Through tunnels, past towering cliffs, down into canyons, up tall mountains. Up and down, down and up, winding paths, zigzagging trails. There was no shortage of some incredible hiking during this trip. Usually we have our entire route planned out before we go, but we also leave space for unexpected detours, like taking the road hugging the southern border of Arches National Park, driving through Valley of the Fire in Nevada or stopping to take in majestic views from lookouts along the way. And once the straight lines of the Plains start giving way to ragged outlines of Colorado, it’s hard to tear yourself away from the window. Granted, endless corn fields of Iowa and Nebraska get monotonous at times but the sky provides lots of entertainment from puffy clouds to sunsets and rainbows. There is something extremely satisfying and exciting in watching the map spring to life, squiggles and lines transform into roads and rivers, lifeless expanses fill with forests, fields and cities. But we love road trips, and cost isn’t the main reason (although air fare for four people is not insignificant). When I shared our travel plans, people often replied that they had no patience for long road travels and would much rather fly. For now, I pulled together some of the highlights. Three weeks of travels result in thousands of pictures and stories so it will take a while to sift through them. But the biggest impression was left by someone barely two feet tall – my seven-month-old niece, the main reason for our westbound quest. Our three-week trip was about all things big: the bottomless skies of the Plains, giant red sandcastles of Utah, endless expanse of the Pacific, imposing majesty of Monument Valley, and, of course, awe-inspiring grandness of Grand Canyon. This year, our road trip took us all the way to Los Angeles to see my new niece, and while walking or biking to California would have been fun, I wanted to see the kid before she started school so driving it was.
We usually go for the slowest mode of transportation possible to get up close and personal with the lands through which we travel. “It’s about the journey not the destination” might be a cliche but that’s the principle we apply when it comes to planning our trips.
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