Mars Rover

Mars Rover


Alamo, Nevada.

Alamo, Nevada.

I drove from Seattle to Phoenix for the holidays. My goal was to get to Phoenix in time to see my nieces in the final show of a ballet they’ve been performing in for ten years. There was bad weather and a few accidents, but I made it, and they were incredible.

I’ve made that A to B drive a few times, but I’ve always gone through California and Oregon. This time I went east through Washington, dropped down into Oregon, passed through the southern part of Idaho, and then almost straight south through Nevada to Phoenix. I preferred this route. It was quieter. The California route is incredible, but if you’ve got to be on I5 at all, it can be a bummer.

I slept in Yakima, Wells, and Las Vegas. It was a nice trip. I want to do more of that in 2020. It’s linked to what I want to do with documentary photography next year. I won’t get into it too much right now, but I think we’re at a crossroads in the United States. Trump is steering us towards disaster, but I can understand why people wanted to get off the Clinton and now Biden train. There’s a lot there to discuss, and I’m happy to do it, but not at 0147 on 25 December. (I fell asleep. It’s still the 25th, though. Happy whatever you celebrate or don’t celebrate.)

Tonight I’m going to keep it short. I stopped in Alamo, Nevada, for some gas and coffee. If you read this blog, you know I drink a lot of coffee, and I’m not a snob about it. Instant coffee? Perfect. But I skipped the coffee at this place. I just didn’t get that fresh vibe. I won’t name the place, they might have had a bus load of tourists roll through there right before I walked in.

I saw a sign for a Whatnot Shop. I was intrigued, but not enough to go in. I wanted to get off the road for the night. I drove pretty late the previous night and got to bed late. I’m always wired after driving and can never go straight to bed. I’m always the last person out of those roadside motels in the morning.