 Twenty
yards of pink ribbon in two different shades flutter in the Nevada sunshine.
A row of shoes line the roof of my car: a simple black shoe from
a Quaker, giant athletic shoes from a seven foot man, boots, worn sneakers
from a bear, high heels in leather and leopard print. A swing, a
toss, and the shoes become part of the Nevada landscape, lodged in the
branches of a willow: reminders of the many wonderful people who
flowed through my life in San Francisco.
I decided to leave
San Francisco nearly a year ago and yet this day arrived suddenly.
Caught in between work and personal endeavors, I suddenly found myself
standing in an empty apartment, cats
wandering about and looking at me quizzically. It was time to go.
Although I look forward to a new adventure in Maine, I felt I hadn't really
said farewell to San
Francisco. I resolve to send the city a postcard with a note
from somewhere on the road.
 The
Shoe Tree: Everyone should make a pilgrimage to the Shoe Tree.
Just beyond Fallon, Nevada in between nowhere and just past not really
anywhere, a giant willow tree rises from an empty ravine. The branches
drip with shoes. Here Erik and I deposit shoes gathered at the Bon
Voyage party. My aim sucks and small children run into the ravine
to gather up my failed attempts and return them to the launching zone.
(The presence of small children is unplanned and very convenient.)
After thirty minutes of pitching, throwing, retrieving and tossing, the
shoes are in the tree.
Centroid: Somewhere past the Shoe Tree in the middle of Nevada,
in a place fifty miles from any other place, is the US Navy Centroid Center.
I don't know what a Centroid is. Erik and I decide Centroid is a
giant robot built to combat the Giant Radioactive Ants which roam Nevada.
 Austin:
San Francisco is filled with boys from Austin. A truck of cute, well
groomed Austin boys overturned downtown and they roam the streets looking
for cheap rent and good shoes. I can claim I've been to Austin...Nevada.
Overlooking a great expanse of...well...expanse, Austin once boasted a
population of 10,000. Now, Austin boasts three businesses:
"Tire Repairs & Rocks", "Tyrannosaurus Rix" (an RV park), and "Tyrannosaurus
Rix Espresso".
Ely: Population: 4,401. Distance to anywhere larger:
150 miles. Verizon Wireless internet signal: Perfect.
 Erik
and I decide Ely is the perfect setting for a zombie movie. The local
cemetery rests near the worn downtown. The listless locals appear
to be perfect zombie prey. We decide a sequel will feature zombies
battling Giant Radioactive Ants, followed by a sequel with zombies battling
Centroid.
Now: 1:00 AM and time to take a shower.
Tomorrow: Page,
Arizona.
Bon Voyage Party
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Shoes prepared for the Shoe Tree
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High heels and lace
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Erik pitches heels upward
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DrewBear
shoes in the tree
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Shoe Tree near Fallon, Nevada
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Austin, Nevada
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Highway 50
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Austin, Nevada
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Austin, Nevada
|
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If you enjoy this webpage, you may also like:
Road Trip
2003
Road
Trip 2003: The Shoe Tree
Sister
Betty's Photo Archive |
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