We went with Uncle Bob and Aunt Joyce to China Ranch – a date plantation outside of Pahrump. So named because the guy that originally ran the ranch was Chinese. He apparently disappeared without a trace. Somewhat understandable as the desert out here is vast.
The road into the ranch is just wild. You go down a steep canyon with walls like this on either side:
At the bottom is an oasis filled with date palm trees.
Originally planted back in 1920.
We bought some candy for Char and then took this selfie with the dusty hills in the background.
After visiting the farm, we went for a picnic nearby, walked through the local museum, and checked out some ancient cave homes where miners used to live. We went to dinner in town at a Thai restaurant that Bob and Joyce had never been to before. The waiter was a riot. We ordered a soup they had never tasted before. After dinner Bob went to see the waiter’s Mom and Dad who were cooking in the kitchen. He told them he was glad they had immigrated to America – which got big smiles. As Dave said when we got in the car, “What did that that crazy white man want? I just smiled at him and he went away.”