Rubber to Asphalt

There's something about packing my bags and leaving my bedroom behind in shambles that makes my heart tick. Whether it's a planned vacation or last minute road trip to visit the parents in Vegas, the adrenaline that awaits me once i take off in air or put rubber to asphalt never seems to disappoint. Even the prelude to my travels makes my blood pump...it's the mental checklists of what will make the final cut for my next excursion or not, and the moments i circle the house for the third time making sure i have everything i need. I will never be a "homebody", it's not in my blood. I was born to travel, and i won't die happy until I see this world. This addiction drives me to jam pack every free moment i have with anything I can. I had this week off from work...and the rest of the world, so my roomy and I packed our bags last minute, loaded up my two door civic prepared for any situation we may encounter and headed due south to Vegas.

The drive in itself is an adventure. If you've never been to Nevada, then this might be hard to understand. It's one of the only places I've ever seen that stretches on for miles without the slightest signs of civilization. In the 500 mile road it takes to get from Reno to Vegas one will see very few things, but all of them unlike anything you will see anywhere else. In the handful of towns you make acquaintance with during the single lane highway expedition you are sure to see these sights: abandoned cars (people often mistake the length they will drive before seeing the nearest gas station), ghost towns (they exist, I swear! They even have names and current populations under 20), brothels (that's right ladies and gentlemen, for those of you that don't know the better part of deserted Nevada, you will find more than 5 whorehouses in that 500 mile stretch. Most of them are in the middle of nowhere...and it's a long way to drive for a guaranteed piece of you know what!), wild horses (the most amazing element in all the desert, they run wild and are rare, but can be spotted), and abandoned mines (caution and danger signs now reside in the mouth of these once lively shafts that made Nevada what it is today, the "Silver State"). It never fails to amaze me how much open land and how much history there is in this state i call home.

Sadly, a majority of people will never see this crazy, dirty, and dusty beauty that keeps the west wild. Nevada is more than neon flashing lights...believe me, they make for quite a sight after an 8 hour night drive through the desert, but behind the slot machines, blackjack tables, strippers, and crazy times is beauty in this state that goes undiscovered by the common tourist. It may be raw, dirty, need to be dusted off or boarded up, caught in the glimpse of an eye, or seen through a rearview mirror, but it exists in the straight shot of a desert highway...it's Nevada.