The Long Drive Home - Part 1

Today and tomorrow another special treat for all of you. My son has agreed to let me post another one of his great stories. I am breaking the story into two posts, so come back tomorrow for part 2.

Part 1 of 2


The Long Drive Home
By Tyler Wagner

With the holidays approaching faster than a speeding bullet, I find myself lost in a daze while thinking about the annual drive that awaits me; a drive that I have come to know so well, I sometimes feel as if the road recognizes the rubber on my tires as I am driving over it. The drive I speak of is the desolate drive from Reno to Las Vegas. That long, lonely road that takes you from the biggest little city in the world, to the state’s biggest city, is a drive that can cause many a man to go insane. For all one can find on a drive such as this is a mind full of wonder and an endless view of mountains. Those 445 miles that separate the two cities might just be the longest 445 miles known to man. Sure, there are a few interesting landmarks that pop up during the course of the journey, such as a drive through not one, but two ghost towns; but for the most part, the drive seems much more like a chore than an actual adventure.

The journey officially begins when I leave my house and head through the busy streets of Reno, anxious for the amazing sights that are about to appear in front of my hungry little eyes. I’m always in such a rush to get out of Reno and onto the wonderful two-lane roads that lie ahead. I guess you could say I’m always in a little bit too much of a rush, since the last time I made the drive, I received a speeding ticket and I was only ten minutes into the trip! If that doesn’t get a person excited to make a drive of this nature, I sure don’t know what will.

I wave to the city of Sparks as I pass it by and head onto the next city on the drive; that city being Fernley. Now Fernley always provides me with something to remember, because of its amazing sights and beautiful scenery. Wait a second, I must have Fernley confused with some place else because it is anything but scenic! The only beautiful thing about it is the beautiful sight of a fast food joint when I really have to tinkle. That’s all! What really has me befuddled about this city is the round-about that they have so conveniently placed right in the middle of the town. A “round-about” is a circular island erected in the center of a road crossing. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought a round-about was to serve as a junction between busy roads, not roads that are leading to absolutely nowhere! Round-about roads have been known to cause accidents, and as I have been witness to, cause people to take wrong turns and get lost for a good amount of time. The problem is there aren’t any signs telling you what road leads to where in the round-about in Fernley, so it becomes very easy to go the wrong way in those split seconds that you have to make the decision on which path to take. It might seem like no big deal to you, but trust me; it can cause even the most aware of drivers to second-guess themselves over and over again. So I ask you this. Why? Why is this damn round-about necessary in the “big old town” of Fernley? Unfortunately, to that question, I just don’t have an answer.

After Fernley, and 60 miles out of Reno, you come to the town of Fallon. Now before making this drive, the only Fallon I’d ever known was a crush I had in the 6th grade. She sure was a beauty. However, unlike that Fallon, with her magnificent curves and beautiful features, the Fallon I came upon was not so enchanting. It’s a town that claims to go about its business with an air of quiet satisfaction, and I dare say it lives up to that reputation a little too well. The quietness of the place did give me the feeling of satisfaction, but that feeling only came when I was on my way out of there. I’m sure it is a very pleasant place to reside, but when you are in the middle of a drive that’s the length of mine, it’s hard to get too excited about any town in between.




Sorry I have to break the story at this point.

To be continued tomorrow!