The West is beautiful, but I long for the green of the East
My husband and I have traveled around America quite a bit in our last 17 years together. Before I met him I took a 2 1/2 week trip through the Colorado Rockies in my brand new 1998 Jeep Cherokee I just bought a month before I took off for the trip. Kind of risky considering I had just learned to drive as well. But somehow we made it out of the mountains alive. At the time, I was just getting really into photography. Looking back I wish I would have taken better advantage of photographing that trip. Since then, anywhere we travel to, my camera is glued to me because I’ve learned the best pictures come at the most random unexpected moments.
The Rocky mountains are beautiful. They are powerful and unforgiving. Crisp and breathtaking. Winding through the curvy roads, at times guard rails nonexistent, as pine trees seemed to reach the crystal blue sky. It was invigorating and a place I’d love to return to one day, showing my husband and Dylan natures unforgiving land, her raw beauty. And without a doubt, I’ll have my camera close in hand. On that trip out west back in the late 90’s we drove down good old route 66′, crossing through the panhandle of Texas, leading us to unique adobe style homes in New Mexico and Arizona to eventually the beautiful Arches National Park in Utah.
The west was beautiful, yet it didn’t have that inviting feel to me. Not like the southeast and east coast. I need greenery. Driving down through Kentucky was just like I’ve seen on famous postcards…white horses grazing in the green grass as blue skies float above them. There were white horse fences with miles of rolling hills blanketed in glowing green behind them as the homes that stood upon the land held a certain charm. Tennessee had that wonderful country charm to it as well, aside from Nashville, which seemed as busy as Chicago yet with a wonderful country music flair drifting about. Entering Georgia I was completely amazed at the miles and miles of trees that lined either side of the highway. One of my favorite things I love about the southeast is the ancient oak trees whose limbs stretch out without limits, Spanish moss delicately decorating their powerful branches.
Dividing Tennessee and North Carolina are the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Smokey’s are spectacular! Unlike the Rockies, whose Mountains, although beautiful, seemed harsh and crisp, the Smokies had a much gentler feel as the steeps seemed less daunting and the mountains seemed to magically fade off into the distance as every shade of blue casted upon them. That’s just the way I saw them, perhaps it had to do with the late summer/early fall season we went where one day the air was cool and crisp as the next the day would bring on a gentle warm fog.
Either way, both places, The rocky Mountain trail in Colorado, and the Blue Ridge Parkway that connects Tennessee and North Carolina, are wonderful places to visit!
Have you been to either place or have you been to both? What did you think?
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