You will never experience that first scent of water after the desert, never see the road shrouded by shimmering needles in late afternoon sun. On the interstate the exits become markers of progress. Just 120 mlles to Los Angeles. I'll be there for Leno. And Barstow slips by in the night.
Interstates are easy to get onto.
Signs all over town direct you to them. But we get on one and we're stuck. Janice and Peter and Angel say people are thinking more about visiting Topock, about standing on a corner in Winslow or getting a haircut in Seligman as they drive down the highway. And not just thinking, they're beginning to take the exit, to turn away from their destination, interrupt their forward progress. Look, Los Angeles 274 miles ahead.