Little Finland, Nevada: Sandstone Surrealism in the Mojave
Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2024 8:51 am
If Mars and Dr. Seuss had a baby, it would be Little Finland. Got lost three times just getting here—my GPS tried to sell me a timeshare in Mesquite.
By the time I found the turnoff, my car was covered in more dust than a Vegas slot machine on Monday morning.
Walked into the desert thinking “okay, some rocks”—and then boom: wind-sculpted red sandstone fins, wild arches, shapes that look like melted dragon heads and a couple that look suspiciously like politicians.
No joke, I spent an hour trying to photograph something called “The Bacon.” It does not taste like bacon. The wind will try to take your hat, your snacks, and possibly your last shred of sanity.
I met a couple from Sweden out there who thought the name was a joke—until they saw the rock that looks exactly like a giant salmon fillet.
Brought a lunch (ate it next to a lizard doing yoga), then almost stepped on a rattlesnake. Highly recommend: real boots, 2+ liters of water, and sunglasses that make you look cooler than you are, because the sun is BRUTAL.
Best moment: sunset. The whole place glows like a lava lamp in a 1970s basement.
Fact or fiction? There’s a rumor about buried Spanish gold out there, but all I found was a sunburn shaped like New Jersey and a bag of trail mix that exploded in my backpack.
Anyone else see the “alien face” arch, or did the heat finally get to me? Drop your weirdest desert stories. Nevada—never boring, always weird.
By the time I found the turnoff, my car was covered in more dust than a Vegas slot machine on Monday morning.
Walked into the desert thinking “okay, some rocks”—and then boom: wind-sculpted red sandstone fins, wild arches, shapes that look like melted dragon heads and a couple that look suspiciously like politicians.
No joke, I spent an hour trying to photograph something called “The Bacon.” It does not taste like bacon. The wind will try to take your hat, your snacks, and possibly your last shred of sanity.
I met a couple from Sweden out there who thought the name was a joke—until they saw the rock that looks exactly like a giant salmon fillet.
Brought a lunch (ate it next to a lizard doing yoga), then almost stepped on a rattlesnake. Highly recommend: real boots, 2+ liters of water, and sunglasses that make you look cooler than you are, because the sun is BRUTAL.
Best moment: sunset. The whole place glows like a lava lamp in a 1970s basement.
Fact or fiction? There’s a rumor about buried Spanish gold out there, but all I found was a sunburn shaped like New Jersey and a bag of trail mix that exploded in my backpack.
Anyone else see the “alien face” arch, or did the heat finally get to me? Drop your weirdest desert stories. Nevada—never boring, always weird.