"THE LONELIEST HIGHWAY"
HIGHWAY 50
I found this picture and it reminded me of my feelings as I reached the summit of one of the countless mountain passes and saw this. It was an amazing sight, the straight road that seemed to go on forever. The road disappeared as it reached the next saddle but little did I know it was many miles away.
The odd thing was it felt like flat ground. There was no sense of down hill or up hill. The grade was so gradual and you can see so far it messes with your head. Without defining features like trees or buildings everything looks really close. Everything in this part of Nevada plays tricks on your senses. The wind blows, you feel it but there is nothing for it to blow through or against so it makes no noise.
No cell signal, no radio, or internet just your breathing and the hum of tires on the pavement.
This picture reminded me of how small I felt. I had everything I needed, water, food, shelter, tools and extra parts. I have almost everything covered except for a working air pump. I assumed my pump worked but it did not. Lucky for me I had zero flat tires from San Francisco to Maine. This taught me a valuable lesson, check your equipment don't assume it works.
I now have a motorcycle and hope to ride all of route 50 and route 20 some day. 20 goes through Bend and ends in Boston. 50 Goes through South Lake Tahoe and ends in Ocean City Maryland. Another trip is through the south and south west in the winter to see someone special.
I know a motorcycle is a much different pace but I built my motorcycle for long highway trips. Interstates are doable but I'm not in that much of a hurry so two lane paved roads will be more fun.
No matter where I travel I love the wide open spaces the best. Feeling small as I sleep under the stars makes me ponder the creation and feel God's mysteries.
