Page 113 - NyghtVision Magazine Volume 3 #3

get up and get out. There’s coffee downstairs ey, man,” I said firmly but
too. Not much incentive, but given how I feel, gently, “we need to get go-
it is enough. “Whose idea was this, anyway?” ing. Come on.” No response.
I ask silently. It was mine. We had to come “H“The car is downstairs. We
here a day early and I wanted to do something need to get going. Come on. I'll make some
more than sit in the hotel and watch movies. coffee.” And that I tried to do. Vainly it seems
I wanted to get started early enough to get to since when I tore the outer package open, I
Nelson by dawn, but as I looked at JD soundly also tore the thin fabric that held the coffee.
sleeping in the next bed, I knew my chances The coffee went everywhere. More carefully,
were small. Given the time change – and the I opened the second package of coffee. After
fact that he was still awake at 12:30 AM when I it brewed I handed it to JD and made for the
went to bed – and the fact that he doesn’t suf- car. I needed another cup of coffee any way. I
fer mornings well, there was next to no chance hoped it would also move JD to get to the car
we would make Nelson by dawn. Still, the and I knew that if I watched him get ready we
rental car was waiting and I wasn’t going to let could argue and I wasn’t about to. Eventually,
it go to waste. we left. And about 45 minutes later we arrived
at Nelson. Except, it wasn’t the Nelson we were
5:20 I was in the lobby looking for. A collection of trailers, a few met-
of the hotel working on al shacks and a handful of houses, this wasn’t
my second cup of almost the ghost town. It was the new Nelson, NV.
Besides, there was a never ending stream of JD
By warm coffee. There was
and I found the Nelson we
a microwave and I could have heated the cof-
fee up but I couldn’t find the resolve to get up
were looking for. It is sup-
posed to be a ghost town
and walk another three feet to the microwave.
but it is really a collection
really interesting people wandering in from a of old cars, buildings that should have fallen
nyght of debauchery. Most were so drunk I am down generations ago but which are now kept
not sure how they were able to walk. Then two alive by the owner of the property. From Nel-
Asians stepped out of a cab, entered the lob- son, we went down to El Dorado Canyon and
by and took seats. After several minutes, they from there to Lake Meade. As always we took
placed a call on one of their cell phones. A few the road less traveled back to the hotel. We ha-
minutes later, another Asian accompanied by ven’t seen such poverty since we traveled the
a very tall Caucasian who looked more than a back roads of eastern Kentucky. Golden Val-
little out of place showed up. Not a word of En- ley, Arizona, spans both sides of US 93. We
glish was spoken by the Asians. The American drove through streets in disrepair, some little
just seemed to follow along. I tried not to make more than packed dirt. There was one house,
any assumptions about what was going on, but and I use that word lightly, in the entire town.
it wasn’t easy. They left as quickly as they ar- Golden Valley wasn’t the exception. Town after
rived. And then it was my turn to leave. town – Laughlin, Needles and so many more
– though in the case of Needles and Laughlin
was lucky. The hotel’s driver took me there were homes of incredible value as well.
all the way to the rental car facility. Segregated from the rest. Of course.

I got the car, almost as quickly, then
I returned to find JD still asleep. As stopped in Searchlight.
I had promised, I had texted him as I left for An interesting name for
the hotel. He either had slept through it, or, he a collection of some of
the
was so tired he ignored it, or he never got the We worst looking trail-
text. Either way, the outcome was the same. ers, a couple of mines, and, of course, a casino

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