The Loneliest Road

Yesterday I drove from 8:30 am to 6 pm thru from Jackson, WY to Longmont, Colorado (45 mins north of Denver) - a long and lonely ride. There's nothing much to see after you drive away from the Grand Tetons and the Teton National Forest in Dubois. I kept getting excited everytime I saw a town/city on the map, ie: Lander, Jeffrey City, Rawlins, - thinking that it could mean a change in scenery - but no it only meant small areas of retail shops, a gas station and a convenience store - in some areas only the latter two. The hills and fields were brown, rocky and barren. I had just spent 4 days with my daughter, Erin, and really enjoyed her company - I hadn't seen her since a weekend visit in Colorado in March and am not sure when I will see her again. So it was with this sadness and heavy heart that I was on the road again - the view offering little respite from my melancholy. I haven't really felt lonely before - even though I have spent alot of time alone traveling - I guess you don't miss what you don't have until suddenly you have it again.... I was sure to keep my gas tank at least 1/2 full as there were no signs telling how long it might be before you saw another sentient being. I was reminded of the thoughtfulness of the Kanc Hwy in Conway, NH - that warns you that it's 32 miles before you reach a gas station in Lincoln. Well it was much longer than that between fuel stops - I'd say 50 - 70 miles - and no warning signs!

Adding to my somewhat gloomy mood was the fact that the evening before I had read Cormac McCarthy's book, "The Road" - a depressing, post apocalyptic tale that was violent and grueling. Erin had finished reading it for her book club so - given that it had won a pulitzer prize (it had to be good, right?) I decided to stay up late inhaling it. Well - I won't go into details, to spare you the visuals - let's just say it's a survivor story - where the people who are left on earth do whatever they need to feed themselves and stay safe. There is no animal, vegetable/plant life left and days are consistently cold, grey and rainy - survivors walk with their faces covered with cloth to avoid constantly inhaling ash from the burnt landscape. Now that sounds cheery!

On a brighter note I did see 2 pairs of cowboys galloping across fields on their horses and smiled remembering that Wyoming is the "cowboy" state. I also concluded that anyone who lives in Wyoming must be made of "true grit" to withstand the isolation, severity of the landscape and the harsh winters. Jackson, however, was a true oasis in this high desert - beautiful, wondrous and green.

I noticeably relaxed when I crossed into Colorado - one because I saw trees (shorter than ones I'm used to but trees at least)and signs of alot of civilization. Billboards, cars and soon traffic congestion as I neared Fort Collins and even more so as I inched my way to Longmont. It was reassuring to have that many cars on the
each side of me - strangers none the less - at least one can depend upon the kindness of strangers, if needed....