The Loneliest Tag
U.S. 50, Nevada
2017

At first glance I thought this graffiti said “tank” rather than “tag.” But then I remembered tag is a slang term for graffiti (although usually in reference to someone signing their name). The full message is a take-off of the advertising gimmick in which U.S. 50 has for some years been billed as “The Loneliest Highway in America.” I don’t think it qualifies for that moniker anymore as it seemed a lot busier than some other highways I drove on during this trip. It was certainly much busier than when I last drove it some 10-15 years ago. At any rate, this graffiti may in fact be in the running for the loneliest tag in America as it was in fact the only graffiti of note that I remember seeing in driving some 250 miles on U.S. 50 from Ely to Fallon, NV.

Mansplainin’
Eureka, Nevada
2017

Everything
Shellbourne Station, NV
2017

Well-Protected
Alabama Hills, CA
2017

Patriot’s Dream
Cherry Creek, Nevada
2004

On a bright, sunny morning 13 years ago I took this photo of a ragged flag in a paint-peeled cabin in Cherry Creek, Nevada. I called it Patriot’s Dream as a bit of a wry comment on the state of our nation, which at that time had been embroiled in the Iraq War for a year and it was clear it was a mess with no quick or easy end in sight. In February 2006 the literary and art journal Words and Pictures published the photo along with a list of confirmed U.S. casualties in just the first 37 days of the year. The list contained 54 names, but a small time sampling of the carnage the fighting has produced.

Now, all these years later, we are still fighting in Iraq, and also in at least some capacity in Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, etc., etc., etc. And who knows, maybe soon in Korea.

In that context, on my recent trip to California I revisited Cherry Creek and the cabin in the Patriot’s Dream photo. This time it was on a dreary, rainy day. That same flag is still there. It’s hanging in there. Just barely.

Dreams Fade
Cherry Creek, Nevada
2017

The Road to Cherry Creek
Cherry Creek, Nevada
2017

Don’t Leave Your Records in the Sun
Goldfield, Nevada
2017

Someone should have listened to John Hartford’s advice:

Bodie Wannabe
California State Highway 270
2017

On my way down U.S. Highway 395 headed to the Alabama Hills, I decided on a whim to make a detour to see the ghost town of Bodie which is very popular among photographers because of its vintage buildings and contents kept in a picturesque state of arrested decay. Alas that whim was dashed by a gate a quarter-mile down the way saying the road was closed. Parked on a lot just at the gate was an old mobile home. I turned around there and stopped for a quick look around, wondering if there might be something picturesque about the un-arrested decay of a mobile home. Given the subject matter, I did not expect much success in that regard and it met my expectations. All it had to offer up was this rather interesting pattern of peeling wood veneer on the front door.

Windows on Windows
Goldfield, NV
2017

An arrangement of broken windows Mondrian could relate to.

Alabama Rocks
Alabama Hills, California
2017

It’s amazing seeing all the different ways the rocks and boulders in the Alabama Hills arranged themselves and the way they responded to the changing light during the day. It’s a subject that’s been well- or even over-covered by many a photographer, but I still enjoyed adding my two-cents worth to the genre.