Little trip to Primm

Another weekend… another small road trip out of town based around a penny machine. I honestly don’t even want to think about how much money I’ve spent on this habit. We don’t talk about it ;). This adventure spawned because I was checking PennyCollector (like I do every weekend for updates) and saw a user post that the Desperado machine at Buffalo Bill’s was working. More on that later…

You can’t head out on a penny-smashing mission without stocking up on a bunch of quarters first. I was running low, so we headed over to the Pinball Hall of Fame to use their change machine. There is a machine here that will also accept other coins and turn them into quarters. I have a lot of nickels and dimes I should bring here. I hadn’t yet collected the pennies from this location either, so I was finally able to cross them off the list. The designs are somewhat boring if I’m honest, but I need to collect them all. We walked around the game floor, and I saw that most of my favorite machines were out of order. I was still able to find something to play, though. The Nickelodeon racing game was working, so I got to try it for the first time. I’m bad at racing with the wheel… there’s a reason I don’t drive a car irl. I also got a little treasure troll out of a gumball machine and a little flocked animal because the note said the factory that made them was going out of business. I couldn’t fact-check that, but it was under a dollar. There is a long list of rules for this place including no photography.

Primm is only 37 miles away from the Pinball Hall of Fame. It didn’t take long to reach the California state line. Once we got to Buffalo Bills, I beelined to the food court area where the Bonnie and Clyde car is located with the penny machines. There is a penny machine for the car specifically (with one broken button), but I was here for the Desperado machine. I didn’t realize until that day, but the machine smashes quarters, not pennies. I’ve stopped here a few times, but the machine was never working. The same thing happened, and I thought that the plan had been foiled until my husband pressed on the back of the machine, and I noticed the light turn on. There must be a loose connection. He held the back while I cranked out the quarter. It rolled nicely, and I was happy to add this to my collection finally.

I took pictures of the roller coaster track and the signs around the parking lot. The once-bustling Prizm outlet mall is deserted and abandoned. Sanithrift might still be open, but I can’t see how they are getting any business. I thought I read that they had closed the location, but I get conflicting information when I look it up online. We went to the top of the Whiskey Pete’s parking garage to take in the views and ponder the future of Primm.

I am disappointed that we never took the time to ride the rollercoaster when it was open. I will forever be kicking myself over that one. Desperado was once a record-breaking roller coaster standing in the Mojave desert. It was built by Arrow Dynamics. When it opened in 1994, it was one of the fastest and tallest coasters in the entire world. The Guinness Book of World Records included it in their 1996 publication. Desperado had a drop length of 225 feet, a top speed of 80 mph, and a length of over 5,800 feet. The ride wasn’t known for being smooth and comfortable in its later years. Magician Lance Burton once staged a stunt where he was tied to the roller coaster track and had to escape before the train hit him.

Whiskey Pete’s opened in 1977 and shut down at the end of 2024. The Bonnie and Clyde car was moved over to Buffalo Bills after a brief stint at Primm Valley Resort. That hotel opened in 1990. I got the impression that this resort was also shut down or not very popular. I didn’t try to go inside, but the parking lot was empty. There is an old tram that used to connect the two properties over the freeway. It could transport 2,200 people per hour. YouTube user “Share a Dream Come True” has uploaded a video of the tram system from 2003. I wonder if Primm will ever be reborn. Some people think the airport project will help, but that won’t be for another decade, minimum.

We headed down the road to Goodsprings because they also have a penny machine. It is located at the General Store, next to the Pioneer Saloon. The machine was outside and there was a cup full of pennies on the top. The giant prospector statue is one of 2 that Goodsprings had donated to them. The statues were originally from Lucky Strike Club on Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas. They were fitted with mechanics so the statues looked like they were panning for gold. They were moved to the Gold Strike Inn in Boulder City. They survived a fire and were moved to the Gold Strike in Jean. That property was renamed to Terrible’s and eventually closed down in 2020. The statues found their way to Goodsprings during the demolition process. Goodsprings hopes to find someone to restore the mechanical aspect. One of the statues is on display outside of the saloon. Inside the Pioneer Saloon, you will find some of the oldest bar top counters in the entire state. They were installed in an old saloon in Rhyolite before being moved to Goodsprings. I used to like to stop here for sarsaparilla on tap but the new owners seem to have gotten rid of that.

The last stop on our way home was the art installation everybody loves to hate… Seven Magic Mountains by Ugo Rondinone. The exhibit was set to be installed for two years but it continues to be extended. The Nevada Museum of Art, which funded the installation, is seeking to move the art piece from its current home south of Vegas to somewhere in Washoe County as the permit for the BLM land is set to expire soon. I hope the art piece will get to stay or find another home in Clark County. I enjoy seeing the electric pops of color shooting up in contrast to the desert palette around it. And to quote one of my favorite movies… he “doesn’t have to explain (his) art to you”.