Nevada: Where the Neon Blinds You, the Desert Eats Your GPS, and Area 51 Keeps It Weird

Welcome to Nevada, a state that is 10% glittering neon glitz and 90% wide-open, empty space where you can drive for three hours without seeing another human, a gas station, or a tree.

On one side, you’ve got Las Vegas—a giant desert oasis built entirely around the concept of bad financial decisions, giant yard-long slushies, and waking up at 3:00 PM confused about what day of the week it is. On the other side, you’ve got Lake Tahoe, where the water is so crystal clear and the mountains are so scenic you’ll momentarily forget you just lost $200 on a slot machine at a gas station.

Then there’s everything in between. Nevada is home to the "Loneliest Road in America," a stretch of highway so quiet that screaming into the void isn't just permitted—it's practically mandatory. It’s also where you’ll find weird alien-themed motels, ghost towns that look straight out of a Scooby-Doo episode, and mountain ranges that exist purely to separate one vast, empty valley from another.

Whether you're hitting the tables, hiking through glowing red canyons, or scanning the skies near Groom Lake for extraterrestrials, Nevada is gloriously unhinged. Just pack twice as much water as you think you need, never trust a shortcut through the desert, and always set a strict gambling limit before the complimentary drinks kick in.

September, 2021
September, 2019