Traveling America by road is one of those things. Iconic at minimum, it’s a journey that changes you from the moment you set out on your way. Imagination is broadened and perceptions are altered as you weave through communities so vastly different from place to place, you come to terms with how small and adaptable you really are. The sheer size and scope of the natural landscape combined with its dynamic cultural climate is what makes the USA a once in a lifetime pilgrimage to be remembered.
Kicking off in Los Angeles, we wound northeast through the searing temperatures of Utah and and the forest at the foothills of the Grand Tetons to the southern end of Yellowstone National Park. We watched herds of Bison cross the valley at sunset, and slept in our van amongst open fields of wildflowers. We scoured for bears before making camp, and made PB&Js along the river bed between stops at endless waterfall vistas.
Continuing east, the dramatic landscapes of Wyoming at the edge of the Rockies slowly transformed into arid sagebrush across the Dakotas as we jutted further north to reach greener pastures. Minnesota is unexpected; lush and rife with fragrant blossoms that grow like weeds, we pit-stopped at a small emerald swimming hole that screamed an endless summer. That night we found our way to the coast before the sun washed the sky in a coat of pastel above a black pebbled shoreline.
