2019 North America

2019 celebrates 10 years of traveling!
What to do? Drive to Alaska and 19,000 miles across the North American continent. Come join the photographic journey…

 

Blaze looking beautiful outside Yellowstone National Park

 

In April, 2019, the City of New Orleans train brought me down to Nola for my first ever Jazz Fest. This train ride has quite the story associated with it and furthered my inspiration to embark on a wild journey to Alaska!

 

My favorite photograph from the New Orleans Jazz Fest 2019

 

Hope + Joy…yes please!

  

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

 

The iconic Teddy Roosevelt Arch welcomes visitors to Yellowstone with the words “For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People”

 

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

 

Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

 

Grand Tetons National Park, Wyoming

 

Grand Tetons National Park, Wyoming 

 

A lake in the Grand Tetons

 

Livin in the wild!

 

Gorgeous country

 

Montana Mountains

 

My first moose!
Glacier National Park, Montana

 

My final photo before crossing into Canada. I left a little gift on a rock for some lucky visitor to discover

 

British Columbia, Canada

 

Canada rocks!

 

Jasper National Park, BC, Canada

 

And the road goes on forever...

 

This photo tells a really sad story. I put it in to honor the memories of Lucas Fowler (Australia), Chynna Deese (North Carolina), and Leonard Dyck (Canada). They were murdered by two young Vancouver Island teenage travelers in a mysterious story. This location is within miles/kilometers of the horrid scenario. I spent the night here and filmed myself reading a poem I wrote for them. The video found itself to their families, which led to a few nice messages sent my way. 

To all the travelers out there…don’t be intimidated, but be aware! Have fun!


Blaze drove the Top of the Highway from the Yukon into Alaska
No label! 

Crossing into Alaska, the gray rainy skies turned to this beautiful view! 
WELCOME TO ALASKA!!! (description at the beginning of Lessons Learned)

 

Looking out on the Wrangell mountains! (first and last night sleep spot in AK)

 

Robe Lake, Valdez, Alaska

 

Alaska overlook 

Love this spot!

 

Girdwood is my favorite small town in Alaska 

 

This was the night moose walked right past me while cooking dinner during sunset in the alley. Perhaps my favorite night of my time in Alaska

 

Blaze loves the rock pathways 

 

Such incredible nature

 

Denali National Park, Alaska

 

Denali Beauty!

 

This photo makes me dream

 

Sleeping in peace!

 

Ferry boat views!

 

Back in Canada, camping with other vanlifers

 

BC travelin

 

Ummm Welcome to the USA…hmmm maybe

 

Washington ice cave

 

Sway Wild are beautiful humans making beautiful music. I love surprising people at their own gigs. They had no idea I was coming. Mandy’s reaction, “I thought you were in Alaska. What are you doing here?”

 

Olympic National Park, Washington, USA

 

Welcome to the Jungle!

 

I love listening to rivers while I sleep

 

Washington rocks the Pacific Ocean. I made it all the way to the Pacific Northwest coastline

 

Sleeping with the Pacific once again. Sunsets glow!

 

  

GOONIES!!!
Astoria, Oregon, USA

 

I love sunset beach walks

 

Crater Lake, Oregon

 

This was my view sleeping in the back of Blaze at the base of Mt Shasta in California

 

Back in the desert! I’m not sure where this came from, but I loved the photograph

 

Yosemite National Park view of Half Dome, California 

 

El Capitan!!! This rock wall is iconic to the California climbers. I highly recommend the documentaries “Dawn Wall” and “Free Solo”

 

Monterey Jazz Fest! Monterey, CA. I love seeing the festival grounds before the crowd arrives. Bartending festivals is incredibly fun!

 

Sunset over the Pacific!

 

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Big Sur, CA

 

I drove off the coast road up to this middle of nowhere spot to hear waves crash below while the sun sets over the Pacific! I love this photo

 

Van Morrison at the Hollywood Bowl
Los Angeles, CA

 

I can’t do an entire North America road trip without walking into Mexico for lunch

 

Joshua Tree National Park, CA

 

The Grand Canyon in Arizona! In 2011, I walked from the North Rim to the South Rim; 3 of my favorite hiking days

 

This photo represents a phenomenal place to spend the night. This is right near the 4 Corners (Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico)

 

The Rio Grande, New Mexico, USA

 

Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico, USA

 

The Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park, Texas, which splits the USA/Mexico borders

 

Austin, Texas has beautiful art and artists

 

New Orleans, Louisiana for Widespread Panic Halloween concerts

 

Looking out on Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

 

Sunsets in the beautiful state of Mississippi, USA

 

Colors fill the Blue Ridge Parkway and the western Carolinas in general. 
Asheville, North Carolina

 

The ‘Empty Chair Fire’ at my friend’s in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA represents the end of the 7 month journey around the continent 

 

 

I returned to Chicago/Deerfield, IL for this crazy bunch of beautiful humans that support and understand the wild route I’ve chosen in life! I love this crew!

LIFE IS GOOD!!!

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