{"id":20,"date":"2010-07-18T12:03:00","date_gmt":"2010-07-18T12:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/popcultureroadtrip\/2010\/07\/welcome-to-zzyzx.html"},"modified":"2010-07-18T12:03:00","modified_gmt":"2010-07-18T12:03:00","slug":"welcome-to-zzyzx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/popcultureroadtrip\/2010\/07\/welcome-to-zzyzx.html","title":{"rendered":"Welcome to… Zzyzx"},"content":{"rendered":"

Road trip to Las Vegas this past week for a book signing<\/a>. On the way home to Southern California, we passed, and chuckled (as most do) at the sign for “Zzyzx Road.” Only this time, we got off and drove several miles until we found the town with the same odd name.<\/p>\n

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Some background: “The name Zzyzx was given to the area in 1944 by Curtis Howe Springer<\/font><\/a>, claiming it to be the last word in the English language. Springer made up the word’s pronunciation “zi-zix”. He established the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa in 1944 at the spot, which was federal land, after filing mining claims<\/font><\/a> for 12,000 acres  surrounding the springs. He used the springs to bottle his water and provide drinks for travelers through the hot desert. Springer also imported animals from around the country to attract more families to visit his ranch. He used Zzyzx until 1974, when he was arrested by the United States Marshals<\/font><\/a> for misuse of the land as well as alleged violations of food and drug laws, and the land was reclaimed by the government. Since 1976, the Bureau of Land Management<\/font><\/a> has allowed California State University<\/font><\/a> to manage the land in and around Zzyzx. A consortium of CSU campuses use it as theirDesert Studies Center<\/font><\/a>.”<\/span><\/div>\n

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What an idyllic little spot Mr. Springer chose. In the ruins of his Utopia little dream, hope still springs eternal, marsh birds still visit the oasis, and a sense of peace, calm and respite hangs gentle in the warm desert wind.<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n

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Off on a dinosaur expedition this week – will return in several days.<\/span><\/span><\/font><\/div>\n

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\"zy.JPG\"<\/span><\/span><\/font><\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Road trip to Las Vegas this past week for a book signing. On the way home to Southern California, we passed, and chuckled (as most do) at the sign for “Zzyzx Road.” Only this time, we got off and drove several miles until we found the town with the same odd name. Some background: “The…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":228,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nWelcome to... Zzyzx - The Pop Culture Road Trip<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/popcultureroadtrip\/2010\/07\/welcome-to-zzyzx.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Welcome to... Zzyzx - The Pop Culture Road Trip\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Road trip to Las Vegas this past week for a book signing. On the way home to Southern California, we passed, and chuckled (as most do) at the sign for “Zzyzx Road.” Only this time, we got off and drove several miles until we found the town with the same odd name. 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As an author, Epting has found that unearthing and chronicling \"\"hidden\"\" locations offers him a challenge. What began as an inquisitive hobby soon developed into the writing and photographing of 18 books based on his discoveries, including \"\"James Dean Died Here\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6The Locations of America's Pop Culture Landmarks,\"\" \"\"Elvis Presley Passed Here, Even More Locations of America's Pop Culture Landmarks,\"\" \"\"Roadside Baseball,\"\" and \"\"The Ruby Slippers, Madonna's Bra, and Einstein's Brain: The Locations of America's Pop Culture.\"\" As an extension of his efforts to chronicle the unique, Epting joined Hampton Hotels for a sixth exciting year as national spokesperson and consultant for the Hidden Landmarks program in support of the brand's national \"\"Explore the Highway with Hampton Save-A-Landmark\u00c3\u201d\"\" campaign (the program recently won the President's award). Chris is a frequent featured guest on numerous radio and television programs such as National Public Radio's \"\"All Things Considered,\"\" \"\"The Savvy Traveler,\"\" \"\"Access Hollywood\"\" and FOX TV's the \"\"Best Damn Sports Show Period,\"\" plus radio and TV programs around the world. He has contributed articles for such publications as the \"\"Los Angeles Times,\"\" \"\"Westways,\"\" \"\"Travel + Leisure\"\" and \"\"Preservation\"\" magazine, and hosts the weekly syndicated radio show, \"\"The Pop Culture Road Trip.\"\" Chris's latest book, \"\"Hello It's Me\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6Dispatches from a Pop Culture Junkie\"\" will be released in July, 2010. 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