Have you ever driven down a road so barren and lonely, you start feeling kinda creeped out? Seattle to Atlanta, via the Grand Canyon, was the longest solo road trip I’ve ever taken. This picture was taken during the Crater Lake to Grand Canyon part of the trip somewhere in northern Nevada where I pulled over to pee.

Cell phones weren’t really a thing back then, so it was just me and Rand McNalley on that desolate highway when it became clear there was no bathroom in the immediate future. I found what I thought was as good a spot as any and pulled over. I picked a place just behind a boulder so I could keep an eye on the road and my car, and got down to business. As soon as my britches were about halfway to my ankles, I looked over and saw a big-ass carcass of something that looked a little too fresh. I didn’t stick around to figure out what that something was. I yanked my pants up, fought off the flies that seem to have appeared out of nowhere, jumped in my rental car and as my dad would’ve said, “Got the Hell Outta Dodge!”

This part of the trip took me back to a time when there were no cars. Willie Nelson’s theme album Red Headed Stranger, which I thank my parents for turning me onto as a child, is of that era. It has been a part of my life since I can remember, and will always take me back to my childhood home. It was the perfect musical accompaniment for this part of my journey. Hope you enjoy “A Maiden’s Prayer,” one of my favorite songs from this collection that didn’t get a lot, if any, radio play.