Have you ever seen snow piled up fifteen feet on either side of the road? I have, and it was in Nevada, whose name actually means “snowy” in Spanish; a misleadingly appropriate name.

This being said, when you think of the state of Nevada, the only thing that comes to mind is Las Vegas. You probably don’t picture wide open spaces, snow-capped mountains, and the bustling metropolis of Carson City, but after last week, this is exactly what I think of now.

The heaps of snow is odd, of course, but in a state where prostitution is legal, this is hardly the most significant peculiarity. Earlier, when I said the state capital of Carson City was a “bustling metropolis,” I was lying. It’s a dump. A very interesting dump. The only reason we decided to visit it is because the nearby Heavenly Ski Resort was closed.

To get to the Mecca of the West Coast, we drove the breathtakingly scenic Interstate 50 around Lake Tahoe only to be turned around due to a land slide. The detour took us over the mountains and through rural Nevada, the most stereotypical cowboy place in the world. Sadly, I don’t have any good pictures of this landscape because it was raining so hard, you couldn’t see anything.

I pictured Carson City to look like a western mining town, but its actually nothing more than an amalgamation of shopping centers and run-down casinos in the middle of the desert. The whole point of our journey was to visit the infamous and all natural Carson Hot Springs.

When I say natural hot springs you probably picture steaming pools of soupy water surrounded by volcanic rocks and picturesque pine forest. This location was more like a bath house, and to give you an idea of the clientele, the lobby greets you with a blue sign that reads “We reserve the right to deny service to anyone for any reason.”

After a surprisingly relaxing dip into the mineral rich waters, it was time to leave the dilapidated, homophobic recreational center and return to our mountain top bungalow. During our therapeutic experience, many of the roads were flooded, so I began to worry I would have to spend an evening in the Nevada state capital. Thankfully, we found a road back to our condo just in time for perhaps the largest snow storm I have ever witnessed.

So, next time you write off Nevada as just a place to gamble and legally pay someone for sexual favors, just remember it has many hidden wonders waiting to enchant you, and if you ever find yourself at Lake Tahoe on a day when all the ski slopes are closed, be sure to pay it a visit.