Rhyolite, Nevada: Last Supper and Giant Pink Woman

The February newsletter from the Goldwell Open Air Museum, "A Desert Whisper," reports the virtual destruction of Albert Szukalski's chrome sculpture "Desert Flower" in 70+ mph winds on February 13, 2008. The ceiling on the museum's visitor center also collapsed in the powerful storm.

This photo shows the sculpture before the damage.

"Desert Flower"(which could just as easily be called "Drunk Terminator" when viewed from certain angles) has been a popular piece in the collection of outdoor installations at Goldwell. The chrome assemblage was badly crumpled when it fell in winds that also lifted an antique iron stove and carried it "50 or 60 yards into the desert."

The fate of the sculpture and possible restoration depends on a number of factors, not least of which is how much of the damage is covered by the collection's insurance policy.

The Bottle House is surrounded by a fence, so I could not go in or very near the house itself, but it was still cool to see. The ghost town area is also neat, but not much to give history of area, no one there, which was odd for the time of day -- added to the "ghost town" feel. Sign on old store stated it was for sale to be moved, also seemed odd, but who knows.

This is the house made of bottles. I took the pics on a motorcycle trip to Death Valley a couple years ago.

We were almost to Rhyolite, planning a quick drive-by after spending much of the day in Death Valley, CA. Both our guide books said Rhyolite was a ghost town. That's all. Suddenly we saw a huge naked woman kneeling on a hill. Neither of our guide books had mentioned her. The "Venus of Rhyolite" is the focal point of a most interesting sculpture garden on the outskirts of town.