Our seven week trip across the country (Ohio to Ohio) has come to an end. While I couldn't wait for some R&R back home and a big wet smack-a-roo from my dog, Faith, completing the trip was sad for sure. There's nothing like a road trip to experience complete freedom, adventure, and detachment, while also learning so much about yourself (and if you're traveling with someone like I did, you learn so much about that other person, too!) I hope to never forget the experiences, the people, places, and faces. Below are a collection of my favorite photos taken on the trip. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed being there taking them!
Our first stop along the way was Nashville, TN, my one time home and home to many country music stars. I loved this hot dog stand and the fun slogan, "I Dream of Weenie".
Three hours from Nashville is another music hub, better known for its blues and Elvis Presley; Memphis, TN. This turned out to be one of our all time favorite stops on the trip, with some of the best live blues music I've ever heard and the best food I've ever had.
Jumping shots somewhere along the way became my "thing". They're so much fun to do and trying to snap the photo at exactly the right time makes for one giant giggling event. This is somewhere along the road in the deserts of New Mexico.
This jewel of a town is known as Madrid, NM and was an unexpected stop along the way. We ended up roaming around for a couple hours going into all the art galleries and jewelry shops and also grabbing a yummy milkshake at an old fashion styled soda fountain.
Santa Fe, New Mexico, another great stop on the way. The town happened to be having their weekly outdoor festival so we were able to eat cheap burritos from a small stand and listen to some live local music in the town square.
Ah, the gorgeous Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. We spent two days here. Can't believe I braved this shot after browsing through the shocking book titled Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon.
After hitting up Las Vegas, NV for a few days we then explored the Hoover Dam.
We were able to drive a bit on the Historic Route 66 during our trip and once we arrived on the Santa Monica, Pier in CA, we were overjoyed to see we had hit the end of it! (We also got to see the sign declaring the start of it in Chicago much later on!)
A beautiful spot among beautiful spots along California State Route 1.
An Amish family enjoying the beach along The Pacific Coast Highway - a rare sight to see indeed!
Pacific Coast Highway in Oregon.
The little city of Astoria, Oregon at nightfall from atop the Astoria Column. I loved this little town so much- another great spot for good food and beer. Also, it has an amazing bridge and is the filming location for my favorite 80's movie The Goonies and many others. If I had to live in any tiny town, I think it'd be this one!
Yellowstone National Park, which is so big it spans three states, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho! We spent two days here and there's so much variety to the park from geysers to sparkling lakes and waterfalls to wildlife. Highly, highly recommend a visit here.
Other stops along the way: Albuquerque, NM, Los Angeles, CA, San Francisco, CA, Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, Roslyn, WA, Boulder, CO, Denver, CO, Chicago, IL.
