The drive from Lake Tahoe to my next stop, Boulder City, NV, was on a desolate road as they come. Long times between what we would consider civilization. These places were not forgotten. They had never been. No distraction in the long straight desert road surrounded by beautiful mountainous ranges that tells you to keep moving forward - no taking detours in this place. I distracted myself with audiobooks and podcasts, but it’s a long time to be on the road amongst the vast open space that gets filled with thoughts. The thoughts and emotions that became all too familiar, with some needing to be released. Was I going to crumble underneath the weight of these thoughts the first moment I’m stepping into the unknown, going through the unfamiliar? Was this the defining moment of my trip only on day 3?

The unfamiliarity was about getting reacquainted with myself. The self that is left from the good, the amazing, the bad, and the unthinkable experiences over the past several years. This was the first time I’ve really been on my own since losing Brynn. I was lucky to have an amazing community that surrounded me afterward. So, here I am... traveling alone, something I had not taken in to consideration after finding a co-pilot in life that I loved being on a journey with. I wanted to discover beauty again, and here I am stuck in a car with nothing but my mind going much faster than I was driving. There was always the chance of this experience backfiring, and those ideas started a compounding effect.

I arrived into this charming town after driving through the day, that proudly proclaimed that it had built the Hoover Dam. I walked around a bit in the evening, as the temperature dipped slightly below the 110s. Traveling in the time of COVID is interesting. The precaution you take that makes checking into a hotel a process. I was physically and mentally tired, and went to bed fairly early as I wanted to wake up to go on this out and back 10 mile run to Hoover Dam before the scorching heat took over the day. I did not sleep well.

By the time I got to the trail head at 6:00am, it was already 95 degrees. Setting on the run, I trekked through beautiful geological formations of hills, rocks, and series of tunnels that were carved through for us. Geology is interesting to think about for someone who is going through their own transformation. It’s about time, pressure, environment and events that drives the shapes of who these hills were at the time I met them. They are never complete. They weather storms, the extreme heat and cold. They take on different profiles, but they remain who they are in their essence. They crumble to take on new shapes, but each one is its own beauty. Their beauty is not defined by a point in time. They been through a lot, but they’re not weathered… Yes, there is a lot going on with them. I enjoyed spending time with my surrounding friends as I ran towards a humanmade wonder. I’ve said this before, but when humankind collaborates with mother nature, they create some pretty spectacular art.

There was a kindness to this town. Everyone smiled through their eyes - mouths were covered, people -, and said hello as you walk by. That simple word and behavior made a big difference to a stranger passing through, not knowing how much they needed it at that moment. Our paths may never cross again, but I will remember the kindness I felt from this place.

After stopping to get some breakfast items and snacks for the road, I pulled over to a park on my way back to the hotel - it had lushes shade in temperatures that had crept back into the triple digits - and decided to do a little breakfast picnic. I parked myself underneath a tree, with birds singing above me, or perhaps they were giving me warning laughs as they had a gift coming my way. I moved slightly out of range. I ate my breakfast, thought about the many moments and decided to do a little writing. It’s amazing the various places you can go in a brief period. And you start realizing that no point in time through that journey ends up defining you. Just like the hills that says, “I’ll see you later, and don’t be surprised if I look a bit different, and we’ll get to experience something new the next time you come to say hello.”

Unfortunately, Hoover Dam was closed once I got to the gate. So I could not experience the pride of this charming little town. But I think I got what I needed. As the desert reminded me yesterday, only way is forward. And off I go.

-Troy

Day 4 - The Dam