Explore the journey — one trail, museum, meal, and memory at a time.
Yellowstone to Cody
A three-hour drive from Yellowstone to Cody turned into a full day. I squeezed in beside a family of photographers at Gibbon Falls, spent over an hour watching a hundred buffalo cross the river and the road in Hayden Valley, watched a coyote catch a mouse, and climbed over Sylvan Pass into Shoshone National Forest before the late sun lit up Buffalo Bill Reservoir.
Burned Forests and Idaho City
I expected the drive from Stanley to Boise to be mostly a travel day. Instead, Highway 21 kept giving me reasons to stop. Burned forests covered entire mountainsides, young trees were growing among blackened trunks, and a roadside marker introduced me to Emma Edwards Green. Then I reached Idaho City looking for lunch and ended up spending three hours walking through old streets, reading about gold miners, Chinese merchants, Frank Church, the county courthouse and something I had never heard of before, a pest house. By evening I was finally in Boise, eating pizza, reading about Yellowstone geology and wondering how a simple drive had turned into another full day of discovery.
Day Two Sawtooth National Forest
My second day in the Sawtooths was mostly about slowing down. I woke early near the Salmon River, drove back toward Redfish Lake for morning photography, and spent about ninety minutes watching the light move across the mountains. Later I relaxed beside the lake, read, cooked and took a 12 mile bike ride before returning to the same quiet overnight spot above the river.
Fall in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains
I left Hailey expecting a two hour drive to Stanley, but the Sawtooths had other plans. I kept stopping for mountain views, patches of brilliant fall aspens and photographs as the road climbed into the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. At Redfish Lake, I spent a windy evening along the shore photographing White crowned Sparrows and discovered something unexpected about how closely birds watch our eyes. As darkness approached, I found a quiet place in the National Forest overlooking the Salmon River and settled in for the night.
Cooper Landing (2 Days)
Rain followed me from Seward into Cooper Landing, but it didn't stop me from hiking to Russian River Falls. What began as a day photographing salmon became something entirely different after a serious accident near the falls brought Fire and EMS racing up the trail. Between the rescue, hours spent photographing salmon, and conversations with strangers from across the country, it became one of the more memorable days of my Alaska journey.
Mendenhall Glacier Nugget Falls Trail
A cold, wet day in Juneau eventually led to one of Alaska's most famous landscapes. When the rain finally eased, I headed to Mendenhall Glacier and followed the trail to Nugget Falls. Along the way I photographed fog-covered mountains, learned how dramatically the glacier has retreated, met visitors from France and India, and captured one of my favorite images of the trip.
Hoh Rainforest
I spent the day exploring the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park, one of the wettest and most unique forests in the United States. Moss-covered trees, towering Sitka spruce, elk along the roadside, and conversations with fellow travelers and photographers turned a long day of driving into one of the most memorable experiences of my Washington journey.
Hurricane Ridge to Mount Angeles
A fog-filled drive up Hurricane Ridge turned into one of the most physically demanding hikes I’ve done in years. From steep snowfields and loose mountain trails to wildlife encounters, mountain photography, and an unexpected friendship with an Army trainer newly arrived from Alaska, this day in Olympic National Park became far more memorable than I expected when I left the van that morning.
Crater Lake to Painted Hills
What started as a simple morning at Crater Lake turned into a long, uncertain drive to the Painted Hills—and five hours I didn’t expect to spend there. Along the way, the landscape shifted from dense forest to high desert, the light kept changing, and the hills revealed more the longer I stayed. The day ended in a quiet pullout, surrounded by cattle and just enough silence to notice.
Horseshoe Bend
Leaving Hurricane, Utah, I headed south into Arizona, driving through the charred remains of the 2020 Mangum Fire in Kaibab National Forest before stopping at the historic Cliff Dwellers Stone House. The day ended at Horseshoe Bend, where the Colorado River curves 1,000 feet below the rim near Page, Arizona.
Dolly Sods
A light snow covered Dolly Sods as I woke to a dead Starlink switch and no internet deep in the Monongahela National Forest. What began as a plan for a winter hike became a lesson in adaptation—navigating forest roads, a Walmart run, and a warm latte before settling in for a quiet night on the road.
Blackwater Falls & Dolly Sods
I woke at the overlook above Elkins with fog filling the valleys and drove the rough mountain road down toward town. After restocking supplies, I followed the storm north to Blackwater Falls, where rain poured and the campground was closed. By afternoon, I was on the rocky road to Dolly Sods, climbing into wind, fog, and the high country of West Virginia.