Mina, Nevada, along lonely U.S. 95, is a few dozen homes, a few businesses, a tiny post office and one or two gas stations. It’s pretty darn close to being a ghost town.
I stopped at one gas station, not for fuel but for an ice cream, which was advertised on the front door. The clerk was smoking a cigarette and playing one of the three slot machines in the musty, dark place, where half the shelves were bare.
The area behind the counter was a hodgepodge of trashy looking odds and ends. The ice cream was in a regular refrigerator. I opted for what I thought was an Eskimo Pie, but it was chocolate inside, which was acceptable. I wondered how long it had been in that fridge, but I didn’t ponder that thought too long. “It’s frozen, so it’s okay,” I figured. But I concluded that I would probably not buy any bread due to the potential staleness factor.
As I paid for my ice cream bar I asked the clerk if she really did sell gasoline. As you can tell by the weathered sign, that would be a logical question. “Oh, yes, she said, but we’re out right now.”
As I left the store into the chilly but sunny day, the clerk walked back to her slot machine, dropped in a coin and puffed her cigarette.
(I wrote this in 2012. If you have an update about anything here, please leave a comment).
Perfect scenario for a spooky movie opening………
Looking at a street view on Google maps, it appears this place is no longer open. The sign is in even worse repair, there are no gas pumps, and the windows are boarded up.
Stayed in Mina at the Sunrise Valley RV Park in June, which was decent, store doesn’t appear to be open.
We’ve been ‘regulars’ at Sunrise RV for decades! While still working, we would take our travel trailer and ATV’s for a weeklong vacation. There are hundreds of miles of roads and trails in all directions, and lots of cool things to see. Geocaches are everywhere out in the surrounding area. Chuck Frost, the Sunrise RV park owner is a great guy with a sense of humor. We became good friends over the years.
But, also over the years, tiny Mina has slowly been drying up. The Hard Rock store shut down when the owner retired. The other store shut down much earlier. That was the end of gasoline sales as well. The Mina Club is still going strong and hosts an off-road poker run (which we always attend and enjoy), that benefits local veterans. There’s an active VFW in town that also recognizes American Legion members (and just about anyone else . . .). S’Socorro’s Burger Hut (on Main Street) has been a fixture for years and serves up great burgers, really good malts, and other ‘tastys’.
Over the years, we’ve also made friends with some of the local residents (Lobster Bob for one). There is a lot of ‘colorful’ characters around Mina (said with admiration, I assure you).
We still enjoy going to Sunrise RV Park, when it’s not closed for the winter.