04.02.2012 Narrating A Life Written On The Road: Wyoming Back Roads

04.02.2012

Between Mountain Home, Idaho & Rock Springs, Wyoming stretch 256 miles of 2-lane highway, passing south of Jackson Hole. Mountain goats, elk, deer, eagles, snowy owls, porcupines and a host of wildlife share this territory uneasily with travelers . 

On one Spring morning, dawn emerged as I drove East through the foothills. The sun had yet to crest the ridge. Alone with my thoughts, I rounded a long gradual curve. My reverie was interrupted by a horseman, a cowboy, plodding straight down the center line toward me. 

Unwavering he continued, so I backed off, began down-shifting. Still he approached, unfazed by the truck. I slowed to a stop, idling for a moment, before a Hereford appeared at some distance behind him. Another, then a veritable wall, a cattle drive. I shut the truck off. The migration moved around and past me at glacial velocity and mass.

30 minutes or more passed as the sun climbed into the sky. I pondered the possibility of another vehicle finding me stopped on the highway. I dreamt of coffee. 

Trucks make money when the wheels are turning. A crouch and steering wheel grip betray most long-haul drivers. Comfortable with solitude, they never miss the demands of 40-hour work weeks. It's not uncommon to see drivers asleep over the wheel of their rigs.

My father, a ham radio enthusiast and nine-to-fiver, engaged his narrow circle of friends via the airwaves, where participants took turns talking, simply signing out when they had enough. My father would spend endless hours in his "ham shack," which mystified my stepmother. I understood the need for time spent alone. Solitude equals sanctuary.  

Today's technology is similar to ham radios, but with no sign-out: cameras optional, texting, Tweeting, email and IM-ing, social interaction is virtual. There is no refuge from demands on one's attention.

2 or 3 cowboys brought up the rear, mute as the first, passed beyond my truck and grew small in the rear view mirrors, trampled grasses and manure the only sign of their passing. They didn't miss the 9-5 either.