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Truck Cab in the Desert: A Photo by Osie Turner

"Truck Cab in the Desert" by Osie Turner (2014)
Abandoned vehicles are a common sight on the backroads of Nevada. This classic truck cab was a great, unexpected find. I found it alongside Nevada State Route 375, also known as the “Extraterrestrial Highway” because of its proximity to Area 51, near the turnoff from US Route 6.  

The remains of this truck were too nondescript for me to identify much about it; I don’t know what type of truck it was, what year it is from, or much else. I would guess that it is from about the 1960s or so, but that is, of course, just a guess.

What I do know is that this rusting old shell has sat there, a short walk off the highway, for so long that it has become a part of the landscape. It was probably used by some rancher back in the day until it stopped running—possibly where it lies today.


I also know that this is not just some lump of slowly decomposing metal; this truck has a story—of that I am certain. How many miles was it driven before it ended up here? Where was it driven to; was it driven around the country or did it spend its entire truck life in the Nevada desert? What arguments transpired inside this very cab? Perhaps someone received their first kiss in the now missing passenger seat? We may never know, but this cab does—and will forever hold its secrets inside it. 

To order a print of this photograph, please go to imagekind.com 

To view more of the author's photography, go to OsieTurner.imagekind.com  

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