Pioche, Nevada

In the 1860's Pioche, Nevada was known as the baddest town in the west; badder than Tombstone, badder than Dodge City and all the rest.  A most notorious mining camp, where the only law was the gun. Today, Pioche is a living ghost town of about 900 people, although it had 8,000 people in it's mining boom town days.

Historic mining relics

Ore buckets still hang on the tram line that runs over
the graves in Murderer's Row.

Sarge, checking out the mining equipment.

Main Street Pioche, today.

Cathedral Gorge State Park

Cathedral Gorge State Park - Panaca, Nevada 

Located 165 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Cathedral State Park is a perfect example of erosion. Unique cathedral like spires and intricate cave formations in the soft bentonite clay are an explorer's paradise.

Crossroads

Cave entrance

Sergeant, learning to be a "good dog"

Valley of Fire State Park

Hiking Valley of Fire State Park near Overton, Nevada was the inspiration of this trip. As one can imagine, Valley of Fire derives it's name from  red sandstone formations formed from great shifting sand dunes 150 million years ago.

Striking color variations.

Evening primrose

Beaver Tail Prickly Pear

The Wave

The Beehives

This 1965 movie set ruin was constructed for "The Professionals". Over 45 commercial photo shoots are made every year. Other popular movies filmed here include "Electric Horseman" and
"Star Trek Generations".

 Shelters constructed by the Civilian Conservation
Corps during the 1930's.

Elephant Rock

Sergeant is proving to be an excellent travel companion. Golf Frisbee anyone?

Boise, Idaho

While in Boise, we toured the beautiful Idaho State Capitol and the Old Idaho Penitentiary.

The extensive use of four types of marble is seen throughout: red marble from Georgia, gray marble from Alaska,
 green marble from Vermont, and black marble from Italy.

A tour of the Old Idaho Penitentiary truly gave us the sense of what it might be like to do time behind these walls. From 1872 the penitentiary opened it's doors to some of the west's most desperate criminals. The prison once housed killers destined for the gallows, and even though the criminals may be gone, it is said that their spirits remain locked behind the high stone walls of the prison.  Today ghost hunters and historians have been gathering at the Old Idaho Penitentiary in Boise for an annual Halloween themed event dubbed “Frightened Felons.”

Women did not fare badly and it was said that "they would like it here".

Women's ward

Typical men's cell

A desperate criminal

The men's cells

1

Trap door of the gallows

Confiscated items from the main yard.

The Oregon Boot was often used to prevent escapes.

1924 was the beginning of reform; eventually allowing games
 and activities and developing more jobs for inmates.