Goodsprings isn't actually at the end of a road, but it's pretty darn close. So it's nice to find a decent and friendly watering hole in this dusty junction some 35 miles from the Strip. This would be the Pioneer Saloon, which has been serving up sodas, suds and shots since 1913. It's the longtime heart of the tight-knit community.
"It's a small town, with neighbors who are willing to help," said bartender Cindy Niles.
Inside the charming bar you'll find original poker tables, a vintage potbelly stove and a stylish fishnet-stocking leg lamp. And, of course, you'll meet locals and visitors alike conversing at the ornate 1860s cherry wood bar.
On the walls in the billiards room you'll find numerous newspaper clippings detailing the saloon's long history. In a melancholy mood, many detail the 1942 crash of a DC-3 that killed actress Carole Lombard on nearby Mount Potosi. Her equally-if-not-more famous husband, Clark Gable, drowned out the wait for word on her unlucky fate at the bar.
But today the Pioneer Saloon is a playfully rowdy and happy place. Travelers often fall for its particular aura.
"They stay longer than they think they would," Niles said.
-- Review by Greg Thilmont
