Back from the Road

July 30, 2012 / Lara Mulady

So, the two weeks on the road are over. The roads of the US, to be precise. Or somewhat precise. The roads in the South Western US to be more so. I'd not been since 1999, so was expecting some changes and I wasn't disappointed. Luckily, I was never dismayed at the changes. I suppose 13 years is a long enough break to accept from a distance that there is no way things would be the same as they were. Besides, over 13 years you also change a lot as a person.

It was a super two weeks and I've no doubt I'll be back. Next time I plan to do some hiking in Yosemite and Bryce Canyon, as well as some serious rafting on the Colorado. This was my third time in the South West so I think I need to start seeing things from another perspective. I've also still to go back to New Orleans and the South, but that's for the time after next.

We went from San Francisco to Las Vegas, through Yosemite, Bodie and Death Valley. Then on to Zion Canyon and then Bryce Canyon. After that we hit Page and Lake Powell, then down to The Grand Canyon and Flagstaff. From there we went a little more east to see the Meteor Crater, then headed back west through Jerome, Prescott and on to Kingman. From Kingman our last stop was Lost Hills before making it back to San Fransico. It was a busy trip - we covered approximately 2000 miles (or 3200 km), but I loved every moment.

The things that really struck me were the adverts on TV - fast food ad, heart surgery ad, fast food ad, followed by latest-diet/exercise-fad-to-loose-wait-without-really-trying. No wonder the second thing that struck me was the size of people. There were some seriously, seriously obese people - whole families - all over. When did that happen? How did that happen? The price of fresh fruit also shocked me. How can this happen? The whole country is going to explode. Las Vegas was also a slap in the face. Everything (and everyone) seems to have tripled in size since I was last there. Over indulgent, decadent, excessive and enough to make you sick to your stomach. But we had a blast.

I loved it all the same, much as I thought I would. But then, it's the actual country that I love. The views, the nature and the beauty of it all. I'll never get tired of it. Never. It's a wonderful country full of wonderful people.

Here are some Instagrams. You can see all the photos here, if you want.