Dear Reader,

For this latest installment of Animated Meat, I feel the need to provide a warning to travelers whose wanderings may take them through the heart of the Mojave Desert. This entry will not serve as a reminder to prepare for the obvious threats one may encounter in a harsh and unforgiving environment. Readers of this fair periodical are a cerebral bunch, so it’s safe to assume they have the wisdom to pack plenty of sunblock and extra water. Nor will this be an attempt to caution you about the poisonous snakes who call the burning wasteland home. You already know that critters such as the Western Diamond Rattlesnake just want to be left alone. No, this dispatch is to let you know about something entirely different that has grown out a wide open stretch between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Hugging the shoulder of Interstate 15 sits EddieWorld, an unbelievably well appointed gas station that has something for everyone. And if you’re not careful, it may become your family’s next great travel tradition, just as it is now ours.

Plenty of light and space. And candy. Plenty of that, too.

EddieWorld proudly distinguishes itself from the barren landscape it inhabits with a six-story ice cream hugging the side of Interstate 15. Who wouldn’t be tempted to satisfy a sense of curiosity by using a need to refill as an excuse? The good lord knows that I did. Billing itself as California’s largest gas station, EddieWorld offers up twenty-six fueling islands, assuring as little delay as possible to those itching to get back on the road. However, the minds behind EddieWorld do not hang their ambitions on gasoline sales alone. With a nod to the future, they also offer up eighteen electric vehicle charging stations. With the most affordable fuel on the trip to Las Vegas, they have all but guaranteed I won’t stop in Barstow anymore. But the attraction does not end there.

I make it a habit not to take pictures in a restroom. Trust me. They’re worth the stop.

Inside, EddieWorld offers up the pinnacle of what public restrooms should be and serves as an example of how a business should treat customers. Forget about the horrors you have experienced looking for relief at a ramshackle gas station. Never is there a line for one shabby toilet, nor is there ever a mess to be found. With Las Vegas as the final destination for many, there must be thousands of visitors a day looking for relief. However, these spotless restrooms belie their persistent use. Aside from being clean, an added feature I never knew that I wanted until I arrived here are the floor-to-ceiling partitions on the stalls.

Funko Pops would not have the empire they do without impulse buys.

Affordable gasoline and spotless facilities are only the beginning of EddieWorld’s attraction. The variety of dining options may well be the thing that calls to your soul. If you’re looking for something made to order, they have you covered. As one familiar with interstate highway travel would expect, burgers and chicken tenders are available. However, the menu is staggeringly expansive and offers everything from pizza and salads, to sushi rolls . If the siren’s song of Sin City is too strong for you to stay and eat, plan on finding something resembling sustenance in the rows of candy and jerky before you get back on the road.

However, what draws us here time and again is the well-stocked selection of Beanie Boos. If you’re uninitiated, Beanie Boos are wide eyed collectible plushies that are convenient souvenirs both in their size and their price. At about six dollars each, a couple of these always manage to join our caravan before we head back out on the road. Thankfully, our adventures rarely draw us north on the 15. Considering all that EddieWorld has to offer those who frequent Las Vegas or points northward, this could get to be an expensive proposition.

EddieWorld

36017 Calico Road

Yermo, California 92398

760 441-7993

Looking for some other unique roadside attractions? Next time you’re in Oregon, head to Prehistoric Gardens. In California, take a look at Bunnyhenge.

This post is based on a visit made on July 11, 2021

One more reason to stop - Laker memorabilia

One day, a historian will write a book about our slice of the twenty-first century and will identify right now as the moment when people lost any sense of a nuanced approach to their dealings. It does not matter if it’s an opinion about the president, or a Yelp review of Moons Over My Hammy, the best we can manage is to say that things are either entirely great, or wretchedly terrible. The majority of people are only carrying two crayons in their boxes. One is black and the other one is white. While I am busy throwing stones at the rest of humanity, I will go ahead and plead guilty of the same binary approach to thinking.

Take my thoughts about the city of Las Vegas, for example. I have been more than content to shrug that city off based on my limited interactions with it. To me, Las Vegas is nothing more than a town built to dispense little units of pre-programmed joy. Every day, swarms descend looking for a recharge and the machinery running Las Vegas provides exactly what the robots need to be happy. A wonderland covered in sparkle and light, Las Vegas is a city that specializes in too much drink, too much food, and too much gaming. Thankfully, my wife convinced me to look past the obvious Las Vegas offerings on our latest outing. If I would have relied on my own lazy thinking, we would have missed a chance to see the marvel that is Valley of Fire State Park.

The Valley of Fire is a remarkable contrast to the obvious Las Vegas fare. Don’t look for smoky casinos filled with people who failed math as they bet it all on black. Starting with the hour long drive north, all the trappings of a major city slip away. Despite its close proximity to endless jumbo shrimp cocktails, there was little more that endless blue skies without a cell phone tower or powerline in sight. Entry into the park is only ten dollars per carload making it one of the best values around. Valley of Fire Highway snakes through the park and offers several places to turn out and explore.

While the Ancestral Puebloan people who once claimed it have moved on in the shuffle of history, they left their mark on the land in the form of the petroglyphs they left behind. There are several locations to see them but the most accessible is at Atlatl Rock near the entrance of the park. Ringed by a parking lot and an RV campground, Atlatl Rock is a monolith jutting up from the dry, red sand and features 3000 year old petroglyphs. High atop the rock, carved into the face of the red stone, there are pictures of people and long horned sheep. They are also supposed to include the depiction of an atlatl, a hunting tool that predates the bow and arrow. It is a staggering thing to see and still I am moved by the gravity of being able to show them to my kids. I could see these markings being left by a party of hunters as they bided their time, waiting for a herd of sheep to pass through the valley. For the convenience of visitors, the park offers a staircase directly to the rocks. Aside from the petroglyphs, the observation stand also offers commanding view of the park. While the access to the carvings is remarkable, it has had its price. While the stairs allow curious people to take in the wonder of the artifacts, they have been damaged by visitors over time.

Only a few miles down the road from Atlatl Rock lay the Seven Sisters. Once again, the Nevada State Park Service does a tremendous job of accommodating visitors with parking and picnic tables. The Seven Sisters, a group of red rock formations is an ideal place to bring kids and let them run wild. The formations became castles and cathedrals for my kids as they climbed and played. It was absolute rocket fuel for imagination. The Seven Sisters was the antithesis to the obvious pleasure center activities in the Strip. Only 54 miles away, a giant jumbotron flashed advertisement for French Canadian acrobats and buffets, my kids were lost in a world of their own creation.

All totaled, we were only able to spend a few hours in the park. Our stops and simple hikes amounted to us seeing only a fraction of the Valley of Fire. Weather permitting, I could see returning many more times in the future. My enthusiasm for the park made me reconsider my opinions about Las Vegas as a vacation destination. While I may still not be excited about the bright lights and wretched excess of the Strip, I would say that I am now more included to seek out some of the quieter, more subtle places in Nevada.

Anyone considering a trip out to the Valley of Fire should plan head. Bring food and water because there are no concessions inside the park. The only place to get food is at a truckstop just outside the entrance.

This entry was based on a visit to the Valley of Fire on December 27, 2019

Valley of Fire State Park

29450 Valley of Fire Highway

Overton, NV 89040

Interested in dusty adventure? If you’re ever in Utah, book a trip with Dreamland Safari.