I’m such a big fan of travel and I’m so grateful that I live in a country that makes that incredibly easy. Driving from state to state and even flying is such a surreal experience that everyone should have. Driving and sleeping in the car was very cost effective and easy, but it wouldn’t have worked with more than two people, or two people that don’t know each other very well. I enjoyed each state for different reasons:  Kansas for....well nothing (sorry Kansas), Colorado for the variety and sense of adventure, New Mexico for the cohesiveness, and Arizona for the color and calm. Each place has something different to offer and a different lesson to teach. Get out there and learn them!

en route

It’s a weird feeling, leaving in the middle of the night and arriving the next day in a totally different world. When we left Georgia at midnight and went through Tennessee, it snowed and looked quite a bit like jumping to hyperspeed (unbeknownst to Dawn who was level 15 asleep). We made a pit stop in St. Louis, which was 18 degrees with ice everywhere. We drove through Kansas for what felt like several lifetimes, being irrationally creeped out by the surplus of giant windmills and ultimately being spared from starvation by a lone Sonic Drive-In. I didn’t sleep the entire time. Most of this drive was a complete blur. But it was a pretty blur.

colorado

Colorado is the dream world of any adventurously-natured person. There’s so much to explore: a variety of landscapes, food, coffee, people, just lots of variety overall. Boulder (even though we traversed the stomping grounds of a party school on St. Patrick’s Day) was such a refreshing town: from breakfast + coffee at an extremely fancy tea house donated by their sister city in the middle east, to shopping at the most intricately organized art thrift store, to driving straight up a mountain and looking down at all of that (and seeing all the way to Denver). It was incredible (the people watching wasn’t bad either: let’s just say day drunk and frat row). We hiked in a mountain lion reserve and didn’t get eaten, but we did witness the migration of the largest pack of the largest deer I’ve ever seen. It felt a little bit like the Lion King.

This was contrasted pretty heavily with Rocky Mountain National Park, where we literally stood (and shivered) on a frozen lake, looking at the snow-covered peaks. We didn’t hike very far because us southern girls didn’t bring snowshoes (in our defense it was 70 degrees and we weren’t expecting snow), but even driving up and taking it all in was worth it.

Mesa Verde was cool but ultimately just that: the 20 miles from the park entrance to the ruins diluted it a little bit. But, it was interesting seeing how people used to live, and got me thinking about how many other ancient civilizations we haven’t uncovered yet. Because this was seriously in the middle of nowhere, y’all.

new mexico

Gosh dang it, New Mexico. You made these southern girls fall for the southwest. Santa Fe was an absolute DREAM even though that campsite was super sketchy + freezing. What a cool concept for a city to really adopt its heritage and run with it! Every single building was on board with the aesthetic. All brown + black + white + turquoise was such a perfect backdrop with the vibrant life that was sandwiched in-between. There were vendors and markets everywhere (probably preying on tourists like us but oh well it worked) with so many interesting people to talk to + ALL THE MEXICAN BLANKETS. And artisan hot chocolate and Juevos Rancheros, y’all. We’re not even done yet. 

Tent rocks was the best hike in sand and blazing sun I could’ve imagined. Park Rangers controlled people flow at the gate to ensure the trails wouldn’t be too crowded, and it was so worth the extra 20 minute wait up front. We got to walk through those wavy rocks you always see in pictures: the way the light played around in the tight rock formations, even at midday, was so mesmerizing. We also got to drive through a few Native American reservations, which was a cool experience.

And finally, we can’t forget White Sands: the beach without the water with military missile tests. Casual. The lady working the gift shop said the park is so big you can see it from space, so it’s basically the Great Wall of the US. Really, though, the sunrise over the giant dunes was so surreal and the sand was so. soft. We could’t stop playing in it when we were trying to take pictures of each other. We didn’t stay too long because, you know, missile testing.

arizona

Arizona was a beautiful state: from the Four Corners to the Grand Canyon to Saguaro National Park and everything in between, there were so many colors in the sky, landscape and buildings that made driving long distances way too easy. Even though gas stations were sometimes extremely sparse, the drive though the northern part of the state was stunning: flat landscapes giving way to giant, multicolored rock formations and Sonic Drive-In after Sonic Drive-In, much to the chagrin of us weary travelers. 

We were also huge fans of this coffee shop in Tempe that served me the largest iced latte known to man. There were cacti taller than buildings, confusing campsites, wildflowers, and overall a complete overload of the Lord’s beauty.

When you’re sleeping in the car, your sleep schedule is forced to actually mimic the sun since blackout curtains aren’t a thing. Waking up at sunrise was my favorite part of the trip: rising over the mountains and cacti to create the most photogenic scene I’ve seen in a while (pictured above). We got all primped up in the campsite bathroom (sans-showers) and walked around and took pictures with wildflowers and cacti all morning, which was one of my favorite memories to date.