Cathedral Gorge State Park | Nevada

On the way to the Cathedral Gorge State Park I passed  a road that takes travelers to an overlook.  As far as I know, it is outside the state park, but impressive.  This area is just south of Pioche, Nevada.

 

This little shelter has been standing for decades, since it was built in the last century when the CCC, Civilian Conservation Corps were in the area.

 

 

I did not stay at the park, but they do have quite a nice campground, including some sites with hookups.

 

There are an abundance of these rock formations.  I always think they look like gigantic rocks that have somehow melted through the years.  In fact, water did have much to do with these scenes, since this area started out as a lake.  Through time, the lake drained and rainfall pounded on these rocks as well as snow freezing and then melting, causing fissures and then erosion.

There is an area called the caves.  Not caves exactly, but paths through these formations that you can disappear into and be surrounded by these tall monoliths.

 

You can see the texture of these rocks, the look like mud, but they are hard-packed rocks.

 

 

Left from last century, in the 1930s, the CCC - Civilian Conservation Corps built two structures in the park, which are still standing.  This one is the water tower, and the other is a toilet building, not in use any longer.

 

 

Pioche | Nevada

 

 

Pioche is a very small town, no stop lights, no grocery store and very little traffic.  But, they appreciate RV people so much that they have set aside a free campground for them, even though there are quite a few regular campgrounds.  This city campground has water hookups as well as sewer and you can stay here for a full week.  There is a little box near the list of rules requesting donations.  In back of our little campground, we see deer during the evening. 

 

 

Of course, there are multiple old abandoned buildings, such as this old hotel from the mid 1980s.   

 

Right next door is the "Million Dollar Courthouse". It didn't take a million dollars to build it back in those days, but the money sure adds up when you have all sorts of problems with financing and other things that soak up money.

 

In back of the courthouse is the jail, which looks very inviting.

 

 

The Overland Hotel and Saloon is building which is still in business and is left over from the mining days.

 

 

The Nevada Club is still operating also.

 

 

There was a section off the main road with these old buildings and equipment.

 

I love this little slanted house with the upside down roof peak.

 

More interesting buildings are scattered around, some now house businesses and some are just abandoned and locked up.

 

I don't know for sure, but I can probably figure out what this building was used for back in the mining days. 

Miner's shacks looked like this.

 

There was some culture in town, since they had an opera house as well as a movie theater.

 

Amid all the closed, abandoned buildings, there is a park with a gazebo and little waterfall and some old mining equipment up on a trestle.

 

 

One evening while I was out watching the deer, we had  pretty nice sunset.  They are not as plentiful as in some areas I've been.