To most of America, October 31 is synonymous with Halloween, but in Nevada, it signifies statehood and one of the greatest parades ever. Nevada became a state on October 31, 1864, at the height of the Civil War, hence its status as the “Battleborn State”.

On this Nevada Day, we sit down with the authoritative expert on all things Nevada, @sydneymmartinez. For more than a decade, Sydney and her husband have explored every square mile of Nevada, using her writing and photography skills to document a vibrant and ecologically diverse state most mistake as nothing but desert.

Her website, findingnevadawild.com, is loaded with history and interesting stories, all about Nevada. She’s also a rock hound, and has started her own jewelry business called Song Dog Silver. This episode covers a lot of topics including ghost towns, hot springs, geology, the Clampers, cowboy poetry, Mark Twain, UFOs and Bob Lazar.