
Vacation. I love vacation. Who doesn’t love vacation? In this particular instance, I used a little vacation time to cruise around the back roads of the western US with my #1. Here’s what I learned and gained along the way.
A renewed reverence for nature
There’s not much land in America that hasn’t been touched or altered by mankind. I’m thankful for national parks and nature conservancies that do everything they can to preserve the natural environment. It wasn’t until getting really up close and personal with the rocks, trees, and creatures that I was reminded of how truly delicate and precious they are.




Perspective – America is freaking huge
We drove. And drove. And drove and drove and drove. Our trip was around 3,500 miles total, yet I feel we barely scratched the surface of the Western US. There’s still so much more to see!
Inspiration
It’s one thing to do a quick image search of Georgia O’Keeffe’s artwork. It’s quite another to be immersed in the very surroundings that inspired much of her life’s work then taking it all in at the famed Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe. I loved learning more about this artist and felt inspired and ready to dive back into my own creative work at home. Vacations are great and all, but the new perspective you return with is even better!
All photos by André Allen Anjos.