RWI0015 The Trump from Pharump - Entering the Wild, Wild West
Pahrump - The hidden gem in the desert
Dennis Hof of Bunny Ranch fame once called himself the Trump From Pahrump. He was recently elected councilman for the city post mortem.
This town (and entire State) is the Wild, Wild west. Gambling is legal, Prostitution is legal, Marijuana is legal, Fireworks are legal, you can purchase Jack Daniels at your local Walmart, and you can carry a gun on your hip.
Departure Delay
Our Jeep driveshaft delay in Tucson caused us to lose our chance to stay at an RV Resort in Las Vegas – all were booked for the next 15 days.
Julie fired up her RV search engine and found a Gem in the desert.
The Wine Ridge RV Resort had space available and so we wound our way through Las Vegas and landed in the little town of Pahrump Nevada.
Wild West
With a name like Pahrump, it has got to be good. Pahrump is small town with a 35-mph main road that winds its way from South to North.
There are three main casinos on the strip and various other smaller casinos throughout. At the southern part of town is Spring Mountain Motorsports ranch that hosts driving schools and at a dead end to the west are two Brothels.
One is the Chicken Ranch of “Best little Whorehouse in Texas” fame. The Chicken Ranch moved from Texas when prostitution became illegal. FrontSight firearms training institute is also in town. There are numerous RV Resorts and also BLM land for the Boondockers.
Wine Ridge RV Resort
The Wine Ridge RV Resort is co-located with a local winery that hosts daily tours and wine tasting.
To me, it was a mini version of the resort we just left in Tucson. Park models, pickle ball, Jacuzzi and pools, shuffleboard, ping pong and pool table.
There is a full-size rig and car wash on-site. They host waffle breakfast, Taco Tuesdays, BBQ’s and even Karaoke – Yes, I got up and sang a few songs.
The sites are back-in but long enough for us to lower our back patio.
Wheeling the backroads
Our oldest son JP has joined us for the summer and will help us with our video production which is lacking.
JP never learned how to drive a standard transmission, so we pulled the top and doors off and went wheeling into the mountains just to the East of us.
Climbing up the mountain pass we went from Joshua trees of the desert floor and 80-degree weather to tall pine trees and 60-degree weather at the top of the pass.
Neon Boneyard
Flying in and out of Vegas to go to work has been pretty easy so far. Julie and the kids picked me up at the Airport after one of my trips and we took a little tour of Las Vegas.
First, we went to the Neon Sign boneyard. I had seen the boneyard in a few movies and thought it would be interesting to see.
The cost at $17 per person was quite steep to get a chance to meander this tiny boneyard.
It was very cool to see the old casino signs and was worth it for me.
Container Park
Then off to Fremont Street to get the full Freemont Experience. It was still daylight when we arrived, so we walked one end to the other.
At one end – it is actually outside the video canvas – we found Container Park. This was a little shopping and dining area created out of Conex Containers.
Very creative, and it hosted a huge container playground in the middle for the kids. You can’t miss it – just look for the giant praying mantis at the entrance.
Video – Watch Luke get his licks
Heart Attack Grill
Hungry, we decided to eat at the Heart Attack Grill whose hamburger made the Guinness Book of World Records. Upon entering we had to slip on hospital gowns and were served by Nurses. Wine was served from and IV bag. We gave our orders, and Luke, who always has bigger eyes than his belly, orders a monster hamburger, fries and a drink.
The Nurse then informs us that if we do not finish our dinner completely, we will be spanked. We all got a chuckle at that and went on with our conversations, and then WHACK.
We look at the other end of the room and someone was getting their three licks with a paddle.
Luke’s eyes got big and he started hunting for the Nurse to change his order, but it was too late. He did his best to finish, but noooo. Julie and I kept laughing back and forth – we were giddy with anticipation.
There is a spanking contraption where you bend over and hold yourself during the deed. Luke took his three whacks like a champ and got a hug from his Nurse afterwards.
Freemont Street Experience
As darkness settled in, Fremont street began to morph into a circus sideshow. Permitted panhandlers would claim their little circles throughout the entire length of the street.
We saw musicians, painters, people drumming on 5 gal drums, there were people in wild outfits and we even watched a guy charge a fee to get kicked in the nuts.
The overhead light show was awesome and was accompanied by music from Green Day on our visit. The kids knew all the words to the songs – I thought Green Day was before their time.
Soon the scene started to get to be a little too much for our young impressionable youth.
We made our way back to the car and took Las Vegas Boulevard South. The lights and scenes were spectacular, and the city has change greatly since our visit a few years ago
Rhyolite Ghost Town
On my next return home, we decided to venture into Death Valley. Driving North out of Pahrump, we made our first destination Rhyolite Ghost Town. The highlight was stopping at the free museum at the entrance to Rhyolite.
Artists from the Netherlands scattered their trade on this 1-2-acre lot. We took a lot of great photos before moving on to the Bottle House built in 1905 and then through the Gold Rush Boom Town of Rhyolite.
Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes
Next up…Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes near Stovepipe Wells famous for the Star Wars scene where C3PO and R2D2 were lost in the desert.
I thought the kids would want to go a mile or two deep into the dunes – we never went more than 100 yards.
Natural Bridge
Natural Bridge was a stop that I wanted to make much to the chagrin of everyone else. After a turn onto a dusty 2-mile road we stopped at the trail head for the one-mile hike.
I had no takers to come with me so off I went with my camera. Luke caught up to me after a few minutes and we got to enjoy the scenery together.
Luke went rock climbing around the natural bridge as I took photos.
Badwater Basin
Last stop – Badwater. At 282 ft below sea level we walked the mile or so salt flats to the Badwater Basin.
The terrain is moon like and the salt and sand create interesting shapes on the ground.
We extended our stay three days so that I could help with the move. Cost $33 – $11 per day – I love this place. Julie decides that she wants to drive Jack and Diane from Pahrump and into the heart of the city…
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