When I graduated college, my then boyfriend had the idea to take a cross-country road trip. My parents thought this was a terrible idea, and that if I didn’t get into the workforce straight out of college, I wouldn’t end up with a good job. Like the 21 year old I was, I threw caution to the wind and jumped in the car with a ton of film and my Pentax IQZoom. We spent a month and a half out on the road, first to Tennessee to rock out at Bonnaroo, then down to New Orleans, over to Albuquerque and then the Grand Canyon, up through Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco, Reno, some Utah, some Colorado, and one of the last stops was the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

It was one of the best experiences of my life and I became a crazy person campaigning that everyone should take a road trip like that in their lives to see and know their own country. But a month and a half still left so much road untravelled. I swore to myself I would do another one some day, and see some new things, and in the meantime, I took lots of smaller road trips whenever possible.

I compiled the best of the 50 rolls of film into a scrapbook. When I realized how much it cost to have that whole trip developed, I quickly switched to a digital camera that same summer. Before that, it had seemed like a lot to spend $300 or so on a digital camera. But after the cost of the rolls of film from the trip, the digital camera seemed like an investment!

Fast forward 8 years. Another cross-country road trip opportunity presents itself and I’m still shooting film. Some people never learn huh? But I would not have done it any other way. And this time, instead of throwing away half or more of a roll, my rate of return on these rolls was more like 90%. I know what I’m doing now. And it was such a dream come true to travel the country again, be able to put my skills to the test and shoot in some of this country’s most amazing landmarks. Here are my favorite results:

five star selections for book (5 of 5)Yellowstone National Park

five star selections for book (2 of 21)Yellowstone National Park

five star selections for book (4 of 21)State Forest State Park, Colorado

five star selections for book (8 of 21)State Forest State Park, Colorado

five star selections for book (9 of 21)State Forest State Park, Colorado

five star selections for book (10 of 21)State Forest State Park, Colorado

five star selections for book (16 of 21)Grand Teton National Park

five star selections for book (17 of 21)Grand Teton National Park

five star selections for book (18 of 21)Yellowstone National Park

five star selections for book (19 of 21)Yellowstone National Park

five star selections for book (13 of 21)State Forest State Park, Colorado

Where did you go this summer? Make any dreams come true?

Happy Snapping!

Cara of tumbleweedineden