SE to NW Part 3

Ed Note: This is part 3 in a 3 part journal-style piece about photographer Keith Novosel's cross-country road trip. Read Part 1 and Part 2. 

Arizona

We left early one morning and drove into Arizona, where the true desert started. It was interesting to see, but isn’t a place that I would want to stay for long. We saw petrified trees, miles of rocks and sand (reminiscent of the scene in Forrest Gump where he’s running across the country with the crowd of people following him) and the Grand Canyon. I had only ever seen it in movies. It was monumentally bigger, deeper, and more awesome than I expected it to be: a trip highlight. We left the Grand Canyon after sunset, largely because my favorite poem says: “You’ll find God in the church of your choice. You’ll find Woodie Guthrie in Brooklyn State Hospital... You’ll find them both in the Grand Canyon at sundown.” I wasn‘t disappointed.

It was right about here that our main driving entertainment ran out. Criticize if you like, but Analisa’s cousin lent her Twilight on CD. Listening to a story is a nice change of pace from music from time to time, and if you ever have a long road trip, I recommend getting some kind of story to listen to. It makes the miles go by a little more smoothly. I probably wouldn’t have ever listened to it, or read it on my own, but it was more interesting than I expected it to be. Any book will do.

Utah

We drove from Arizona to Utah that night, and through Utah the next day. Southern Utah was much like Arizona, but once we advanced north, it became magical… more like what I picture Colorado to be. We stayed at the base of the mountains in Provo, and explored Sundance and Park City. The mountains, streams, and towns are beautiful. The people we met were awesome as well. They are active, healthy, and friendly. There were so many recreational opportunities… and it hasn’t even started snowing yet. I will definitely go back in the winter someday. Out of all of the places we had traveled through up to this point, this was my favorite area. Add an ocean and I could potentially love living there.

From Utah, we passed through Idaho pretty quickly, and didn’t see much of interest. Apparently northern Idaho is awesome, but I wouldn’t know from this trip.

Oregon

Eastern Oregon began with rolling hills a beautiful stream and very minimal development. I hope to learn to flyfish, so the stream especially caused my imagination wander. We drove on, and got our first view of the snow-capped peaks on the horizon. We briefly stopped in Bend, and will surely go back for the rafting and camping that we have since learned about. Past Bend, I was surprised to drive right by Mt. Hood, and I didn’t expect it to be so snowy at the beginning of August. I also didn’t expect it to be quite so close to Portland. I haven’t snowboarded in 7 years, but I can’t wait to do it again. I’ve only been on East Coast hills, so it will be a whole new experience.

Portland, even though it’s a small city, is still a city. I typically don’t love cities, but it feels smaller and smaller every day as I get to know it better. I like the vibe of the city with all the great places to eat, music, and non-corporate, local shops. Plus, it doesn’t take long to get out of town. The first weekend we drove 30 short minutes to camp at Pickathon, a music festival on a farm in the woods just out of town. It was amazing, and if you’re looking for good music recommendations, check out Frank Fairfield (a musician seemingly from another time period), Megafaun, The Cave Singers, and Typhoon. 

The coast is different than Florida, California, or anywhere else. I love how it looks, with the massive trees going almost right down to the water. The temperature will take some getting used to…and I need to get some booties, gloves, and a hood, but other than that I’ve had a couple of really fun sessions. I know it can get a lot better (and a lot worse), but I’ll take those 2-4ft, relatively clean days as being average for now.

It’s a little far from the city to the coast, but I can get used to that. I saw great things across the country, especially in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah, but Oregon is the best of the bunch overall. I’m happy to be here.

--Keith Novosel