I went on a road trip through Arizona and Utah in August 2014. I was a few years out of college, and though I was finding my legs with travel more easily than I would have expected, a road trip felt like untapped but necessary territory. Everything that motivated me to travel — the shifting landscapes, my growing love for photography, getting into a new environment — was and is present within the US as well as outside of it.
Even further, as I started to research where I should go and the best ways to go about it, I started framing it as a near rite of passage. My southwest expedition would take me through Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon, camping along Lake Powell, but maybe more significantly, it would put me on the road, exploring the US in a way that seems classic and specific.
I felt the significance of the trip — and our mode of transportation — immediately. Before, I had seen driving as the hindrance of road trips, the thing that made you not want to go. Hours in a car when you could save so much time finding another way there, cramped and unsure of what you wanted to listen to. As the trip approached, I thought of the drive, while not daunting exactly, not necessarily exciting to me either.
But the alien landscape of southern Utah made me understand the need to get behind the wheel. The diverse terrain shifted as we drove and gave me a new perspective on the landscape that stretched ahead of us. There was something special about not just visiting the famous spots, but to take it all in as we made our way through.
We began the trip with a hike into the Grand Canyon. I’m not sure how much there is to say about it that hasn’t been said — the name is well-earned. Still, at the start of the trip, I wondered if it would live up to the expectations. Could it really be so far beyond other natural wonders?
Without invalidating the other stops on the trip, I feel I have to be honest when I say that, yes, in a way, the Grand Canyon was beyond anything else I had seen, on this trip and others. It was so expansive — the pictures I had seen did not prepare me for the feeling of being there. We hiked in early in the morning and out in the evening (we had considered camping there, but ultimately decided against it). I may sound a bit like a broken record, but if there is ever anywhere to visit in the US, the Grand Canyon may be it.
Following our time at the Grand Canyon, we camped out at Lake Powell, right on the border of Arizona and Utah (though we were camping in Utah ourselves). The dark blue-green water contrasted with the red rocks of the desert landscape in a way I hadn’t really seen before.
Spending a couple nights out in nature was a relief, both as a reprieve from driving (which I was appreciating, but eventually 10+ hours in a car a day is just 10+ hours in a car) and as a way to stop and really take in the surroundings. Until this point, I felt a frantic energy to make sure I captured everything we saw as well as I could, but our nights at Lake Powell allowed me to slow down and take my time to remember why I had wanted to go on the trip in the first place. I’ve often been told that one to two days of any trip should be dedicated to “down time,” not to waste time on your vacation, but to allow you the room to actually be present. For me, that was our time at the lake, quiet and easy.
Our last stop was Angel’s Landing, a difficult but relatively short hike with stunning views. Though I would warn those who have a fear of heights to consider sitting this one out, I couldn’t have been happier to go. Seeing the land stretch out in front of us with the strange rock formations carved out by water years and years ago was simultaneously humbling and invigorating. I found myself caught off-guard by how beautiful it was — it was (and still is) difficult to wrap my mind around it, even with all the pictures I took.
