St. George, UT > Vegas > Calico Ghost Town

St. George, UT > Las Vegas, NV > Calico Ghost Town, CA

 After a well deserved morning shower, some nasty KOA camping coffee and a nice breakfast at Cracker Barrel, the Bug and I headed off. 

Vegas

Bugsy at legendary, Uncle Bob Spina's shop in Las Vegas.

We ended up meeting for a quick lunch with Uncle Bob Spina in Las Vegas before going onto Calico Ghost Town. My pinstriping mentor, Uncle Bob took us to a Mexican place that accommodated Bugsy's yerning for a grilled cheese.

Calico, CA

After spending so much time around green, it was a bit of a re-adjustment to be back in the semi desert of California. The Calico Ghost Town camp ground was almost empty. With the exception of two rent a campers at the far end, Bugsy and I were all alone. We loved it! We could blast music, blast my Rigid Industries LED lights, walk around in our underwear and like idiots. No one to bother us! This is my kind of camping... removed from the rushing world!

Bugsy plays with Legos as the Calico sun sets.

Rigid Industries LED bar lights up the night.

 Well, a decent nights sleep an make a man a bit overconfident! Case in point... I decide, "That there brim, would be a good place to take a pic of da truck!" Duhhhhhh! 1,327 extra pounds on the back of a truck changes things. Within seconds, that damn soft dirt has us locked in and sinking. I tired every conceivable 4x4 combo. Slow wheel spin, fast wheel spin, brake/throttle modulation, etc, etc. End result... STUCK! I tried digging the soft dirt out from under all four tires... nuttin'! Park ranger comes by, "Hey, do that crap out there, not in the park!!!" I say, "Sorry, but my four year old is in here and the temps are climin' every 10 minutes." He tells me that he can ask his boss to help or I can call a tow truck. Niiiiiceeee. That means, we are here two hours. No Calico Ghost Town. :-(

Stuck as F@%k!

I say to myself, "Self, you can get outta here. I know you!" It was then that it dawned on me. "Hey, what about the camper shell jacks??? Maybe on a dem will work?" I dig one out from under the pile of suitcases and dirty clothes in the back of the truck. I prop it under the Addictive Desert Design Stealth bumper (and Yes I am pimpin' them! If it wasn't fir this bumper We'd be part of the ghosts!). Anyway, I catch an edge of the bumper and begin jacking the thing up. I get about 6 inches up and try and gun it in reverse. It moves, but no cigar. Back to the jack. Up another 4 inches. Ohhhh, it's gettin' scary! I jump in, (by now Bugsy is about sick of sittin' in there.), Reverse> throttle> BAM! We are out! Yep! Out! Buuuuuutttttt, the right rear tire was sitting on top of a rock and spinning thus digging a nice little valley into the center. Rubber was hangin', but the tire was still holding air. Park Ranger comes back about then. "Hey, boss can't help." Yeah, I don't need it!", I say. "Thanks anyway for all the help!" - Off to the Ghosts...  Calico Ghost Town  They say it's haunted, but there aren't many ghosts who really want to stick around an old mine shaft in the 95 degree heat, I'm sure of it! All in all, it was fun to walk around and see the old town. Bugsy enjoyed the sights and the railroad. The breakfast place rocked and all the people were nice. After about two and half hours,  it was time for our little road trip to come to an end. First, though, a trip to Barstow to put on a spare tire was in order. Hope it doesn't blow!!!  In the end, this was a trip that I hope Jude (Bugsy) will always remember. It's doubtful at four years of age. I will remind him and hopefully he will have that fuzzy feeling when he hears the word "camping".  He will have the pictures, always. Bugsy was a trooper and I commend him. Not all kids can ride in a truck for four days and camp in a 6 foot bed pop up camper. The rig worked pretty well and as long as I remeber that it isn't an RV and it isn't tent camping. It's somewhere in between and it's just perfect for the Bug and I. Cheers from us both! Below are some pics from Calico Ghost Town: