Hite Campgrounds to Reno, NV
698.6 Miles/157 Songs
Margot & the Nuclear So & So’s – The Dust of Retreat
Rilo Kiley – More Adventurous
Michael Jackson – Thriller
Islands – Return to the Sea
Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elvis Perkins – Ash Wednesday
Coldplay – Viva la Vida
Bon Jovi – Crossroads
The Who – My Generation: The Very Best of the Who
Yeasayer – All Hour Cymbals
The Go! Team – Proof of Youth
6:37 am – Hite Campground on the shore of Lake Powell, Utah
Looking back over what I’ve written, I see a theme recurring. It was unintended and undesired, but nevertheless it is there, quietly pervading all other thoughts. Am I really so prone to loneliness that I don’t even notice it? Last night, lying in our tent, sweating, trying to sleep, it was bad. I felt terribly lonely. Why? Is it me—do I isolate myself from others, even those I claim to love, just so I can avoid attachment? Is it America—is that why some of us live so close together, stacked on top of each other, that we can hear each other breathing, in an attempt to smother or loneliness; while others of us spread so far out, miles from our closest neighbor, that we can’t hear him at all, in an attempt to further or loneliness? Is it humankind—have we evolved so far that we’ve outrun our need for each other, or think we have? It’s hard to say, but already I’m feeling better. This Utah sunrise brings me hope.
10:10 pm – Reno
As fate would have it, we drove most of the day on a highway dubbed “the loneliest road in America.” Between Ely and Fallon, Nevada, a span of about 257 miles and a grand total of three towns, lies a stretch of land that roughly 1200 people call home. That’s an average of 4.6 persons per mile. That’s lonely. Of course it’s very beautiful too. Isolated mountain ranges separated by sprawling valleys, so that our drive consisted of slow ascensions of mountain passes and then diving down and cutting through the open valleys. Up pass, down valley. Over and over, like an enormous roller coaster.
We drove a long way today, nearly 700 miles, more than 12 hours, but through some of the most beautiful landscapes I’ve seen. As stunning as Nevada was, southern Utah was more so. We saw rock formations I wouldn’t have thought possible, defying the laws of physics and the limits of creativity.
Finally in Reno. We’ll splurge tonight and stay in a hotel, hopefully get a good night’s rest to make up for last night. Going out to explore the city.
12:04 am
I’m not sure what I was expecting. I remember seeing a movie once where the principle characters drive into Reno in an old Cadillac convertible, and as they pass under the illuminated archway welcoming visitors to the biggest little city in the world, the camera angle changes to the hood of the car so that we can see the lit-up joy on the faces behind the iridescent reflection sliding up the windshield. I guess I expected something like that. And maybe it used to be that way. Before the rise of Vegas and the introduction of Indian casinos in California. Now, it’s a remnant of better times, a fossil of fun once had, a crucible where gold pieces are melted down and made into demigods. Despite all the flashing lights, the streets seem dark and glum, the faces cold and hard. The slot machines are busy but quiet. American Dreams are slipping away chip by paycheck. And I’m tired, so we go back to our room where I’ll try sleeping off today’s lonely images.
"This loneliness ain't pretty no more,
Loneliness, only taking the place of a friend."
"This Loneliness" - El Perro Del Mar
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