Finding Nevada Wild
The Terrain, Culture, and People of the Most Mysterious State in the West
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Song Dog Silver
Mined and Made by Nevadans
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History and Mystery are Alive in Nevada’s Sagebrush Ocean
Legends of Lost Nevada
Legends of Lost Nevada
Nevada’s a mysterious place. With history and mystery as far and wide as the Great Basin, there’s plenty out there to let your imagination run wild in the Sagebrush Sea. I still can’t figure some of these stories (and locations) out. I’ll never stop trying.
This massive acreage gets skipped over a lot, at least by the average person. But to anthropologists, chemists, theologists, spiritualists, billionaire hoteliers, astronauts, Hollywood actors,…
True mystery and real isolation. And with pronghorn antelope, insanely dark skies, flowing hot creeks, and massive black fire opals as your compass, it’s the…
Becoming man’s best friend alongside this country’s first people, it’s the story of original friendship, and that of Danger Cave: one of the oldest canine…
I hereby swear on Nevada backroads to never overload your inboxes, ever.
The Kestrel Caller enewsletter will soar into your inboxes about once a month with info about new Song Dog Silver online store updates and upcoming in-person events, the latest story from my blog series Legends of Lost Nevada (where you can read or listen), and sometimes a rare combo of the two.
THIS COMMUNITY, HOLY MOLY. 🔥🔥 I am in in complete and total awe of you all the time but especially this time of year. Thanks for spending your money where it matters, turning out for me at the Saint Mary’s Art Center, and after the news segment today—it’s been a busy day of packing orders and I haven’t stopped smiling the whole freakin’ time.
I made the last shop update of the year and if you have your eye on something, better head to the site and snag it. These fingers are officially in retirement until 2026! 🙃 #InSagebrushWeTrust
Been feelin kinda bummed out lately. Turns out, I just needed to get outside and back to what I love to do in the places I feel most like myself. Thank you, Lone Pine. We really needed you. Enthusiastically here to report we are back on our desert bullshit, starting now🫡❤️🔥 #easternsierra…
I think I’ll forever be looking back on 38 as one of the best years of my life. 🧨 Heading into the last year of my thirties with nothing but gratitude—hopefully a lot of camping, dark skies, and hot springs in there somewhere too. 🌚 #birthday…
Did you know Bruce Springsteen wrote this song about his and Steve Van Zandt’s ride through Nevada in 1973? It was the two of them and their photographer Eric Meola on this trip. They later described their time here to have been pulled down every dirt road they could in their rented ‘65 Ford Galaxie convertible, and ultimately shot a lot of photos in a Nevada high desert storm between Salt Lake and Reno. Springsteen was 27 at the time.
There are so many great details about this particular trip of theirs but my favorite is this, especially given the name of my own dog: they stopped to pull over and sleep in their car in downtown Elko and dogs howling gave Springsteen the chorus for The Promised Land…
The dogs on main street howl ‘cause they understand If I could take one moment into my hands Mister, I ain’t a boy, no, I’m a man And I believe in a promised land
Wow these past couple months on the Finding Nevada Wild book tour have been the best blur. To everyone who has helped be celebrate rural Nevada *IN* rural Nevada, thank you. And if you’re still hoping to make it out, I’ll be at the Humboldt Museum in the historic church building (sooo freaking cool) at 11, and then later, at The Martin at 6. What a dream X2, huh? I have this feeling things are about to be rowdy 🌚 #findingnevadawild #insagebrushwetrust…
Gonna be sharpening my teeth on this surreal, and what feels like an everlasting fall for a long, long time. God it’s been something special to be in all my most favorite places when they’re the most gorgeous. It’s almost like we planned it that way or something 🌚
Thanks for sharing my excitement about three years of Song Dog Silver and Finding Nevada Wild, y’all. It feels so good to celebrate with you. The winner of the 3-in-1 mug is @tasiajensen 🫶🏻 If you’re hoping for one of these, I’ve still got about 15 or so in my online shop! We’ve used them all across the book tour, and they really *are *the best multi purpose mug for the gear kit. 🪶#FindingNevadaWild #InSagebrushWeTrust…
Three years ago today I left my job with the state. Ever since I’ve used one of my favorite David Bowie quotes as my compass…
“I don’t know where I’m going from here but I promise it won’t be boring.” 🌚 It was scary and it sucked for a while there. But! One published book, and a pretty A-OK silversmithing career later, you’re goddamned right, Mr. Bowie. And you know, I feel like we’re just feathering the throttle over here 😎🎯 #InSagebrushWeTrust…
Today also marks three years of Song Dog Silver AND Finding Nevada Wild, if you can wrap your mind around it. I surely can’t. Sometimes it can be a challenge to look into the future and be hopeful, but I’m happy I stuck with it and that you stuck with me. 🌚
We’re off this week from the book tour, hoping to slide into some hot water someplace (and that you do the same and hopefully more.) I’ve been quietly adding some new turquoise to my shop and hope to have more for you next week. But! In the interim, and to celebrate year 3, I’d love to gift one of those fancy FNW 3-in-1 mugs to of you to say thanks to the army of Nevadans (and Nevada lovers!) who’ve stood behind me.Drop a comment to let me know you’re here, and I’ll be sure to draw a winner here soon. ❤️🔥 #FindingNevadaWild #NevadaDay…
We’re rounding the final few turns of the fall FNW book launch tour, and man, I can’t believe there are only a couple stops left.🌪️ That includes our *ONLY* Southern Nevada stop, in partnership with the lovely @nevada_humanities, at the @thewritersblocklv this Saturday, October 25 at 7 PM on the dot. 🎯
THEN! Then we’re celebrating at my favorite pizza joint (Nevada or not) at @yukonpizza. 🍕👅 In honor of FNW, they’re making a special “Home Means Nevada” pie, made with mozzarella, pine nuts, fresh sage, sage oil, pecorino romano, and sausage (or not.) Hope to see you there, Vegas friends. 🌚
A massive thank you the size of the Great Basin to everyone who’s come out. Jangy’s remarked it’s felt like a month long wedding and you know, he’s right. It feels so good to be loved by you. ❤️🔥 #FindingNevadaWild
So far the most asked question of the book tour is this: what’s your *favorite place* in Nevada? The 320 page project is a love letter to this state, Jangy, and Elko, filled with dozens of our favorites. Finding Nevada Wild IS the short list, lol.
BUT. I do know the Goldfield-Tonopah experience is definitely in the top 5, which is why I am so damn excited to be there at the Mizpah’s Jack Dempsey room today from 2-4. Ghost hunting with a glass of Lady in Red wine to follow 👻🍷#InSagebrushWeTrust…
Dream Finding Nevada Wild tour venue unlocked 🎯 Thanks for the very warm, very rowdy welcome, Elko County. You get more and more difficult to leave every time I’m there, I know that. ❤️🔥 #InSagebrushWeTrust…
Sometimes I feel like I’m so freakin’ happy in our little family bubble of four—Jonny, Elko, Ruby and I—that I worry something is on the brink of going *really* wrong. Like I have to savor every single second together while we’ve got it, especially after making a lot of tough choices, carefully (and sometimes painfully) reshaping the way we want to live our lives. But I guess there are worse things to be than grateful.
Throughout 15 years we’ve weathered the best and worst versions of ourselves and each other with one constant: together. And you know, even through those mountain summits and narrow canyons, I know there’s no other person I’d rather be riding with on this long and windy desert rip. Elks and Ruby, too.❤️🔥 #15…
Nevada’s first, and one of its largest wilderness areas ✔️ Bloody Mary’s & Sourdough Pancakes ✔️ Nevadas only Class I Airshed ✔️ Basque Arborglyphs (like entire groves of them) ✔️ Lost Legends and Nevada Storytelling as real as it comes ✔️ A fish on every cast ✔️ …And two amazing bars at the end of 68 miles of dirt roads ✔️✔️
The book was almost called “The Last Campsite in Jarbidge” if you can believe it—that’s how much the spirit of this project also lives in one of my favorite ultra-remote corners of Nevada: Jarbidge. And, with Jarbidge Jane’s gift shop the first vendor of Song Dog, you know we had to include this fabled place on the book tour. It’s the sort of place where, if you haven’t been, it’s probably on your list.
This Sunday the three of us will be set up inside the Jarbidge Community Hall ready to swap Nevada stories. Hope you’ll stop by and clink a pint with us—Elko told me he’s buyin’ 🍻✨ #InSagebrushWeTrust #FindingNevadaWild…
Finding Nevada Wild 🎯 • Silver City, we’re comin’ for ya this Saturday! If you’re local to the Reno area and maybe missed our other two in-town events, the Silver City School House is such an amazing little surprise right up the hill. We’ll be there from 4-6 this Saturday and, if it’s anything like Baker or Ely, I know we’re bound to tie one on together in the name of our favorite state 🪶 #InSagebrushWeTrust…
I hereby swear on Nevada backroads to never overload your inboxes, ever. Instead, rely upon Song Dog Silver updates, fresh Legends of Lost Nevada, and sometimes a rare combo of the two.
Do you Know of a Legend of Lost Nevada?
With history and mystery as far and wide as the Sagebrush Sea, there are plenty of Lost Legends out there. Got a story idea you think I should write about?
