Our 28 Day Road Trip
This past May I was fortunate enough to have three destination weddings and three adventure engagement sessions. Rather than flying for each one, Jason and I decided to set out on a 28 day road trip. We camped from my jeep at different national and state parks, and stayed in a few hotels across 7 states capturing love stories and landscapes.
We started our road trip with an adventure engagement session at White Sands National Park in New Mexico where I captured Baylee and Daniel's engagement session (see more of that 'here').
White Sands National Park | New Mexico
From New Mexico we headed up to Scottsdale, Arizona to visit some family for a couple of days and break up our drive before our next long stretch to California. Our first stop in California was Joshua Tree where we got to set up camp for the first time on the trip and saw our first Joshua Tree. We spent two nights camping in the desert before hitting the road for our next destination.
Joshua Tree National Park | California
Next on the list was Yosemite and let me tell you if you have never been to Yosemite - take this as your sign to go. Yosemite was so amazing it may just need its own blog post after this. We had the opportunity to stay here for five days capturing not only breathtaking scenery but a jaw dropping intimate wedding too! I'm not gonna lie, when we made the first turn into the park and saw Half Dome followed by a waterfall falling a magical feeling filled my body that I can’t even put into words. You’ll just have to go see it for yourself.
Yosemite National Park | California
Zion National Park | Utah
When our time came to leave we packed up and hit the road at 4:00am to make it to our next destination, Zion National Park. With a 360 view of the Red Rock Cliffs, Zion did not disappoint. We set up camp at Zion Canyon Campground and got a good night's sleep before our long hike into the Narrows the next day.
Next, we made a quick change in our trip. We had originally planned on going to Bryce Canyon but ultimately decided on going to Horseshoe Bend and the Grand Canyon for a few days and we were so happy we made the switch!
Horseshoe Bend | Arizona
Grand Canyon National Park | Arizona
At this point, it was time to start making our way back to Texas, but luckily it included a stop in one of my favorite states - Colorado. I had a full week of sessions and weddings and I was SO excited to see my couples! We took our time getting there and made a few quick stops at Monument Valley, Canyonlands and Moab - Arches National Park along the way. I am so glad we fit those in our trip. It’s crazy how you grow up seeing all these amazing places on TV and the internet but then when you see it in person it's more than you could have imagined!
Monument Valley | Arizona
Canyonlands National Park | Utah
Moab - Arches National Park | Utah
It was now time to head over to Colorado Springs which we got to call home for an entire week! During this time we captured Sandra and Mason's wedding day as well as a day after session in Garden of the Gods, Paige and John's Adventure Engagement Session at Garden of the Gods and Emmy's Bridal session at Younger Ranch.
Colorado Springs | Colorado
The Rams at Garden of the God's were the perfect models for me one evening while the landscapes showcased their beauty.
After our week in Colorado Springs, it was officially time to head back to Texas. But we couldn’t just go straight home, so we snuck in two more sessions! We met up with Maddie and Peyton for an adventure engagement session in Palo Duro Canyon (see their recap 'here') followed by Tori and Sean's gorgeous wedding day in Dallas, Texas at Chandlers Garden.
After 28 days, 6400 miles, a new car battery and a new key fob battery we were homebound. Would we do it again? In a heartbeat! It's a trip that we will never forget and that changed us forever. If you ever have the opportunity to go out and see the U.S. - DO IT!
MY MOST USED LANDSCAPE & TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR :
Camera Body:
Lenses:
Lens Filters:
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you.