Note: This post is the first of three that will feature roadside oddities in Nevada.

 

Back in 1905, Goldfield was the largest town in Nevada. Boasting a population of over 20,000, grand hotels, sporting events and of course, record gold shipments, this place was the cosmopolitan center for the state. However, as with many things in Nevada, prosperity came and went swiftly, and Goldfield became a ghost. Today, crumbling remains and a small community mark the former glory of Goldfield. But this semi ghost has something that other ghosts don’t: A car forest!

There are no signs for The International Car Forest of the Last Church, nor is there any advertisement of any kind. In fact, one has to know in what direction to look and at what time when passing through the old mining town. About a mile south of The Goldfield Hotel, just after the 90 degree turn on the main thoroughfare, you’ll want to look off to the distant left for the uncanny ass ends of vehicles extending skyward. A couple of obscure dirt roads in that direction will get you there. Indeed, I found it on accident myself. A few years ago, a friend and I were passing through and she said, “Is that a bus sticking up out of the ground?”

“No, can’t be,” I responded. However, that wonderful state of explorative curiosity took over and we made our way out there to find much more than a bus. Since then I have been there a few more times. The International Car Forest of the Last Church is a living project and brainchild of artist; Chad Sorg and Mark Ripple.  Together they have anchored, nose down, more than 40 cars, trucks and buses since the early 2000’s. Many of them are brightly painted with an array of designs, some of them depicting aliens, political figures and cartoon figures.

Don’t expect to find neat rows of vehicles, or any sense of organization to it. Vehicles are haphazardly strewn about, protruding from the earth in various angles and directions. On a hill is the aforementioned bus, with the garden of wrecks below in various states of decay. The artwork helps. Not all of them are anchored into the ground; an old Chevy ice cream truck is parked with an eight-door limo perched on top of it. Just when you think you have seen the most bizarre piece in the forest, you will stumble upon something even more curious.

Get lost in this grove of iron and rubber, but as with any other exhibit, respect the work that has been put into it. This author may be guilty of crawling into a couple of upended cars, but I ask that you refrain from climbing on and venturing into the hulks. There is always a danger, and no one is around to help should you get stuck upside down inside the skeleton of a former delivery van or smack your melon on a broken driveline.

As with most things worth visiting, make the necessary time; a couple hours should suffice. I recently took Trish there for a quick look-see, and we ended up wandering the entire display for some time, which arguably, is the largest car forest in the country.