trucker's atlas/father's atlas

Memory lane is a two-lane highway.

For five years, my father and I took roadtrips, trailing the asphalt in different corners of the country. Dotting around New England seeing college towns; moving from the beaches of my native south Florida to the mountains of North Carolina; down the whole Oregon coast; from my birthplace, St. Paul, Minnesota to Colorado; then from Colorado to Washington state.

We loved the American West the best, and we still do. And we’ll always remember the music too.

One song guides me back to the places, the western landscapes, bleak and lush. I want you to listen and see what I saw.

I’m going to Colorado

to unload my head…

Flatirons Vista, Colorado

This truckers atlas roads the ways,

The freeways and highways don’t know

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

The buzz from the bird on my dash,

Road locomotive phone

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

I don’t feel and I feel great I sold my atlas by the freight stairs

Colorado River, Colorado

I do lines and I crossed roads I crossed the lines of all the great state roads

Moab, Utah

I’m going up, going over to Montana

Three Forks, Montana

You got yourself a trucker’s atlas

You knew you were all hot

Arches National Park, Utah

Well, maybe you’ll go and blow a gasket

You start at the Northwest corner

Haystack Rock, Canon Beach, Oregon

Go down through California

Northern California

Beeline, you might drive three days

Three nights to the tip of Florida.

All images were taken by me.