BREWW Travels 2.0 - Grand Tetons National Park, Wyoming

What can I say about the Grand Tetons that you can't see in these photos. It is such a beautiful park. It easily jumped to the top 5 list of amazing places we've seen. We did a couple hikes to some lakes that reflect the mountain range which was something I really wanted to photograph on this trip. We visited Rocky Mountain National Park before visiting the Grand Tetons and I gotta say, the Tetons easily topped the Rocky's when it comes to views. I think I'm just more drawn to the more jagged / dramatic summits and rock faces.

BREWW Travels 2.0 - Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

We attempted to see the sunrise at Bryce Canyon, but because of the same storm that pushed us out of Zion, it was too cloudy to see the sun actually rise. It still turned out to be a beautiful day at Bryce. We hiked into the canyon on the Navajo Loop Trail and it was intense! Definitely a very steep hike in and out. Unfortunately the loop was closed once we got to the bottom so we had to turn around and go back up the way we came. It would have been nice to see the other side of the canyon but the views we were able to see were great.

BREWW Travels 2.0 - Zion National Park, Utah

I am obsessed with this park! It is hard to not favorite this grandiose place. From the lowest elevation of the park, these sandstone mountains shoot up almost 5,000 feet from the ground to the highest elevation. Most mountains I've ever seen have a graduated incline but these seem to grow straight up from the ground. The native americans who once lived here actually called Zion "Straight Up Land." The virgin river runs through the entire park, and it is this beautiful sea foamy green color. It was still too cold to get into but it definitely photographed well! We did a few hikes, all of which seemed to be climbing up a cliff side to get to the top, not for the faint hearted! We were not able to spend as much time as we originally wanted to because of a storm approaching, and in a canyon like this you do not want to be stuck in a flash flood. I do plan on visiting Zion again and again, I can't imagine getting sick of this place.

BREWW Travels 2.0 - Antelope Canyon, Arizona

Guys.... I can't tell you enough how much I LOVE THE ANTELOPE CANYON. It is so striking, and we could not have gone at a better time of the day, because the light from above the canyon was streaming through. The tour guides would throw the sand up into these light beams to create some drama and it created an awesome photo effect. The sandstone was so smooth in this slot canyon and the coloration changed throughout the entire walk through it. We were definitely covered in sand the moment we walked in, I did some ill-planning by not covering my camera with a bag before we got there. It was so worth it though, I can't wait to share with you the images I took! Truly a breathtaking experience, one I'll never forget. This has definitely been a top favorite for me.

BREWW Travels 2.0 - Valley of the Gods, Utah

We had to say goodbye to our friends, as we ventured on to other sites. We left Moab and our next destination was supposed to be Monument Valley. Unfortunately the rain did not allow us to see it but we were able to make a stop into Valley of the Gods and it was incredible! These buttes, monoliths, and hoodoos were so prominent in this mostly flat desert. We then stopped at Lake Powell to set up camp, it was the hardest set up we have endured because it was SOOO WINDY. We thought for sure we would never get the tent up. We had to unload everything from the car into the tent just to weigh it down.

BREWW Travels 2.0 - Arches National Park, Utah

We hung out in Moab and of course went to the brewery our first night. We then explored Arches National Park, and it was just as amazing as I remembered. Last year it was too hot to do any long hiking because they had record highs of 120 degrees, so we really wanted to do the hike to the Delicate Arch this go round. This was one of the hardest hikes I've ever done because of how strenuous the incline is up to the top of the rock face. Luckily it was only 3 or so miles, roundtrip, and the hike down was a breeze in comparison. The view did not disappoint either, this is one of our favorite arches for obvious reasons.

BREWW Travels 2.0 - Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

We made it to Estes Park, right outside of the Rocky's to camp. We didn't know what to expect because of the weather, we kept hearing about snow but never saw any once we got there. We drove into Rocky Mountain National Park and there was only a section of it open to drive to, the ranger told us that everywhere else was too snow covered to drive to. Still a shock because at the elevation we were at, there was still no sign of snow. We did what we could, and explored Bear Lake and Nymph Lake. Once we parked and started the trailhead we finally saw all this snow everyone keeps talking about - and in a big way! I was hoping to get those iconic photos of the mountains reflecting into the lake, but we got something completely different. I don't think I've ever hiked like this in the snow before.

BREWW Travels - Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Badlands, the last stop on our list of National Parks / attractions before heading home. I had to make a special trip here because it was my Papaw's favorite place he and my Mamaw visited. When they retired they sold their house and got an RV, they would travel in the summers to different regions of the country. Maybe this is where my desire to travel across the country came from. As far back as I can remember I've wanted to do this trek and now that it's almost over it seems a little surreal. We have jam packed these last 3 weeks with so many things, and still were unable to do everything we wanted. I feel very fortunate that Will and I have been able to experience this adventure together. The Badlands will forever hold a special place in my heart as it did for my Papaw. When I finally got here I definitely felt like he was with me and I felt completely happy to be there. I only wished I could have made it there sooner, to spend more time there. Things work out for a reason though because when we got there we were able to experience the most beautiful sunset. It could not have been more perfect for how I felt here. When you lose someone so dear to your heart it obviously is hard but as time goes by it does help the pain, and you start to focus on the good times and feelings you had instead of the pain you have for their loss. It did sadden me being there, because I wish I could share this experience with him. I definitely had mixed feelings knowing he would have loved that I was there in South Dakota, and proud that I have been able to make this trip happen. Also, I am especially happy to have experienced this with Will. I really wish they could have met, I really think they would have got along remarkably. Will has been so supportive throughout this journey, and has helped make this happen. He has been so generous in thinking about me and my family, specifically at the Badlands, wanting to pay homage to my Papaw too. It is certainly easy to sit back and realize how lucky I am to be able to experience this journey with such an amazing partner. Thank you Mamaw and Papaw for inspiring such a wonderful vacation. It has been a real gratifying voyage. I love you both so much!!

BREWW Travels - Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

What an interesting place, definitely one of my favorite spots we stopped at. It was fascinating to see the earth reacting to the thermal qualities caused by Yellowstone Caldera, the largest super volcano on the planet! It definitely makes you realize that your time on this planet can be altered any minute if Caldera were to erupt. There were 3 major eruptions spanning from 1-3 million years ago which formed a lot of the geology in the park. We saw a bunch of geysers and hot springs, but my favorite was the Grand Prismatic Springs. This is the largest hot spring in the united states. The water reflects light and the perimeter matches ROY G BIV! Being a color enthusiast, I absolutely was taken with this spring. The reason the colors are so vivid is because of the bacteria in the water reacting to the different temperatures. This spring in particular is about 160 degrees in heat, on the surface. Touching the water and even walking on the land around it is not permitted. They have wooden walkways that are strictly for foot traffic. Unfortunately, we heard about a man falling into one of the springs about a month ago and died because of the elements. Mother Nature is definitely not something to test. I saw a man reach down and touch the water and immediately yelled in pain from burning his hand (like an idiot). There were also geysers that spewed out gas and water, and man they were STANK. There is a lot of sulfur in the water at Yellowstone, so when these geysers emit gas, they smell so rotten. The very first sight I saw was a small geyser that erupted right as I was passing it. I had no idea about the sulfur and was immediately engulfed in the gas and I thought the smell along with the heat was going to kill me. Whats fascinating about geysers is they're basically huge tunnels that go under the earths crust and when water gets down there and reacts with magma, it heats it and causes a reaction where it shoots boiling hot water out of the tunnel. To watch this happen its a little unsettling to be reminded that this planet is precious and you never know when it will go off! Definitely a scary and humbling thought. From a scientific perspective, Yellowstone is very interesting and amazing to see. From a photographic perspective, it's even more beautiful because of the different elements and colors around the park. Yellowstone is also home to a lot of animals and some that are even endangered. There are signs posted up everywhere warning you of the dangers of wildlife so I thought FOR SURE we would see a lot...... Well we didn't. We saw one bison which was one of the highlights of the trip, and a few mule deer. One of my biggest fears in traveling across country was the wildlife and seeing bears. snakes, spiders, scorpions, coyotes, mountain lions, and we honestly haven't seen much. That to me is a good thing but if I were to see any of the mammals I hoped to see them while driving around. All in all Yellowstone was amazing and we are only sad that we didn't have more time to explore the entire park. This is probably the first national park we could see ourselves coming back to, to explore it in its entirety

BREWW Travels - Lake Tahoe, California

We revised our trip and decided to take an extra day to explore Lake Tahoe. We decided to focus our time visiting the Emerald Bay. The water was so clear that you can see 60 feet below the surface. It was such a beautiful bluish green color, and definitely the most pristine lake I've ever seen. Lake Tahoe is the second largest naturally formed lake in the world. We parked at Vikingsholm and walked a mile down the mountain to the beach on Emerald Bay. The story behind Vikingsholm is that a mansion was built on the shore in the 1920's out of materials found around Lake Tahoe, for a summer home. The Knights built a small tea house on the island located in the center of Emerald Bay. They would take their guests over to the island to relax and have tea. Contrary to the name Vikingsholm, it was just a pleasant retreat. There was a kayak rental on the beach that Will and I signed up for. We kayaked to the island and climbed around the rocks to make it to the top where the ruins of the tea house still stood. We then kayaked around the shoreline back to the beach. Once we were done kayaking we noticed a trail leading to Eagles Falls which was a huge two tiered waterfall cascading off of the mountains that surround the bay. We explored the waterfall before heading out to the next KOA for the night.

BREWW Travels - Yosemite National Park, California

We arrived at Yosemite and weren't sure what to expect. We knew that Yosemite was a huge name when it comes to national parks but couldn't think of what it was known for. When we entered the park there was a long drive to Yosemite Valley. You have to drive through a mile long tunnel to get there, but once out of the tunnel you are greeted with a beautiful overlook of the valley. This was one of my favorite spots to see. This park was one of the most populated parks we've been to thus far. It made it very hard to enjoy the nature with all of the traffic and people to get around. Aside from that there were no complaints about how gorgeous Yosemite is. We hiked to Bridal Veil falls which was a waterfall that dropped off of the mountain top 617 feet down into the river below. There were tons of boulders and rocks at the bottom of the falls that the tourists were climbing all over to get a closer view. These rocks were dry but very slick because they were polished over time by people climbing all over them. We also drove to Glacier Point to get a view of the mountains / rock faces. You could see the upper and lower Yosemite Falls from this lookout. they were so small visually compared to the landscape surrounding it from this perspective. We did not stay at this over look too long after we read a sign that said the squirrels and some other wildlife were recently infected with the PLAGUE and to stay clear from them. This wasn't a chance we were willing to play around with so we got some photos and left. Apparently there was a 4 mile hike down to the bottom of the mountain to see Glacier Point Lake among the mountains. As beautiful as this sight probably was, we called it a day at Yosemite.

BREWW Travels - Sequoia National Park, California

Before arriving in the forest of giants there was a long road with a few trees and bushes. Seemed like we would just pass the gates and BOOM massive trees all around! But the reality is Sequoia's prefer a very specific altitude to grow, right around 6-8 thousand feet high in elevation. This is because the temperatures are cooler and the precipitation is the highest at this point. Once we travelled all the way up the mountain for about an hour we were finally met with the most beautiful and awe inspiring trees. Trees that INSPIRE! We just parked the car and stood below the massive behemoths of trees and looked up as high as we could. Just another one of many humbling experiences we've had on our trip cross country. So next we were looking to see the massive head sized pinecones these babies dropped, and to our surprise, the pinecones are only the size of an avocado pit! Who would have known the largest trees in the world come from such a very small pod. Also, we saw that almost all the trees had some sort of fire damage. We noticed that they looked as if they were rotting at the base but come to find out it was scarring from many forest fires over the thousands of years the trees live. This is a beneficial thing for sequoias because it cuts out the natural competition and creates more space for the trees to thrive. In addition to that, the bark of the trees is 2 feet thick! Which helps protect the actual trunk from most the fire damage. No one knows if any of these trees actually die from old age, finding some up to 4,500 years old and counting! The one thing that can bring a tree down is its own weight when it becomes too top heavy, too massive to stand!!! All in all it was an amazing day and we were able to hike up to a super high point atop of Moro rock to see the whole park in its majesty. What a great way to end our adventure at Sequoia National Park.

BREWW Travels - Horseshoe Bend, Arizona

I loved the Horseshoe Bend! We decided to visit this canyon instead of the Grand Canyon and I'm happy with that decision. It's pretty amazing how close you are able to get to the edge. I saw a lot of (crazy) people even sitting on the ledge. Its always a little nerve-wracking when there isn't a barrier but I also find it exciting. The water in the Colorado River was so green, it looked infested with algae. Nonetheless the color was striking contrasting with the red rock of the canyon.

BREWW Travels - Zion National Park, Utah

ZION... What a BEAUTIFUL park. My favorite so far, hands down. The mountains shoot up from the ground straight up 8,000 feet. You can't even see the tops of them out of the car window in some areas. I was definitely moved by the scale of Zion. In order to get to the actual park we had to drive 1.1 miles through a tunnel that was dug out of the mountain, finished in the 1930's. Once we parked we walked down to the Virgin River that runs through Zion, it is a translucent blueish green. It definitely was refreshing to be in the shade with our feet in the water. We left the mountains feeling awestruck and humbled by the magnitude of them all.

BREWW Travels - Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Bryce Canyon is remarkable! We've seen a lot of different kinds of rock formations over the last few days but these were unlike anything we've seen. It is amazing how the earth over millions of years has created these beautiful imperfections. The color of these canyons was especially spectacular. We learned that even though these canyons are made out of limestone, which is typically white, small amounts of iron has oxidized / rusted them over time. This has produced the yellow, red, and orange colors in the rock.

BREWW Travels - Arches National Park, Utah

Arches has the highest concentration of naturally forming arches in the entire world. There have been over 2,000 documented arches throughout the park. As we first entered the park we were greeted with huge towering sandstone formations. The most impressive fact is that all this was once underwater! Just like the caverns in Carlsbad were formed, the massive amounts of water evaporated and carved out the mountains and arches that are now in the park. The park was full of attractions and little critters we spotted along the way. The weather slowly crept up from low 80's to a solid 103 degrees. We both felt like marshmallows over a fire pit! Don’t forget to DRINK LOTS OF WATER!

BREWW Travel - San Juan Mountains, Colorado

We waited too late to book a KOA campsite so our original plan changed and we detoured to the Ouray KOA in Colorado. What a treat this little town was! This was our favorite scenic view thus far. On the way into Colorado, we saw such scenic mountain views, waterfalls right off of the highway, and so many deer. The mountains took up half of the sky, they were so big! We loved the birch and pine trees, and the snowcaps on the San Juan Mountains. The temperature was also such a relief coming from 90 degree weather in New Mexico.

BREWW Travels - Chaco Canyon National Park, New Mexico

Chaco Culture National Historical Park contains ancient ruins of pueblos in New Mexico. There is a lot of speculations as to what Chaco was used for, which makes the mysterious ruins that much more interesting. They were occupied between 900-1150 AD and was thought to be a major trading post for the pueblo peoples. The masonry was made up of only sandstone, timber, and mud. It is truly unimaginable to think of the construction of these places with the lack of resources we have today. Many of the buildings in chaco were designed to align exactly with solar and lunar cycles, and revolve around the summer and winter solstice. When you walk through each site of ruins you can't help but be amazed at the work put into building these places, and also wonder what used to take place in each of these meeting grounds.

BREWW Travels - Kasha Katuwe Tent Rocks, New Mexico

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks is a large rock formation formed by layers of volcanic ash that was deposited with hot gas and rock from a volcanic explosion, 6-7 million years ago! Over time the erosion and weathering of these rocks have formed the canyons, tent rocks, and hoodoos. We were unable to do any hiking here since it was late in the day but there was a pretty spectacular view from the road!

BREWW Travels - White Sand Dunes National Monument, New Mexico

About a mile before we entered the actual White Sand Dunes National Monument, there is a field where the first two atomic bombs were tested. They open up this part of the park only twice a year for visitors to see. This stop originally was not on our list of things to see, but we decided last minute to take a detour and view these dunes made up from white gypsum sand.