Southwest driving
Rim of the Grand Canyon
It is not hyperbole to say that Roosevelt’s jaw dropped in disbelief
The president’s arrival at the Grand Canyon on the morning of May 6 would, in retrospect, become one of the greatest days in environmental history… It is not hyperbole to say that Roosevelt’s jaw dropped in disbelief…Insisting on seeing the sun set from the Grand Canyon’s north rim, the warm sky ablaze with ragged bands of orange, pink, and purple, Roosevelt leaned over the ledge to soak in the drama.
Roosevelt called the Grand Canyon “the most wonderful scenery in the world.” He also declared that “to all else that is strange and beautiful in nature the Canyon stands as Karnak and Baalbec, seen by moonlight, stand to all other ruined temples and palaces of the bygone ages.”
Douglas Brinnkley, “The Wilderness Warrior”
Hoover Dam
Las Vegas
Yosemite
San Francisco Trolley
My car did not stall in San Francisco: win
Route 1
It’s the journey, not the destination
You see things vacationing on a motorcycle in a way that is completely different from any other. In a car you’re always in a compartment, and because you’re used to it you don’t realize that through that car window everything you see is just more TV. You’re a passive observer and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame.
Since reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, I have become acutely aware of just being a passive observer on the road, of simply just getting to the next destination instead of considering the route, the drive, and the journey as part of the adventure. Mostly, this involves rolling down the windows and putting back the sunroof. Sometimes it’s taking the back (though certainly not dirt) roads.