we’ve been everywhere

MARCH/APRIL 2010

“Crossed the desert’s bare, man. I’ve breathed the mountain air, man.”—HANK SNOW, from his song, “I’ve Been Everywhere”

No, we haven’t shot a man in Reno, but in our combined five-plus years at Nevada Magazine and 30-plus years as Nevada residents, Associate Editor Charlie Johnston and I have been all over this here land. Not to shame Hank and the Man in Black, but I wrote a song about it:

We were totin’ our packs along the long dusty Winnemucca road,
When along came a semi with a high an’ canvas-covered load.
“If you’re goin’ to Winnemucca, boys, with me you can ride.”
And so we climbed into the cab, and then we settled down inside.
He asked us if we’d seen a road with so much dust and sand.
And we said, “Listen, we’ve traveled every road in this here land!”

We’ve been everywhere, man.
We’ve been everywhere, man.
Crossed the desert’s bare, man.
We’ve breathed the mountain air, man.
Of travel we’ve had our share, man.
We’ve been everywhere.

We’ve been to:
Reno, Denio, Elko, Winnemucca,
Montello, Alamo, Hiko, Tuscarora,
Eureka, Vya, Tonopah, Oreana,
Mina, Panaca, Golconda, La Plata Canyon,
Fernley, Ely, Beowawe, Cal Nev Ari,
Virgin Valley, Carson Valley, Las Vegas, home of Killers [the band].

We’ve been to:
Austin, Minden, Dayton, Candelaria,
Yerington, Fallon, Wellington, Battle Mountain,
Henderson, Laughlin, Santa Fe (Station), Talapoosa,
Lovelock, Black Rock (Desert), Red Rock, North Las Vegas,
(Mt.) Montgomery, Wheeler Peak, Boundary Peak, Walker Lake,
Washoe Lake, Summit Lake, Pyramid Lake, for Pete’s sake.

We’ve been to:
Unionville, Rachel, Belleville, Amargosa,
Gardnerville, Bunkerville, Jacobsville, Genoa,
Goldfield, Spring Creek, Incline Village, Hawthorne,
Lehman Creek, Thousand Creek, Wendover, Gerlach,
Mount Rose, Flamingo, Capriola—
Nothing ends in an “ina,” see what I mean-a.

We’ve been to:
White Domes, Toiyabe, Mouse’s Tank, Soldier Meadow,
Beatty, Baker, Luning, Eldorado (Casino),
Pahrump, Pioche, Marlette Lake, Spooner Lake,
Carlin, Lamoille, Moapa, Carroll Summit,
Crystal Bay, Zephyr Cove, Silver Springs, Silver City,
Virginia City, Boulder City, Carson City, ain’t they pretty?

OK, we haven’t been to Talapoosa, but it fits the song—precisely. As for the other places we haven’t been to, there’s a good chance they will be on a future itinerary.

Or, you can make us come to you, by voting in our Tour Around Nevada. See this issue’s story about Lovelock, and then cast your vote. Since January 2009, we’ve written about eight towns, and our staff has visited six. We will be in Austin on Saturday, April 17 handing out magazines and other information during the Lincoln Highway Car Show. The car theme continues with our June 5-6 trip to Lovelock for Street Fever. We would love to visit your town and connect with more of our fellow Nevadans.

Also in this edition, we pay tribute to two important anniversaries—our state parks system turns 75 in March, and 150 years ago in April, Pony Express riders saddled up. We revisit their rugged route through Nevada—which makes me wonder how their renditions of “I’ve Been Everywhere” might have gone. They traveled a lot of dusty roads from California to Missouri.

Matthew B. Brown, Editor

Photo by Charlie Johnston (taken in Valley of Fire State Park)