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May 19, 2013
Postcards from Nowhere: The Loneliest Highway in the World
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The woman I loved more than any woman I ever met has left me, so I decided that I need to go on the biggest road trip ever to try to clear my head. This week, I drove my dirt bike across the "loneliest highway in the world", (US 50 from San Francisco to Denver). The photographs are from CA, NV, UT, and CO.
The bike I drove is a 2004 XR650L I bought in Petaluma, California in 2011. I've driven it from SF > Alaska > SF > Denver > SF > Denver. It now has over 30,000 miles on the bike. So, I'm going to basically retire it at this point. Heading out to get the KTM in Iowa tomorrow and get out of the country to clear my head down in Central America.
- EF-S 17-85mm f/4.5-5.6 IS USM image-stabilized, ultra-sonic telescopic zoom
- EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM image-stabilized, ultra-sonic telescopic zoom
This slideshow starts out with a song I heard in the Iron Door Saloon, the oldest continuously operated hotel in California. I nearly strangled the bartender when the song ended before Shazam had figured out who it was. The song is "Canela" by Devendra Banhart. Then, when I get deep into the Great American Desert, the song changes to a song by The Fray called Be Still, which Carrie sent to me while I was on the trip.
The images are compiled into a 20 Meg (4:30) Adobe Flash slideshow (SF_Denver.swf) that you should be able to open and view with any browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc.). To view the slideshow, just click on the photo above. If you want to view the slideshow as a Windows executable, you can play this version (SF_Denver.exe), and it allows you to play, pause, skip forward, backwards, etc.
Image post-processing was done in Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended. The slideshow was created using Imagematics Stillmotion Pro.
Click here to view the other slideshows.
Lyrics in the extended entry.
The Fray
"Be Still"
Be still and know that I'm with you
Be still and know that I am here
Be still and know that I'm with you
Be still, be still, and know
When darkness comes upon you
And covers you with fear and shame
Be still and know that I'm with you
And I will say your name
If terror falls upon your bed
And sleep no longer comes
Remember all the words I said
Be still, be still, and know
And when you go through the valley
And the shadow comes down from the hill
If morning never comes to be
Be still, be still, be still
If you forget the way to go
And lose where you came from
If no one is standing beside you
Be still and know I am
Be still and know that I'm with you
Be still and know I am
Posted by Rob Kiser on May 19, 2013 at 11:35 AM
Comments
Happy birthday Rob...turn your bike around and go celebrate with Carrie...you're headed in the wrong direction. Your friends love you and we're concerned.
Posted by: Robin on May 22, 2013 at 5:38 AM
ENJOY THE RIDE.
HOPE YOUR RIDE IS SMOOTH AND THE TRAIL IS TO A HAPPY PLACE.
TAKE CARE.
DR CHARLIE
Posted by: DR CHARLIE on June 1, 2013 at 6:11 AM