Enjoy the Silence

A 30-Day Music Memory Series

Cedar Breaks. image credit: http://www.utah.com/nationalsites/cedar_breaks.htm

I remember being 15 or 16 years old with my 1-yr-older-than-me cousin, Marie. We’d just left a family reunion on top of Cedar Mountain, and we got to drive our Grandma’s car back home while she rode with one of our parents. We lived in the small rural Nevada town of Panaca. The drive would take around two hours.

Driving down the mountain is what I remember most.

While the whole drive down the mountain had spectacular views, it was Summer, so all the trees were dense with bright green foliage contrasting with the red and white rocks. We were on the part of the road where these sweeping switchbacks were zig-zagging us down to the level ground of Cedar City.
As a driver, navigating the mountain roads requires focus. Marie drove, and for that stretch, we were mostly quiet. As a passenger, I had the luxury of taking in the expansive view that came with every turn of the car and allowing my brain to connect the song playing to that beautiful moment of our slow drive down the mountain.

There’s a certain sense of freedom in being young and getting to drive without parents. It was just the two of us, the fantastic views as we descended Cedar Breaks and the sound of Depeche Mode’s Enjoy the Silence.