I think I’ve talked about this site before, but I want to link to it again because it’s just so good. Richard Moreno’s Backyard Traveler is one blog you should be checking in with regularly. Richard used to write Backyard Traveler as a column for the Nevada Appeal and the Lahontan Valley News, and even published an anthology in book form. But now he’s putting the articles right on his web site. And every one of them is worth the time it takes to read.
The Backyard Traveler is all about the hidden gems of Nevada, places you probably never knew about but can visit as a day trip or over a quick weekend. There’s a lot on his site about ghost towns, forgotten places like Berlin, Jumbo, Fairview, Olinghouse, and Clifton. But he also has articles on the new V&T, Virginia City’s ghost stories, Scotty’s Castle, and even the story of hunting for a lonely piece of rebar that marks the geographic center of Nevada. You can tell he’s traveled back and forth across Nevada more than once, and probably knows the back roads that pepper the desert as well as I know the way to my bathroom. Everything he writes betrays an in-depth knowledge of Nevada, and its byways and hidden corners. The site is definitely one you’ll want to visit again and again, poring over the last twelve months worth of articles while you’re waiting for him to publish a new one.
Thanks for the kind words. I just learned about your site, which is really quite excellent. Keep up the great work.
Rich Moreno