After leaving Nellis AFB, our first stopover was in Tonopah, NV.  We had planned to check into the Casino RV park, but I missed that turn.  Done that before too.  Cruised on down the street looking for a place to turn around, but then spied a large lot that said in large letters "FREE OVERNIGHT RV PARKING".  Guess which word got my attention.  We pulled into the lot and set up.  Then decided to hike 'uptown'.  Really.  The town is on a medium steep hill.  Found the newly renovated Mizpah Hotel and restaurant.  It was built in 1907, and over the years became famous.  Then run-down.  Then boarded up.  It was an interesting place.  I had a Philly Cheese Steak, and E was good and had a veggi burger.  I just wanted to rebel.  But it didn't work, since I first said I would have an order of fish and chips!  That got nixed pretty quick. 

Tonopah produced extraordinary amounts of silver over the years.  You can learn its history at the Tonopah Historic Mining Park and the Central Nevada Museum.  We didn't go.  Been to plenty of mines!  The Silver Top Mine hoisthouse and headframe seen above are Tonapah's most memorable landmarks.  The second richest producer in Tonopah after the Mizpay mine, you can visit the remaining artifacts much as they've appeared since the 1940's at the Tonopah Historic Mining Park.

Tonopah is rated the #1 stargazing destination in America by USA Today.  Away from the big city lights of Las Vegas and Reno, Tonopah, Nevada has the unique distinction of having one of the darkest nighttime skies in the country.  Even the most inexperienced stargazers will see more than expected.  While those in bigger, brighter cities are used to seeing only 25 to 50 stars because of light pollution, Tonopah skies show more than 7,000 stars including the Milky Way on a clear, moonless night.  Those with good eyes will be able to see stars as distant as a visual magnitude of +7.0, which is the faintest of stars.  

Next stop should be Fallon Naval Air Station, a couple hundred miles north of here.  Later....