National Park Hopper: Spaces In Between Edition

Going to faraway places by car is very different from flying. Depending on who you are, you may think of the negative aspects – it takes wayyyy longer, you feel cramped in a small enclosed space, you have to stay alert while driving, it’s boring, there’s no internet, etc… This was probably my first big road trip and after going, I can honestly say that it is a WONDERFUL way to travel. Being able to mentally connect the dots of the spaces between each destination is a special experience, and there are just so many beautiful things to see in this world, even if they don’t have a 5-star review or millions of visitors a year. I’ll be posting some destination photos later, but I really wanted to pay homage to those places along the way, that we may not even have stopped for. Here’s to you, the spaces in between!

I guess this first one’s cheating because Lake Shasta is most definitely a tourist hotspot and we’ve visited before, but that’s another part of the road trip experience. You WILL drive by a lot of famous places that you don’t have time to visit, but the view is still a pleasant companion along the way. Also, random story – the last time I came to Lake Shasta I saw a coworker from Huawei and only figured out by hearing her voice because she was dressed totally differently from when she’s in the office. The end.

Fire is such a big part of the ecosystem in California. It is a fearsome thing to behold, but also exciting to think of the life that follows in the footsteps of immense destruction, if only we humans haven’t ruined nature’s ability to recover in the meantime. (Although, do we even have the capability to ruin nature? I like to think that instead of affecting her, she simply puts down boundaries and says, no, you don’t appreciate me so you don’t get to witness the wonders I have to offer. We’re shooting ourselves in the foot here.)

Vast, vast patches of green plains with mountains in the far distance.

A majestic mountain accompanying us as we traverse beyond California into Oregon. Sometimes it almost feels like cheating to use Google Maps to identify land features, so you’ll have to let me know which mountain this is!

Trains are another transportation mode of the past (at least for the most part in the US), but there were so many trains throughout our trip, carrying goods of all sorts to their own new destinies. Trains trips are a corollary love to road trips (think Europe and Asia), and I would love to go on a train trip next.

Mountain gradients are always so amazing and so beautiful. I want this to be on a tote bag, or some physical item that I can see and use all the time!

We started driving by these huge lakes and rivers as we hit the Pacific Northwest (or in most places other than California and Southwest USA), and it was so amazing to see so much freshwater available for recreation and for sustaining life. I’ve officially been converted to team rivers for life! My favorite was probably Columbia River.

We caught Painted Hills in Oregon at an hour when the lighting was not great, so these pics from the car on the way to the destination actually turned out much more vibrant and lovely than the actual location itself!

Miles and miles and miles of golden wheat – connecting with the places that feed us. When driving by the tiny towns tucked between the fields, people on the side always waved. Isn’t that so precious?

Wind turbines are always so picturesque and other worldly

Right before we got to our hotel in Idaho, we drove over this huge lake that is probably the destination of every summer lake cabin story I ever heard, with jewel blue waters and the clearest skies you’ve ever seen. Talk about a summer vacation paradise.

These moody evergreen colors! Hitting the mountains again.

This was what the hour-long drive up Glacier National Park looked like along Going-to-the-sun Road (what a name!). But don’t be distracted because you’ll need both eyes on the windy, narrow road turning to and fro the perilous edge of the mountains.

Another amazing sight was the gas prices, so cheap compared to California! This may be a good thing for an economic perspective, but potentially not so good when seen from an environmental perspective. And both perspectives exist within me – what chaos.

Scattered throughout all of these small towns were random sculptures and statues that were at times hilarious, at times ridiculously creative, and always completely unique (my other favorites were this HUGE carved falcon with wings spread apart in full glory, and a fishing pole sculpture dangling a metal fish by the side of the river!).

Why yes, I do need a horse ranch in Montana if every day looks like this.

Isn’t it funny how things just stick out when they have to do with someone you love? Took this photo of the Utah Jazz arena (I care absolutely nothing about the NBA) because I knew it’d be exciting for A

When we were talking about favorite places, I ranked Grand Teton as one of my top, while my mom said it was the least impressive. I totally get where she was coming from because in terms of land features, it actually was not that majestic, but at the same time, the beautiful line of mountains across the horizon forming a border of a lush expanse of plains and rivers and forests just really speaks to my soul. And there was so much life in this place! To each their own.

Don’t you just love national park rangers? There’s something wonderfully special about them just because of the profession they chose. Part of this trip was finding that balance of living life normally in a time when nothing is normal, and trying to maximize physical safety for all individuals even while we nourish our own emotional/social needs. I loved what this guy said, “This is your national park, so please stay safe by maintaining social distancing and wearing your masks so that we can keep your park open for the rest of the season.” This guy has it down!

Snake River Basin. These mountains!!! I watched and waited to see a bald eagle and was rewarded!

Heading to drier places with long stretches of straight road and no cars for miles around. Don’t drive too fast though – you might meet the popo like we did.

US Mail! What lovely company on the road. Support the USPS please!

Grand Teton is to Yellowstone what Canyonlands is to Arches. Which may be one of the reasons why I loved it so much because I was always team underdog. Huge plateaus of a rich red rock rising high into the air for miles around. Drive up the steep road and suddenly you’re in a different world, literally an “Island in the Sky”.

Plus that setting sun hitting the rocks at the perfect angle.

Ugh, this place. Beautiful. And hot.

It was so hot. We were so done. So we just waited in the shade and I drew a horse in the sand while Mama went up ahead to get some more photos.

We could not for the life of us see the hole, but it was a fun idea to paint huge letters onto the sandstone surface of the rock! Also, this was the longest duration my mom drove on the trip and was also the period of time when we took the most stops. My mom is probably the most spontaneous person in our party.

All things considered, I probably wouldn’t want the government to use their money on this, but it was somewhat sad that the state boundary line was not more celebrated between most states (maybe this is the A Walk to Remember in me speaking haha). This was one of the cuter ones that actually had a turnout so we could take a picture of it.

Not sure it’s a good idea to build the road through the arch…

There’s a picture in Page, Arizona that everyone takes, and when my mom saw this plateau, mountainous area, she had to stop and be like…is this that place? Let me take a picture just in case.

When you go to the Costco Business Center in Las Vegas and they just sell goat and lamb carcasses. Culture shock.

Setting a good example of how to social distance in elevators.

The hugest In-n-Out sign you’ve ever seen

Windy, dusty chaparral with Joshua trees dispersed throughout and happy clouds are A+

Literally turned smoggy the moment we hit the border between Nevada and California.

Apparently there is still traffic between NorCal and SoCal.

Coming back to a red sun and chaos, but with the energy to hear and respond with compassion.