The Mojave
You can see the whole world without ever leaving the Mojave Desert.
I don’t have many words. I have burned them all up having conversations with myself over a sick puppy who is (knock wood) on the mend. It is difficult for me to not worry about him when he is sick.
I began to go through photos from the past 20 years, pulling ones that jumped out at me. I just wanted to pass the time.
After a few false starts, a subject finally revealed itself - the Mojave Desert. Maybe that makes sense for my life at the moment. Maybe a shrink could figure it all out. Maybe I don’t care what it means.
I love the empty and the “developed” parts of the desert, so I thought I would simply present five photos. I’ll probably wax on about it at some future date. I love to put things off. It’s a character defect.
Did I mention that you could see the whole world without ever leaving the Mojave Desert? You can see the whole world out there.
Photos by Paul Vlachos.
This piece first appeared in EXIT CULTURE: WORDS AND PHOTOS FROM THE OPEN ROAD. You can purchase the book on Amazon HERE.
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Paul Vlachos is a writer, photographer and filmmaker. He was born in New York City, where he currently lives. He is the author of “The Space Age Now,” released in 2020, “Breaking Gravity,” in 2021, and the just-released “Exit Culture.”
There is so much out there that speaks to a time not long ago when people had hope, a sense of adventure, and the guts to give it a go. That's what makes it so sad to see the remains. America's ruins, not nearly so majestic as those of Greece, Rome, or our beautiful and mysterious pueblos, but the story is there of people who ventured. Are those days gone, Paul? You capture the pathos so well.
I grew up in so cal. hardly ever went to the Mojave, but, I love the stark sunbaked land and man-made stuff of the 50's/60's that make up this landscape. would love to visit now to see what it would say to me.