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| no partners | | I was looking for a driving route back to Phoenix after 13 days of car camping in the Eastern Sierras. I get tired of driving the same routes and looked for a different path that would take me through some country I hadn't seen before. The Mojave National Preserve caught my eye on the map. So I picked as a stopping place for the night what appeared to be a town at the edge of that preserve that was exactly half way by road for my drive back to Phoenix. It was Nipton on HW164 (Nipton Rd). A quick google search revealed that it had a hotel, RV and Camping sites, Tipis and Eco cabins for accomodations. Perfect, I decided to go for the hotel since I'd been camping for 13 days and indoor plumbing with a shower was a definite attraction and I had no idea what an "Eco Cabin" was.
My gps route to Nipton led me on a harrowing drive up US15 from Barstow. Who knew it was the major route from the LA area to Las Vegas and it was Friday afternoon? Not this old dude from Oregon. There are some real crazies on that road. Like a squadron of super fast sports cars driven by young maniacs racing each other as they weave in and out of traffic - they went right through a speed trap and the cop sitting in his car never missed a bite of his doughnut. Maybe they had diplomatic immunity. So when I turned off onto HW164, also called Nipton Road, it was an exhilarating relief - two lane blacktop crossing the barren Mojave Desert valley without a car in sight for 20 miles and the only sign of habitation being what appeared to be a small oasis in the distance. My favorite kind of road. I did wonder where this metropolis called Nipton was located - the car gps said it was only 11 miles away but all I could see was a small green dot in the distance.
The small green dot turned out to be the town of Nipton, population maybe 12 people. I walked into the Trading Post and they signed me up for a room in the Hotel California, built in 1905, and a history of being a house of ill-repute at some time in its past, probably pre-1920. Five rooms opening on to a common living room type space, two bathrooms shared by the 5 rooms, no heat and no AC. But with night time lows in the 40s and daytime highs in the low 70s, who needs heat or AC. I had to initial a long list of "Magical Nipton Guest Terms & Conditions". The most notable of which were the acknowledgement that "Nipton is located directly next to a rail line (50 yds from my hotel room), trains can come at any time, and blow their horns loudly at all hours of the day and night. Ear plugs are provided in each room." Also an acknowledgement that "Magical Nipton is located in the Mojave Desert and conditions may be dangerous. Please be aware that there may be snakes, spiders, and scorpions in the area." I was pumped, this is my kind of place.
The hotel room turned out to be small but comfortable and very clean. The trains came by about every 2 hours which coincided with this old guy's normal sleeping schedule. But, that horn was really loud when it's only 50 yds from your window!! The Whistle Stop Cafe & Saloon had good beer on tap, excellent hamburgers and fries. The staff of one managed the cooking, bar tending and waitress duties while still having time for friendly conversation with the old guy sitting at the bar. It's not a place that Mrs OH would like but for me it was a great place to stop on the way back from a hiking trip to the Sierras. |
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