Travels With Connie #43 Dreams Die Hard
Sometimes I know exactly where I am going. In that case it’s easy, pick a route and go.
More often I have an idea where I’d like to end up, and generally speaking a direction to go.
Once in a while I just follow the front wheel and see where it takes me.
The name of this place is Coaldale, Nevada. At least it has a name, you can even see it on a map. So many places that fail like this one don't even get a name.
You see, I'm from a very small farming town that has shrunk considerably since I lived there. The farms get bigger and more efficient and the town gets smaller. I relate to places like this, and know there was some serious anguish at the death of this one.
Coaldale, Nevada. I wonder if there is anyone on earth that says they were from Coaldale? At the intersection of US 95 and Nevada 6. It is a pretty big spot, at one time I'm sure there were lots of people around.
Was there coal in Coaldale? Did the mine close and people go away? Or is it just another name? I have no clue. Nobody here to give me any answers.
Maybe the lake had water in it. Maybe there was bird watching and things to do in Coaldale. Why did it die so completely?
There was stuff in Coaldale. Gas Station, a Restaurant, Slot Machines and a Motel. There seem to be traces in the brush of other habitations.
Bones was here. I wonder where Bones is now? The Bones I know lives in Massachusetts and claims he's never been in Coaldale, Nevada. I believe him.
People stayed here, even after the others left. It's a place of great sadness this Coaldale. Who remembers? Who Cares?
What of Ed and Melodie? Are they still a thing? You don't suppose Ed misspelled her name do you? If that's the case I'm guessing it wasn't the forever thing they were looking for.
It was a place once, this Coaldale. People laughed and played and loved here. Where are they now?
Coaldale still provides a service. It's a place for the road painting crew to calibrate their equipment.
It was a place once, this Coaldale. Today it is just me and Connie, several hundred miles off course wondering what could have been. Dreams do die hard.
Thanks for coming along for the ride.
All words and photographs in this post are mine. For better or worse
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Wow! It was strong...
I like to discover some unusual places and routes around my town couse you never know what is waiting for you there. It can be something beautiful or something awful, or just strange... but you'll never know it while going your classical route
Unless I am in a big hurry (which almost never happens) I stay off the main routes. I don't mind going slow and finding places. This is one of those, I'm guessing that not very many look at this place any given year.
The place so called coaldale it seems like forsake. I wonder where the people are. Maybe they move to healthy Environment or they move to the crowd. As I look at to some pictures. My hearts hugs by sadness. Maybe Ed was strongly in loved with Melodie and they moved far away for they, cause they found the place never enough. There's a lot of maybe sink over my mind. Maybe and Ed and Melodie separates their own life journey we don't know. Just brought me to an opinion. It's like there we're people who lived in Coaldale for the past few decades. Somehow, someday people will start to love and live the life of felicity over Coaldale.
Exactly. I could see me living in a place like Coaldale. I think it's why it made me so sad. Ed and Melodie are just the end of the chain, not the middle...
Ed and Melodie was belong to another mystery.
I’ve cross-crossed the country a few times over the years and have a deep fascination of places like this. Thanks for taking the time to post this. Makes me want to hit the road!
Looks like from the Fallout PC game... :O
I'm glad you got curated, you deserve it!!
It really really looks sad. These photos you took remind me of a several doomsday scenario dystopia related movies... only those movies had a sunshine disposition in comparison to the snaps you took.
It is truly sad that fully functional towns are left to dry on the sun like that one you visited.
I guess everybody just wants to live in the town, obviously for the job and better living standards ( the last I am not so convinced) but the fact is that people leave the small places that offer them nothing to their satisfaction.
I can't quite express how sad this place made me. It absolutely gave me the creeps because I just couldn't figure it out. Normally after I have prowled around a place for a while I have an idea, but this place baffled me.
It has always fascinated me to see these places that were just abandoned cold turkey. Gives you the chills. So easy to see ghosts of people past walking around. Really enjoyed this one Tom! Much love - Carl
This place gave me 'the willies'. I didn't poke around as much as I might have wanted because it just didn't feel right. Strange and wonderful place.
@bigtom13 that is very strange to see such abandoned places...once it might be happening place which is now left into wilderness. Thanks for taling us through coaldale.👍
Complete abandonment just amazes me, too. There is a place on an intersection in NE Nevada that used to have a cafe and a little store. It hasn't been open for about 8 years, but I still stop to stretch and smoke every time by. This year there were people sitting on the porch so I went and talked. They just retired, plain and simple, but they keep living there and have a rental on the property that has had the same guy in it for 12 years. That feels a lot better.
I bet you guys had a good time with that trip!
This was one of those when I was just following the front wheel to see where it went :)
Great post Tom as always..