Traffic Report: a Deep West Video by Carolyn & Linda Dufurrena

A meditation on driving across Nevada's great wide open. Filmmakers Linda and Carolyn Dufurrena and their families live and ranch in the northwest corner of Nevada. Photography by Linda Dufurrena, text and narration by Carolyn Dufurrena.

Radio reporter: ...in a stalled car
on the causeway

and that was really starting
to back up traffic.

Leaving Hayward, let's go
to KGO's Michaelyn in jet copter 810.

Michaelyn Meyers: Jet copter
over the scene

as the orange tow truck
pulled that thing out of the right lane,

now you have a back-up at the westbound
San-Mateo Bridge toll plaza

that is a little more than a quarter mile

once you get past
one mile past the toll plaza,

you're going to zoom
right over to San Mateo.

I'm Michaelyn, KGO, jet copter 810.

OK, thank you, we're going to go
to Dave Callahan here

he's going to be talking
on our Diablo repeater,

and Dave has been checking out
Contra Costa county highways 4 and 680.

Dave Callahan: Yeah, highway 4
backs up from just before Somersville

pass the railroad 242 in [unclear]
backed up one mile on the 680

and 680 - ooh, it's backed up
from [unclear].

Reporter: Alright, thank you Dave.

Heavy traffic is starting to build up now
behind the Bay Bridge toll plaza

although it shouldn't be more
than about a 10 minute wait

immediately behind the cash box.

And the highway 24 was backed-up
towards children's hospital

for that westbound drive.

Taking a look at the peninsula right now,
we have KGO's Mike Zanda.

MZ: We have that big rig crash

on the ramp from eastbound 380
to South 101

it's still there causing a minor delay

no further problems past the airport
all the way down to peninsula

to Redwood City.

R: So 101, at least into San Mateo
looks pretty good right now

coming the way from San Francisco airport

we've had no new accidents reported
for the South Bay.

I'm Lin Durling with traffic on the 8
every 10 minutes on KGO Newstalk 810.

(Music)

Carolyn Dufurrena:
Highway 140 Traffic report.

As I listen to the radio on my way
to school in the morning,

I can't help but be grateful

that I'm not stuck in the pile-up
on the westbound San Mateo.

Or in the slow-down on eastbound 680.

Six lanes of hybrid SUVs and big rigs

idling with frustrated drivers
behind the wheel,

just isn't my idea of a pleasant morning.

Traffic is a fact of life
in urban America,

something people just put up with.

Like taking your shoes off
before you get on a plane.

Something someone
should figure out how to fix.

Out here, the roads are mostly empty.

There's a lot more scenery
than clutter on the horizon.

And I can actually see
the horizon most of the time.

A pilot friend of mine described
driving through the desert this way:

In Nevada, he said,

you figure out how many
miles you have to go

look at the time you have to get there

and adjust your speed accordingly.

Traffic, the way you
think of it is not an issue.

Usually.

In my corner of the world,

traffic is six sets of headlights

in the forty-mile stretch
that takes me across the Sod House flat

as I make the turn
from Highway 95 onto 140.

Traffic is when I follow a handful
of pick-ups and mini-vans

to a school program

and I pretty much know
who's in every vehicle.

Once, on a way to a local gathering

we were stopped by our friendly
neighborhood highway patrolman

who noticed the package in the back seat

as he warned me about speeding.

"Where are you off to
in such a hurry?", he asked me.

"Baby shower in Denio."

"Ah," he responded.

"I wondered about all the traffic."

There were five vehicles
ahead of us as far as we could see,

and we could see 15 miles.

Imagine being the local
traffic reporter in this world.

It might go something like this.

Here's your local traffic report
at 10 minutes past the hour

from jet copter 810.

There's a hay truck stalled
with a smoking engine

in the eastbound lane of Highway 140
at mile marker 34

causing a slow down as gawkers
stop to see what's going on.

Traffic's backed up three pick-up lengths

as travelers rummage
in their coolers for water bottles

to help put out the blaze.

Looks like they've got it under control.

And here comes a tractor
to haul the hay truck

into the rest area turn-around.

On the Denio repeater

traffic has come to a standstill
as both lanes are totally clogged

with black bolly heifers
at the Harness Place hill.

The Quinn river buckaroos
appear to be trying to cross the highway

southbound with the herd.

And those girls just don't seem
to want to move.

Looks like some of the cattle

are attempting to turn around
and head northbound

making for a complete snarl up.

In addition, air quality
appears to be deteriorating

as there's a lot of hat waving

and the atmosphere is filling
with clouds of blue smoke

above the cowboys
at the back of the bunch.

Looks like about a ten minute wait
while they clear that mess up,

but it could be longer.

Down by Coyote Point

heavy traffic is moving at a snail's pace

as a herd of several hundred
head of sheep appears to be stalled

consuming the ditch banks.

It does look like they're starting to move

but not much progress
is being made in any direction.

Off 140 on to the Quinn River Road -

a flock or rooster pheasants
has apparently broken down

in the middle of the lane,

backing up several cottontails
and a flock of quail.

Again, gawkers are a problem

as everyone in the neighborhood
seems to be gathering

to count the roosters and see
which ones are the best targets.

Up at the turn-off two pick-up trucks
are stopped facing different directions

completely blocking both lanes.

The drivers are apparently engaged
in some kind of negotiation,

as there is much arm waving
and pointing out the windows.

Could be giving directions
to tonight's poker game at the neighbor's.

Further south along the valley
watch for occasional antelope

leaping into your path
from either direction.

Keep an eye out for flocks of ducks
sleeping in the roadway

as the cold mornings
attract them to the pavement.

And Golden eagles parked on the shoulders

cleaning up last night's roadkill.

Motorists should be able
to spot this last hazard

by the flocks of crows surrounding them.

And finally, there's a bull
stuck in the cattle guard

over the nine mile summit.

Travelers are advised to take
the flat road into Kings River valley

until further notice.

From jet copter 810

that's your Highway 140 traffic report
for this afternoon.

Happy traveling!

Traffic in the city is all about flow

and obstacles to it.

In this part of the world,
that's also true.

But the tempo is very different.

Driving anywhere out here
is almost like a meditation.

The long stretches of emptiness
invite dreaming.

Winding gravel roads

draw the imagination.

These roads look like they go
somewhere interesting.

Somewhere you would want to go.

Even though I drive to work
on these roads every day

I never know what to anticipate.

I can never see around the next bend

or over the ridge in front of me.

And I know

somewhere along the way

there's bound to be traffic.

(Music)