Frost/Nix-ing (The return trip West)
Canyons! Petrified Forests! And still more snow!
The trip back to California had also been planned to within an inch of its life. Mother Nature, once again, had different ideas.
My goal for the return trip was to drive from West Houston to Los Angeles without ever using an Interstate Highway. It was a glorious plan that I still hope to achieve one day. On this trip, that’s all it lasted: One Day.
The first day of my trip wound from Houston…
Up through Bellville…
To Comanche…
And finally Abilene - all on Texas state highways or Farm to Market roads. If I needed any reassuring that the idea was sound… this drive proved it.
Then the inclement weather came.
And stayed.
The remainder of the trip back did feature three main highlights:
Palo Duro Canyon State Park - just southeast of Amarillo, Texas.
Think of a mini Grand Canyon - with far fewer crowds and a road leading right into the canyon.
It was a stunning way to improve a snow-hampered day.
The second highlight, as I had hoped, was Petrified Forest National Park.
The park features beautiful rock formations with vibrant colors and vast expanse.
The final highlight, a day in Sedona.
I had long wanted to visit the Sedona area - with hopes that its fire red rocks would live up to the hype.
Spoiler alert: they do.
In the end, the drive West was, at best, a wash. I didn’t accomplish what I set out for… I didn’t photograph to my expecations… but I did see some incredible things, which serves as a reminder… Even stressful travel still holds value.
Until next time.
Best (way)laid plans…
Routes, Snow, re-routes, Tacos and Saguaros! The story of my drive from San Diego to Houston.
The route was circuitously gorgeous.
San Diego to Houston in the least direct manner I could come up with. And then mother nature took over. Snowstorms blanketed most of my gorgeous route. My car and snow do not mix. Hell, my car and slightly dirty pavement aren’t a great mix, for that matter.
So instead I traveled along the southerly route through Tucson, where at least I would still be able to check Saguaro National Park off my list.
Two carne asada, one barbacoa… both of which traveled surprisingly well back to the hotel.
But first… tacos. Having to replan the entire route, yielded very few scenic additions… instead i turned my search to the gastronomic.
You can easily lose an hour of your life scrolling through the various lists of the best tacos in Tucson… which I did in the days leading up to the trip. In the end, at least the culinary gods were smiling on me, as Taqueria Pico de Gallo in South Tucson helped ease the pain of redirected travel with incredible tacos.
The bright yellow facade made me wish I had arrived earlier, and had a chance to photograph the building.
I guess now I have two reasons to go back…
The Saguaro were a perfect subject for large format (4x5) film.
As for Saguaro National Park… it did not disappoint. I kept my travels to the west section of the Park… where deceptively large Saguaros fill the landscape.
This would rightly end up being the highlight of my drive east.
The rest of the trip was long hours - and rained-out plans.
But the journey did yield one more tiny gem. Tired and beaten down from highway construction, I stopped off in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Maybe it was just the Craig Finn lyric stuck in my head… maybe I just needed to take in some civilization after a few hundred miles of desert.
I made my way to Mesilla Plaza, a historic neighborhood on the southwest side of town.
Beautifully maintained buildings in classic southwest architecture reveal themselves around each corner.
After a nice chat with a local artist - and one last lap around this oasis… it was back on the road… refreshed, and feeling I had at least accomplished something photographically.
An Iphone photo from my hotel room is not how I should have experienced El Paso… A failure I will have to remedy.
Off to El Paso. And more tacos.
I’d post a photo of L&J’s shredded beef tacos here - but to be honest, I was far too hungry to let them sit long enough for a photo.
Truth be told - I should have made more of an effort to photograph El Paso. Between the fatigue from two days on the road, and plans that had suddenly evaporated from day three… I just didn’t venture out. I should have. I will next time.
Instead I powered through to Houston - a day early. Time to reset and enjoy family. After all, the return drive west couldn’t possible have as much bad luck as this… right?
RIGHT????
All Images ©2022 Brian Campbell Photography
