Out the driveway and down the street, hang a left on old Route 66.
I head west, about ten miles, then right on Wagon Trail. Over some hills, then bump across the rail tracks and on across the dry Mojave River bed.
Before I get to the ultra top secret Lockheed facility, the "sister" facility of the infamous Area 51, I turn left. On past the Alta Dena Dairy, right on Sylvan, finally to stop at what most would probably consider "the middle of nowhere".
Aside from that, it is also where my friend Gary lives, and has lived for many years. He and his story is very interesting in and of itself. But, that is not my point, today.
Adjacent to Gary's land, is another house, or "home", in the midst of the usual array of "stuff". That is the norm here, where abundance of open land becomes a magnet with years and years of "collectables".
Story has it; this place was a second home for a couple from the "big city". They would come here on a weekend, work, build and of course, "collect".
This went on for years, until apparently, the husband died, and eventually the well went bad.
The couples children assumed their rolls, and thought they would continue "fixing the place up" on weekends. This proved to be fruitless , as they weren't quite the "desert dwellers" their parents were, and the hauling in of water was way too much hassle. They soon stopped coming altogether.
Gary had always kept an eye on the place for them, and did so for years. Eventually, he received a call with an offer to purchase the land and buildings. A condition came with the proposition; "you have to take the place 'as is', we don't want to come back there for anything".
So, Gary now owns the place. This day he was showing me around. I took these few not so profound images of a place that no one has gone into for 23 years. When I got there, Gary said to me, "you probably would have liked to have taken a picture of the toadstools growing on the bed. I didn't think about it until after I KNOCKED THEM OFF" !!!! UGHHHHH!!



Collectable


The "original cabin"


Later unfinished "addition" and more "collectables".


The inviting "country kitchen"






A bed, sans toadstools!!




Now, wasn't that fun?!