Thatcher, Colorado
Thatcher, Colorado was no longer guided by the sensibility of the seasons and finally fell apart after an optimistic century of overgrazing. A thousand miles away, the mescaline infused oilman sat at a picnic table in a park in Grossmont, California. He was...
San Simon, Arizona
San Simon, Arizona never bothered to sweep away the dust. On the town’s windowsills a century’s worth had piled up, caked on the brittle wood, dust from the days of the Teapot Dome Scandal. “It’s too late for the frackers to atone,” said Caroline. They were all in...
Grossmont, California
Grossmont, California ignored the wistful man pacing back and forth in front of the discount furniture store that morning, his head thrown back like he’d been pulled from a car wreck. He was attempting to sing a Bob Dylan song. It was a nonchalant attempt buried in...
Avila Beach, California
Avila Beach, California grilled up another omelet stuffed with linguica, chorizo and green chili. In the morning when the sun was still low, glass faces of the big waves shimmered and their foam crests sparkled. There was always that last push up to the sky before...
Floyd, New Mexico
Floyd, New Mexico never met a rabble rouser it didn’t like. Demagogues, they were a different story, especially the ones who promised to bring back the old days. These sodden wretches spewed the bitter belief that a return to the old ways would solve every imaginable...
Overgaard, Arizona
Overgaard, Arizona lined up the empty beer kegs along the side of the road just to see how far they would stretch. One of the men in the saloon was convinced they would eventually reach all the way to Las Vegas. The rancher at the end of the bar had broken every one...
Estancia, New Mexico
Estancia, New Mexico recognized the incomplete memory, born in a cradle of promises and then somehow ground to an unsettling halt on the outskirts of town. Like a pitcher of cream, hopes for a journey back to something consequential had to be set aside. Whatever...
Victor, Idaho
Victor, Idaho liked it better back when the messages weren’t so messy, years ago when folks weren’t so riled up. A few people in town had the feeling they were being pitted against one another by concealed forces. Maybe it was the $124 million oil and gas companies...
Barstow, California
Barstow, California was still stuck in ragtag denials that had crippled it for more than a century. “No, you’re mistaken,” said the thief draped in silk. “This is not blind optimism. It’s not baseless. It’s fueled by muses and measurements, scientists and a thirst...
Eunice, New Mexico
Eunice, New Mexico danced across the slick backside of a late afternoon rainbow. Caroline told them, “There’s been progress. The cost of solar and wind power is going down. In a lot of places solar is now cheaper than coal or hydro. “But carbon dioxide and...
Malaga, New Mexico
Malaga, New Mexico settled in for another late summer storm. Caroline unexpectedly found herself jolted back into her struggles to cut through the fog layered between good and evil. She saw her struggle as mankind’s constant, the underpinning of all civilizations. But...
Ganado, Arizona
Ganado, Arizona knew all too well the dangers of a gracious man more earnest than diabolical. Nick remained quiet. The softness in his voice belied an intensity which eluded the four women. He struck them as modest, and at first, when he seemed to withdraw from their...
Maple Falls, Washington
Maple Falls, Washington recalled gauzy days when big tubes in stately radios were aglow. “It’s up to us,” said Caroline. “We can’t expect the BLM or the Department of the Interior or anyone else in Washington to stop this. Too much money’s at stake. “The history of...
Ocotillo Wells, California
Ocotillo Wells, California melted in the spackled rain. The late summer storm was unexpected and lashed the desert town with unusual fury. The five oilmen whose shots missed the par three green stayed behind at the compound in Mexico. Later that morning, they were...
Ramona, California
Ramona, California unloaded the last of the boxcars that came down from Reno. Hardened men soaked down all the wooden crates with 100VLL aviation fuel. The bonfire would begin at dusk. The wind swirled up only when a ball was placed on a tee. Otherwise it was dead...
San Felipe, California
San Felipe, California slept in until the parade of saxophone ghosts grew impossible to ignore. After a breakfast of tetelas, huevos rancheros and chilaquiles, the six oilmen were driven to a nearby golf course. Their clubs were put on carts and the oilmen gathered on...
Jamul, California
Jamul, California knew the risks and how best to deflect them. All it took was concentration and immediate action, the kind seagulls show when they spot unguarded food on a beach towel. Each of six oilmen was escorted to a well-appointed casita. In each, a numbered...
Potrero, California
Potrero, California never quite managed to turn its back on Mexico despite a century of temptations, both illicit and sublime. The border was just a few miles south of town. The rest of America, which Potrero clung to with the desperation of a delusional day trader,...
