Every so often, I need to get into a two seater and take a roadtrip. Over the years, I’ve driven across the country every way imaginable. Born in Tooele, UT, I have a penchant for vast expanses of desert and canyons. (I was in Tooele for about 6 days when I was born. I didn’t start  to explore the Southwest until I was nearly 20.)

These days, I live in a beautiful town on the California Coast. Bodega Bay is foggy and remote. When you come to visit, bring a windbreaker and a sweater. We barely get cell coverage (you have to use a network adapter that blends cell and internet and makes your house a mini-cell tower).

The wind blows the power lines down with some regularity. The closest grocery store is about 25 minutes away. 600 people live in the town year round. I’ve gotten used to seeing and hearing the ocean all of the time. My office looks down 10 miles of coatline and sits in a garden of birds.

So, you’d be tempted to think that a good vacation would mean going to the big city and getting some cultcha, right?

I’m giving a five hour seminar on Tuesday the 19th as a part of the Kennedy Recruiting conference. I used the deadline to drive my ongoing research into employment demographics and the ways they can be used to shape organizations. By Friday evening (the 15th), I had my 100 images and handouts. The deadline producedexactly the sort of breakthroughs that deadlines produce.

Saturday morning, we packed the car (you’ve got to go really light). One suitcase, two camera bags, a briefcase, the ever-present CPAP machine, some snacks and water. When you travel light, you pack quickly. By 7:30, we were on the way. First stop, Oakland.

My daughter Bridget is very busy composing her life. We had a brief visit to her new amazing house on the Oakland-Emeryville Border. Then, off to the desert.

Civilization is a bubble you can drive through. Bodega BAy, to the west, is on one edge, the middle of the Nevada  desert is the other. As the miles pass, civilization starts thin (lots of cows and hawks) gets fat (Home Depot, cars, funes) and then gets thin again.

In Nevada, civilization held on for a long time. We didn’t see the last Home Depot for at least five hours. The end of civilization is somewhere outside of Carson City, NV.

All of a sudden, nothing but sky, mountains, road and wildlife. We saw deer, antelope, huge rabbits, snakes, small rodents and lots of birds. The roads are straight and the other cars scarce.

After nearly 900 miles, we ended up in Cedar City, Utah.