I had a pleasant 4-day stay in Pahrump, NV. It is about an hour west of Las Vegas. The town has everything a nomad needs in terms of services and supplies plus a great library. That makes it a perfect place to stop before heading into Death Valley, another isolated National Park.

I stayed at the Elks Lodge RV Park, where I had hookups. I also picked up the major TV stations in Las Vegas, which was great for entertainment. I even watched my first episodes of NCIS and FBI for this season, my favorites. Since I had electricity, I could also listen to satellite radio. I was perched on a small hill outside of town and could look out over the city lights in the evening and early mornings. Life was good!

While at the library one day I did some online research about Pahrump. Oh my! The world-famous brothel, the Chicken Ranch, was down the road a few miles! Turns out that only some counties in Nevada legalized prostitution, and this is one of them. Since Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, does NOT allow brothels, Chicken Ranch is the closest to there!

More trivia: Heidi Fleiss, the infamous Hollywood Madam lives here as well. She owns the laundromat here, something I did not know when I paid a visit (not that it matters).  She was hooked up with the recently deceased owner of the Chicken Ranch.

Of course, I went to the Chicken Ranch website and learned that customers can get “free transportation” from Las Vegas in a limo. I guess that is worked into the average $1000 fee for basic sex services.

I researched a bit more online and found that the “girls” are private contractors and set their own prices, which vary according to what the customer wants. They must be checked for STDs every week and pay annual licensing fees of nearly $1000, each year. They split their fee 50-50 with the brothel owner. They also pay rent for their room at the brothel and other expenses. If they pay taxes, there won’t be much left. If they don’t pay taxes, they don’t pay into Social Security and Medicare. And, of course, this is not a long term job thanks to the aging process. It is not a good deal at all for these women, legal or not. I also read that some of the women are struggling with drug issues and they tend to wander in and out of that system.
Pahrump is also a snowbird destination. The small city has at least a half-dozen nice RV parks, most with pools. Sometime I would like to spend a month here, enjoying the town again at one of the parks. The town is also a haven for retired Californians fleeing the politics and taxes there. I meet several of these folks at a taco night dinner at the Elks Lodge. They were fairly conservative so I had to excuse myself after dinner. I have come to hate political discussions of any kind. They are so divisive and most people don’t really know all that much about the issues. People cling to their rhetoric and start bashing others who don’t agree with them, regardless of their political persuasion.

Pahrump has an ideal location, just an hour west of Las Vegas and a few hours away from So-Cal. I liked it there, and hope to come back. For sure, I will be back for groceries in about 10 days and will stop at the Elks Lodge RV park for a night (and a shower) as I make my way to Quartzsite.