Chasing Unicorns

I’m not much of a bookworm. But for some reason, I expect others to read books. And so I have written yet another book for you to worm your way through. Or to worm your way out of reading, if you’re so inclined.

It’s actually more like a booklet, at around 10,000 words. But it will be illustrated, and as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. So that makes it a much longer book, in my opinion.

This booklet is about the Amargosa Valley. The Amargosa Valley teeter-totters across the diagonal Nevada/California border. It’s a long notch in the Earth just to the east of one of the deepest notches on our planet, called Death Valley. It stretches about 75 miles of lonesome, from Beatty, Nevada in the north, to Tecopa, California, in the south.

My wife and I have visited this ghostly area several times over the years, and we’ve always had a good time, even though there’s not much there for human beans. In the Amargosa Valley you’ll find a few gas stations and hotels; a few convenience stores; a casino, just over the Nevada border; one or two restaurants, a whorehouse, an opera house, and a souvenir shop or two.

There’s not much else, although it does sport a beautiful national wildlife refuge, called Ash Meadows. And it sports a rich history. I’ve researched some of this valley’s history, and plumbed a few of its deep, historic depths. And from that, I’ve scratched out this book.

I’ll be posting it as a 17-part series, including this installment, over the next few months. I hope your reading enjoyment comes at least a fraction close to the delight my wife and I have derived, from visiting the amazing Amargosa Valley.

This is the first installation of my series, The Amazing Amargosa. Come on back in a few days for the next installation, entitled, Chapter 1: Bitter Water Below.