Hello Hive World and Additional World!
Fancy a stroll down memory lane with me?
Today we'll be perusing pages from a sketchbook that was active during a road trip I took across the American Southwest.
First some background on the trip, then we'll flip through the art.
It was mid-October, the first time my s/o and I had taken a vacation together. The last sultry days of summer were clinging apathetically to the thermostat, eager to yield to an approaching autumn. Our week-long itinerary demanded a balls-to-the-wall drive from North Texas to Sacramento, California, with a handful of stop offs, then whole thing in reverse back to Texas. One of the main stops was a big event in Sacramento. And, of course, the road trip itself was meant to be part of the fun.
It was my first time to travel through any desert, and I was flat-out amazed by the natural beauty! The perception held in my mind prior to the trip was essentially that of a hot, flat wasteland, but the experience was actually nothing like that at all. The daytime temps were breezy, mild. Only in the upper eighties (Fahrenheit) and practically zero clouds in sight the entire trip.
Once we got through the Texas Panhandle and into Eastern New Mexico, the landscape was dotted with fantastic mesas that faded into a hazy backdrop. The open sky looking down at us seemed impossibly wide, total freedom. As we flew down the interstate, I found myself admiring the ever-changing plant life near the road and beyond from my comfy passenger seat.
I took a few phone pics, not nearly as many as I should have - too busy gawking out the window like a tourist 🤓.
The scenery gradually changed with the passing miles, unfolding before our view like a living tapestry. The further west we traveled, the more severe the landscape became. Arizona greeted us with noticeably drier air, more cacti and towering stone vistas. But there wasn't much time to spend sightseeing as we had a tight schedule to keep. We continued westward.
Watching the landscape flash across the car window, time seemed to take on less meaning. Travelling "backwards" through time zones had a weird effect on me, like some kind of false time travel experience (California's time zone is UTC -8, two hours "behind" North Texas' UTC -6). But I hung in there and was well rewarded with even more amazing scenery.
On the highways between Western Arizona and Southern California I saw rock formations beyond the scope of my imagination. It was truly awe inspiring to see the silent giants with their craggy faces guarding the feet of the Rocky Mountains. This trip is an experience I want to keep always. It is a region well worth seeing, for those who wish to look! Even from a passenger vehicle, with limited stops, there are numerous sights to enjoy across the Amerian Desert Southwest.
Passengers in the car of life
The Art Part
Under the wide open sky
Energy snakes
What's up
?!
Exploratory sketch of some imaginary buildings I wanted to be real
Love this one
Expressions of scene elements
Abstract vision.
Next time I am so fortunate to visit this region, I will definitely be allowing for more detailed sight seeing, exploring, meeting and art-making.
Thank you all for sharing this trip down memory lane. It's great to tap in to lighter places during our times of strife because they help us remember we're working for something better. We'll make new great memories again.
Let's keep growing Hive together! You guys are the best.
💖