Vegas

This blog is going to be a little bit different, the pictures within are not part of any project that I have been working on for months or anything like that. They are simply some pictures I took over the weekend. I went to Vegas to visit my family, and of course I did a few things outside of that. Not to worry, I am not sharing any photos of my family.

These first few pics you may already be familiar with. The neon museum of Vegas, also known as the Bone Yard. Its the place all good Las Vegas signs go to rest. The museum is pretty amazing. Right now it is halfway between being a museum and a yard filled with old signs. It is a work in progress. I highly recommend taking the tour. They are fifteen bucks a person and you need to book it a couple of weeks ahead of time. They may be able to squeeze in a couple of people on the day of, but it's not very good odds. The tour takes about an hour and you can wander a bit as long as you are within eye site of the tour guide. You will learn a lot of Vegas history and of course the history of the Bone Yard and the signs themselves.

click the link for more pics and rambling.

One of the coolest things about the museum is that they book photo shoots just about every day of the week. Prices start at about $150 an hour. If you are shooting a wedding in Vegas, this is definitely something to think about for some extra bride and groom action. You can bring in strobes and an assistant. I didn't ask if they have power in the yard, so bring a battery pack. Shooting fashion here would be a lot of fun too, but most of the signs are pretty fragile, so you will be limited on how interactive your model can be with the signs. You can drive 2 and a half hours to the Salton Sea for backdrops, why not add an hour more and go to Vegas.

Another great thing about the Bone Yard is that it is a non profit. Everything it makes goes right back into it. Currently they are really working at building a legit museum. Check out these satellite shots I stole:

The first one is off of Bing, and you can tell its a little bit older. The Bone Yard is still in its original location at the North Side of the property, the park hasn't been built yet, and the museum has not begun construction. The 2nd grab is off of Google and shows the museum how it currently looks now. Pretty cool. I look forward to visiting it again when it is finished.Will it ever be finished?  www.neonmuseum.org

The next day I checked out the Burlesque Hall of Fame in downtown Las Vegas. Located right on Freemont St between Las Vegas Blvd and 6th. I walked right by it the first time around. They don't have a sign, but they are in same building as a ton of art galleries and a cafe. If you are looking for something to do in Vegas and are not quite the gambling type, check this place out! The Hall of Fame is really small, two rooms small. There is a donation to enter, but just like the Neon Museum, the Hall of Fame is a non profit. Everything goes back into it. You are going to spend five bucks on your next drink, why not give the Hall of Fame five bucks too. I honestly was a bit disappointed with the content. I wanted more! Its really only a fifteen minute trip or so. The shop was pretty tiny too. Come on guys, get some books and movies in there! There are a bunch out there that you can carry! I hope the Hall of Fame is successful and able to grow in the future. I may be coming back in June, they will be having a weekend of burlesque. June 2nd through the 5th.

Leaving Vegas Monday morning can suck. Especially if the 15 is busy, and it was. I gave traffic the finger, and pulled off the highway at Nipton road. Screw the LA drivers that want to go a hundred, I am taking my time through the desert. I took the backwoods way home, through the Mojave National Preserve, South to Route 66, Amboy Road, and finally Joshua Tree.

Saw a whole lotta that. It was lovely.

I really can not resist stopping out old houses. I've explored dozens of them at this point, and I am not getting tired of them. Watch where  you step. No one likes to fall through the floor, step on a nail, or wake up a sleeping hobo.

This was the wall paper in one of the rooms. Lil kids room from the fifties I am guessing. Starkly beautiful. I love finding this kind of thing. Just thinking about the people that used to call this house their home.

Heading along Route 66 into Amboy I drove right passed this mass of something. I had no idea what I had just seen. I turned the car around and drove past it again. Shoes?! Piles of shoes?!! I parked and wandered over to take a look. A short while later I was at home researching the Amboy Shoe Tree. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkKAd9rjfac . Turns out, it even has it's own wiki page and a number of you tube videos. It used to be a real tree. Looks like the weight of the all the shoes slowly brought it down. Many of the shoes were dated 2012. Doesn't look like the tree collapsing upon itself is keeping people from tossing their old shoes onto it. I didn't have an extra pair to add to the collection.

The only gas for miles. Inside the gas station you will find a small collection of souvenirs. A restaurant that I am not really sure if they ever serve food anymore, and a small convenience store. I loved some of the post cards they had, I didn't leave with any, but I appreciated them. I did leave with a Route 66 Root Beer, and it was really good. I don't think I will ever get tired of exploring the back roads of America. There is far too much good stuff out there to see.