The star-gazing capital of the U.S.

I'm in Tonopah, Nevada for the "Bat Bonanza". Last night we sat calmly in middle of the desert, counting bats that left mine shafts using night-vision goggles. The stars actually were amazing, Tonopah's only claim to fame. The Milky Way was plainly obvious and arched across the entire sky. It was totally silent except for the heat lighting on the horizon.

We are counting bats because if these abandoned mines don't contain them, they will be sealed off for human safety. I thought this made complete sense until I saw these entrances, which actually look like giant ant hills of shale. Somehow, people still manage to ride ATVs up the hills and down into the endless holes. I heard a story about someone doing just that, but actually surviving because the landed on top of another ATV and rider who had made the same mistake.

Every restaurant here (all three, literally) double as bars/gambling clubs. It is now clear why gambling is legal here- there is nothing else to spend your money on. I also had the pleasure of explaining to Kym, the Australian who is here on exchange, that the many "ranches" which dot the otherwise blank highways are actually bordellos.

We'll be here doing the counts until Thursday. Praise be to the Patron Saint of the Internet, there is actually WiFi here at the Jim Butler Motel. Pictures will follow later, but for the time being, here are some shots from last weekend's hike in Snow Canyon: