An Island in the Desert

Winnemucca, Nevada- May 22, 2009

The road to Winnemucca was hot and full of tension; Jen was in a bad mood, I reacted like an aloof jerk, the car was sipping gas much too fast, burning oil like crazy, and the tires had inflated to 15 more PSI than capacity...we needed solace.

There was a coffee shop on the main drag where I had stopped the previous Summer on my way to Boise, Idaho, we were relieved to find air conditioning and a comfy couch to rest on a while. The coffee shop was an island, to say the least...the kids that worked there were sweet, accepting and above all else in this landscape of gold, asphalt and powder blue, different. Their difference lie in the fact that they were probably the starkest contrast around; dyed hair, piercings, too smart to get by unnoticed.

My brief time with them got me thinking of the reality of so many young people throughout this country. Having been raised in a relatively progressive and supportive environment, I believe I was provided a good chance of making it through my early years in one piece, as I was not a normal kid, ask anyone. But to be different in a place like Winnemucca, Nevada, is an anomaly, teetering the edges of a liability. The fact that these young people have a developed sense of identity and have found a supportive community, all while surrounded by an environment that will most likely gawk at, discourage or condemn the visual manifestation of that identity, is thought provoking and encouraging.

We found an island in the desert that day, but I guess anything's possible...

Photograph: Button Point, outside of Winnemucca, Nevada.

© Michelle Jorgensen