Hey guys! Excited to share some favorite moments from my recent road trip through the Southwest. If there's one thing I learned about myself this past year, it would be my absolute love for traveling. Especially on the open road. I love stretching out in the passenger seat and just let the landscapes unfold in front of me. And to be honest, I'm just as comfortable car camping as I am in any hotel! 

For the last four or five years, V and I been ending the year off with a road trip adventure. It's definitely become a tradition I look forward to as part of the holiday season! This year, we really wanted to hit up more of the Southwest. Even after years of exploring the area, we have only scratched the surface on how much there is to see out there!

We started in Arizona, exploring the Superstition Mountains, and then upward to Sedona and Flagstaff. It's been a couple years since we've been to the Grand Canyon, so I knew I wanted to drive through for sunset. And with a new National Parks Pass for the year, we had no excuse. The following morning we finally found ourselves at Horseshoe Bend. After years of being so close, and never having the chance to explore, I was beyond excited to finally see this place with my own eyes. Don't discredit it with stories of all the tourists! The place is big enough that you can still feel like you have the view all to yourself. 

From there, we traveled to Monument Valley. We seriously lucked out with the weather during our stay there. The sky was perfectly clear, and gave us some of the best sunrises and sunsets I've ever seen in the Southwest! We decided to stay at the View hotel, which looks directly out over the infamous buttes. Being able to look out our bedroom window at dawn, and see them right in front of us is something I'll never get over.

Our last stops in the Southwest were Canyonlands and Arches National Parks in Utah. Both of these places were brand new for us, and I was anxious to explore as much as we could. The scale of these places constantly blew me away. 

After driving through these incredible landscapes, we left in search of snow and mountains (which is luckily what I've been exploring quite a bit of lately). Can't wait to share the second part of the trip with you all soon! Hope you enjoy the photos! 

xo

J.