Montana, January, 1992. Nearing dark on a lonely highway, a winter sky shifts above our heads. Trees, black and leafless, pattern the mountains as we drive. On the horizon, the earth and sky meld into a complex and glowing gray that seems to hold every color behind its surface.

The album Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth begins playing on the car stereo, providing a soundtrack for the quickly passing landscape. The mountains and trees seem still out our windows, even as we race down the highway. Movement and stillness surround us. It is cold and dark, and a little magical.