In late October 2021, I set out on a road trip to meet some old friends in Laughlin, Nevada, for a concert. Rather than fly, I decided that a photography adventure was definitely long overdue. I packed up my film cameras and camping gear and headed out the door.
After spending a gorgeous October day meandering through Yosemite National Park, the afternoon light started falling upon Tuolumne Meadows as I headed out of the park on the Tioga Road pass towards HWY 395. At that point, I grabbed some gas station coffee and decided to make a midnight run and see how far I could get into the night on my journey through Nevada.
After driving for several hours, my eyes started to get bleary, and it was time to find a place to put up for the night. I originally planned on camping and sleeping in the back of my Tacoma for most of the trip, but the night air was a little bit too chilly, and with it being so late, I decided to spring for a cheap hotel in Tonopah, Nevada. By the looks of the parking lot, it was a mix of long-haul truck drivers, cowboys, derelicts, and midnight riders.
After paying for my room at the front counter, I packed all my camera gear up two flights of stairs and turned in for the night. From the upper-level view, the hotel parking lot looked even more seedy and unruly than it did from the ground level. Looking back now, it's slightly ridiculous that I slept with my pistol on the nightstand, which is something I can honestly say I've never done before in my entire life.
7:50 a.m. Friday, October 15, 2021. I woke up early the following day looking for coffee, bacon, and eggs and found all three at a smokey hotel casino down the street. About 35 minutes outside of town, I spied what appeared to be an abandoned mobile home park on the righthand side of the freeway, accessible by a single-frontage service road.
The Abandoned Trailer: Amidst the wreckage of the trailer park, I stumbled upon a solitary trailer, its weathered exterior bearing witness to years of neglect and decay. Stepping inside, I was struck by a sense of melancholy as I surveyed the remnants of a life left behind. Walking up to the carnage reminded me of the movie Kill Bill 2 and the fight scene in Bud's trailer, adding a surreal element to the experience.
Documenting the Scene: I spent the next hour or so burning through a few rolls of film with my Mamiya RZ67 Pro II and my Leica M2; I began photographing the Abandoned Trailer in the Nevada Desert as the warm desert sun fought against the cold morning air. I set out to capture the essence of this forgotten relic, focusing on the small details that spoke volumes about the passage of time. From the peeling paint & busted-out windows to the rusted remnants of furniture, each image tells a story of the passing of time in the face of abandonment and the harsh desert terrain.
Conclusion: As I bid farewell to the abandoned trailer park and made my way back to the highway, I couldn't help but reflect on how quickly the hours flew by during a brief encounter with this time capsule in the middle of the Nevada desert. In a world that often seems consumed by progress and development, there is something deeply humbling about exploring places untouched by time.
Over & Out
Benjamin Fargen
Gear used on location:
Cameras: 1961 Leica M2 + Mamiya RZ67 Pro II
Film: Ilford Black and White FP4 Plus
*All photographs featured on this blog are the exclusive property of Benjamin Fargen. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of these images is strictly prohibited without prior consent. If you wish to use any of the photographs showcased here, please contact Benjamin Fargen for permission.
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