That’s not exactly true. It is closer to Vegas than it is to LA and is our landmark that we are almost to Stateline. By the time I get to Zzyzx, the gambling fever has started to kick in and I know that I can make the fever go away at Buffalo Bill’s or Whiskey Pete’s. I don’t even have to go to Vegas.
Zzyzx is exit 249 on Interstate 15. You may not know that if you actually get off at exit 249, it will take you to the former Soda Springs. Today, Soda Springs is the location of the California State University Desert Studies Center and is managed by the National Park Service. The public is allowed to meander around Lake Tuendae and the shore of Soda Dry Lake. Curtis Howe Springer created Lake Tuendae in the 1940’s. Mr. Springer was an interesting man and was labeled "King of Quacks" by the American Medical Association in 1969. You can learn more about Springer on the Roadside America site. It is really an interesting story.
However, we have enjoyed the sign on I15 for many years. It has come to mean that Vegas is near. It also says that we are near family who live in Searchlight, Nevada and proudly have a picture of the sign on their wall. It is a sign that has been there since I was small and is part of my history too. Zzyzx is not the last place on earth but it is appropriate that it is the last entry for the A to Z challenge.
Photo credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/grenade/3885645465/
