Stop halfway to Vegas

If you have a hankering for wide-open spaces and a ghost or two, nothing beats Calico, Calif., a few miles east of Barstow off Interstate 15, the road from L.A. to Las Vegas.

1 The history. During its late 19th century heyday, $86 million in silver and $45 million in borax were mined around Calico. The ground is still littered with reminders: glass shards turned lavender from the sun, rusty handmade nails and colorful bits of rock that yielded ore a century ago.

2 The atmosphere. Walter Knott (of Berry Farm fame) bought Calico in 1951 and restored it as a sort of ghost-town theme park. Calico remains much as it was when Knott turned it over to San Bernardino County in the ‘60s. Admission is only $6 ($3 for kids). A dollar or two more buys a walk through the original Maggie Mine or a pony ride. www.calicotown.com.

3 The landscape. Story goes that a prospector suggested the town’s name because the twisted, folded layers of the Calico Mountains were “as purty as a gal’s calico skirt.”

4 The ghosts. According to the operators of the Ghost Walk, visitors who stick around after dark might meet some of Calico’s earlier inhabitants. Even if the spirits don’t appear, you’ll hear about the mining camp’s wild and woolly history. The $10 walk leaves at dusk on Friday and Saturday nights through Nov. 24 this year. (760) 254-3340, www.calicoghostwalk.com.

5 The cabins. A tent and RV campground also offers six log cabins, each sleeping up to four. Only $28 a night, cabins often fill up months in advance. (760) 254-2122.

-- Susan Lendroth