Weird Nevada

QUICK HITS WEIRD NEVADA In the contest for weird, wild, and altogether unusual attractions, the Silver State takes the gold WEIRD every time. From haunted hotels and alien-occupied highways to mysterious museums and offbeat art installations, these aren’t your traditional tourist attractions. NE ADA V

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One of the most famous visitors of Guru Road/ Dooby Lane was renowned Beat-era poet and Pulitzer Prize-winner Gary Snyder. After touring the site, Snyder was inspired to chronicle Dooby’s life work. His book—titled "Dooby Lane"— is a collection of photos accompanied by poetry and prose.

GURU ROAD/DOOBY LANE

Gerlach

Like most folks, DeWayne “Doobie” Williams knew he would have extra time on his hands when he retired. After moving from Florida to remote Gerlach, he soon realized that he had more free time than he knew what to do with.

Doobie—a nickname earned from a past recreational interest—began keeping himself occupied by carving the names of friends and family in rocks he found near the Black Rock Desert. When he finished his carvings, he would drop them off near a stretch of highway that overlooked the playa. When carving his own name, he revised Doobie to Dooby to save his hands from the extra work. Once Doobie had run through all the names he could think of, he upgraded to a motorized grinder and began etching aphorisms and lines of personal wisdom on his rocks. During the next 15 years, Doobie scattered his works over a milelong stretch of road and included larger installments such as a wedding chapel and a Vietnam War memorial.

Today, visitors can take a drive on the Burner Byway, and after a stop in Gerlach, embark on a ponderous walk along Guru Road/Dooby Lane. The 1-mile walk— beginning at the official Guru Road street sign—is a magnificent gallery of folk art and a testament to the beauty of individual expression.

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Before your trip to Gerlach, contact the Friends of Black Rock High Rock to arrange an exclusive tour of breathtaking desert, surrounding wetlands, and the otherworldly Fly Geyser.

Tours of the Goldwell Open Air Museum and nearby Rhyolite are self-guided, so it’s up to visitors to keep the historic and cultural importance of this site well-preserved. Be sure to stick to main roads and walking paths. Please take nothing and leave no trace.

Beatty

This entirely unique art experience sits just 6 miles from the gates of Death Valley and a mere stroll from the well-preserved remains of the ghost town of Rhyolite (see page 100). The 8-acre sculpture park was created by a group of Belgian artists who were drawn to this remote portion of the Mojave Desert to pursue artistic vision free from convention.

Included among the park’s several monumental installations is the ghostly, life-size version of “The Last Supper,” a nearby stray specter holding a bicycle, a 25-foot-tall pink woman constructed from cinder blocks, a towering steel prospector and penguin, and a very photogenic mosaic couch. The sculpture park is open all day, every day, and there is no admission fee. It also features a visitor center with regular exhibits and events, as well as a small gift shop. The center is only open on certain weekends during the summer.