, wild flowers, chuckwallas, and a lot of rocks.

Barker Ranch isn't especially easy to find (it was a hideout after all) but the other travelers out there were extremely helpful. Barker Ranch is there if you know where to look. Note the chairs on the hill. We'll be getting back to those later.

The door is open. Come inside and sit a spell.

You're welcome to spend the night if you like.

A lot of people come and visit this place. Some leave things for other visitors. Things like candles, magazines, cans of food, or in this case "50 First Dates" starring Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler! Nothing like a light hearted Adam Sandler DVD to suck the evil right out of a place. I don't know who left this in a place like this, but I appreciate their twisted sense of humor. By the way, there's no electricity so it's not like you could watch it anyway.

BEST GRAFFITI EVER. There were irreverent touches everywhere.

This poster of a cuddly kitten was in another building. I don't know who put this up, but I doubt it's been there since 1969. Good to know I am not the only one with a totally inappropriate sense of humor.

There are two chairs on a little hill behind the house. I read somewhere (probably on the internet) that the family used these as a lookout.

I'll bet just about everyone who goes there sits in the chairs. Here's the view from up there. Gives you an idea of the layout.

Heading out. There are irrigation lines running and watering some of the plants and trees. It's a refreshing little oasis if you can forget about the history.

Before going, I did my best to do a little online research. Some accounts say that this place is haunted or has a creepy vibe. Some accounts say there's no one there but the rats, lizards and snakes. I'm going to have to go with that last one. Maybe it's from being comfortable exploring (most) rural abandoned places, or maybe I just don't have enough mental power to pick up 'impessions' but it was just a house. Kind of a relief.

If you are thinking about going, there is plenty of information out there on how to get there and what to look for. Bring the appropriate vehicle and bring your lunch. Bring plenty of water. Bring a friend to help guide your vehicle over the rough spots, bring plenty of supplies in case you get stuck (knock on wood) and bring your directions. You will pass some sign posts along the way, but someone has cleverly removed some of the signs. We got a little bit lost for a while, but we saw a lot of other people out there who were more than happy to share information.

http://www.desertusa.com/mag98/mar/stories/Goler.html

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0870814095?tag=pageturners0c&link_code=as3&creativeASIN=0870814095&creative=373489&camp=211189

http://tools.wikimedia.de/~magnus/geo/geohack.php?pagename=Barker_Ranch¶ms=35_51_34.36_N_117_5_17.41_W_

Delta hijinx

Here are some of my favorite photos from a recent day out.

These lovelies were spotted at the Western Railway Museum near Rio Vista, CA. If you are in or near the Bay Area, it's worth the trip to see and ride some beautiful old-timey restored street cars and trains.

All those trains can make you work up a mighty thirst, which brings us to this place. The outside just doesn't prepare you for what's inside.

Let's just say there's a good reason the door says "no dogs".

We are talking hardcore TAXIDERMY!

It was too dark inside to get any pictures, so these two are from the Foster's Bighorn website.

All those eyes watching you while you drink is unnerving to say the least. There are about 300 animals, birds and fish here, so that's a lot of eyes.

I took the next photo myself. As if having your head mounted wasn't bad enough, this guy is in the front window wearing a Santa hat. What an embarrassing way for the King of the Jungle to spend the afterlife. Please don't do this to me after I'm gone, that's all I have to say.

Last stop is Hazel's.

They have a burger here as big as an entire plate. I don't believe in New Year's resolutions, but there is such a thing as personal goals. You never know, 2008 could be the year I eat the Willy Burger. You know I'll post pictures, too.

Elvis IS everywhere!

If you should ever find yourself near Sparks, Nevada you simply MUST stop in at Sierra Sid's Casino. It is also a truck stop so if you happen to be a gamblin', Elvis lovin' trucker in need of a tasty snack or a shower then this is the place for you.

Drum roll, please! I present to you THE GUNS AND JEWELS OF ELVIS!

I know, it sounds too fabulous to be true but I assure you it is not. I have seen it with my own eyes. Here's a picture of the display case right near the entrance to the Trucker's Grill and yes, those are booze bottles shaped like Elvis. Do you see the white bust of Elvis near the center of the picture? I am darned proud to tell you that I own one just like it. It used to hold bourbon but when I bought mine at the flea market for five bucks it was empty. Darn.

By the way, the cheeseburger and fries plate at the Trucker's Grill is especially tasty. We at Cheetah Velour highly recommend it. Elvis would have wanted it that way.

Now I told you there would be guns and jewels and I wasn't lying. Here is one of the guns. I heard a rumor that Sierra Sid's has one of the guns that Elvis used to shoot a TV, as he so often did when he didn't like what was on. I couldn't find anyone to confirm or deny this rumor so let's assume that it's true.

Here are the jewels. I've heard that money can't buy taste. Oh, I don't know about that. Nothing says 'good taste' like bling big enough to choke a horse.

I know it's not a great picture, but hopefully you get the idea. This is the result of a cheap disposable camera being used by an amateur (me). In case you aren't able to read the signs, most of this stuff looks like it was owned by Daddy Vernon. Among the jewels of Elvis we see 14K GOLD PEN VERNON USED 'TILL HIS DEATH, TIGER EYE ELVIS RING AFTER HIS DEATH VERNON HAD THE RING SIZED SMALLER, and my very favorite ELVIS HAD PET NAMES FOR HIS CLOSEST FRIENDS HIS PET NAME FOR DADDY WAS SLOT MACHINE. Yes, a gold ID bracelet engraved SLOT MACHINE.

(Sierra Sid's also has some of the guns of John Wayne if seeing the guns of Elvis isn't enough for you.)