I like Montana. I like the mountains and crisp air and postcard panoramas. The first night of our road trip we stayed in its capital, Helena, which has less than 32,000 citizens. This statistic nicely details just how sparse the population is within the state. It's very ... breathable. Outside the natural scenery, the capital is somewhat nondescript in appearance; being two hours delayed from the unexpected detour, we made our way to a wood-fired pizza place and then just retired to our hotel room for the night not feeling like we missed anything. For future trips, I feel Butte would have been a better overnight destination. With snow-capped peaks framing it in the distance and historic architecture steeped in legend, the word "majestic" seems well-suited to describe its beauty.
One can take Interstate 15 all the way from the Canadian border to the Mexican one. It's a nice drive with lots of rest stops, fuel stations and, within Utah at least, numerous billboards reminding people that God is watching and you should atone for your sins.
Outside of having an ultra-conservative religious base that practices polygamy, I didn't really know anything about Utah. Ignoring the influence of creed and instead seeking enlightenment from mother nature, I was completely in awe of the rock formations in the southern portion of the state which includes a number of protected areas, national and state parks such as the breathtaking Grand Staircase National Monument. Eventually turning east off of Interstate 15, we were in the thick of it while enroute to our next stop: the biggest tourist destination of them all – the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Highway 89A in particular, a scenic route that runs through a Navaho reservation in Arizona, was the highlight of my entire trip. Driving through it was a showcase of some of America's most iconic landscape; landscape which has featured in many a Hollywood western to represent our storied, brutal history. I half-expected the ghost of John Wayne to manifest on the horizon as we drove this isolated stretch of roadway. Or perhaps hear the distant call of the roadrunner. Meep Meep.
Our adventure-filled day ended on a magical note as we slept in a teepee under a galaxy of visible stars. Living in a city with constant light pollution, this reminder of the scale of the universe (and my place within it) was a cathartic ending to a long, tiring, immensely memorable day.
Start of Highway 89A, Arizona (©Deborah Clague, 2018).
Highway 89A, Arizona (©Deborah Clague, 2018).
Hiking off Highway 89A, Arizona (©Deborah Clague, 2018).
Highway 89A, Arizona (©Deborah Clague, 2018).
Highway 89A, Arizona (©Deborah Clague, 2018).
Highway 89A, Arizona (©Deborah Clague, 2018).
Highway 89A, Arizona (©Deborah Clague, 2018).
Our accommodation for the night, a teepee in Williams, Arizona (©Deborah Clague, 2018).
Interior of teepee, Williams, Arizona (©Deborah Clague, 2018).
Teepee selfie, Williams, Arizona (©Deborah Clague, 2018).
Also the first BBQ of the season, Williams, Arizona (©Deborah Clague, 2018).