A Sister Road Trip Across America - Part 1

As you may know, at the end of January I drove cross-country with my sister, Meghan. We had a lot of fun, and took a lot of awesome pictures, and I've been wanting to share mine with you, but to be perfectly honest, her's are better. She's put together a few posts with some of her best, most amazing pictures from our journey and a few fun realizations. This is Part 1, and I'll let her tell you all about it!

At the beginning of February, I had the pleasure of accompanying Katie on her move from Chicago to Burbank. For me, the journey began in Michigan, so I knew had 10 states, about 4 days of travel, and numerous tourist stops ahead of me. I was excited to travel through states I had never seen before, and to visit the various 'World's Largest' attractions that Katie plotted along the way (don't worry, there will be more on those adventures later!). 

Being from a family that has traveled by car on many vacations, Katie and I were prepared for the long journey with our books on tape and snacks in tow. My expectations were that I would sleep in the car at least 30% of the time that I wasn't driving. 

Boy. Was. I. Wrong.

The only day that I slept in the car was the first day, when I had to wake up at the butt-crack of dawn to catch my Megabus to Chicago. During the rest of the trip, whether I was the driver or the passenger, I was captivated by the changing landscape. 

I was intrigued by everything; the thousands of giant wind turbines in Iowa, the masses upon MASSES of cows in Nebraska (and maybe one giraffe spotting...Katie and I are still unsure about that one) Katie Says: It was Totally a Giraffe in a Barn!, and finally, the beautiful mountainous landscapes of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California.

I was in awe over the gorgeousness of these states and the pure scale of the mountains surrounding us. From one state to the next the mountain formations changed in the blink of an eye. 

In Colorado, I was frantically taking photographs and videos while Katie bravely conquered the slippery, steep, curving roads of the rockies during a snowstorm. 

While I was doing the driving in Utah, we stopped at about 5 viewing point rest stops--which basically consisted of gorgeous landscapes, a porta-potty, and some information plaques about Mormon settlements--so that we could take pictures. And I loved every second of it.

Seeing new and exciting places definitely sparked some creative juices within my landscape photography. Maybe it was because I was outside of the Midwest, or because I had giant, beautiful subjects to shoot; but I seriously couldn't take enough photos. 

It was a nice reminder of what I should do when I'm feeling uninspired. Just take a little trip or try something new, and discover the beauty in new surroundings. 

A new experience, whether great or small, is bound to inspire.

xo Meghan