Day 10 - Arizona to Utah

I could count the number of cars I saw during a 3 hour portion of this drive on one hand.

But that wasn't until after seeing the Grand Canyon.  Holy crater in the earth, but holy tourists as well.

Woke up early and drove out of Flagstaff Arizona straight to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

It's pretty breathtaking when you think about how large this canyon is, especially in relation to your own body.  I loved the ways in which the hues of the canyon walls would seem to change depending on where you were and how the sun was hitting the faces.

Although in your mind you know the rock is a deep red and/or a vibrant white, it appears to have purples, maroons, and greens all interwoven.  I can't imagine what the first impression was from someone coming upon the Grand Canyon for the first time.  This combination of colors and scale would just be unimaginable.

 After a few hours of touring the canyon, and right about the time where tour buses filled the roads, I exited through the East exit and headed towards Canyonlands, Utah.  I thought New Mexico was like driving on Mars... well I must retract that statement.  Driving through Utah is like driving on Mars.

However, the terrain did show signs of life every so often.  Stunning landscape changes and incredible cloud formations.

I managed to pull into my campsite at Canyonlands just in time for sunset.  I was sure that I arrived for the most beautiful light... I would realize in the morning that Sunrise is a very impressionable time to see the area as well.

I pulled into The Needles campsite, which was empty, to a sign on the door saying pay in the morning, and to please be honest.  I liked it already.

I decided to hike around the rock formation behind my tent site to see if I could capture the last remaining slivers of light for the night.

Not only was it a crystal clear evening to see the brick red canyon walls and crisp blue sky, but the night was full of plenty of stars as well.  I was also serenaded to sleep by a pack of coyotes - how lovely.  For the record, I woke up every few hours with the fear a coyote wanted to cuddle inside my tent or eat my face for dinner.  Looking on the bright side - I got to watch the big dipper pass over my tent.

Goodnight, Moon.

Day 9 - Arizona

If you're going to build it, you might as well build it on the top of a mountain.

Woke up early in the mountains, and decided to explore the surrounding areas.  Originally I was planning to drive up to Grand Canyon and stay in Zion, but a few towns were highly recommended in Arizona to check out.  I figured what the heck - and I'm so glad I did.

The first town I stopped in outside of Flagstaff was Sedona, Arizona.  It's situated on the edge of a mountain ridge in the middle of these impressive rock formations, and never ending canyons.

Into the never ending I continued!  I had to check out Cathedral Rock, and the road I took brought me to a stream bed of bright red clay.  It's incredible how massive these formations are, especially since they are in the middle of so much flat land.  The color combinations of brick red and bright vibrant blue are beginning to seep into my thoughts.  If you're in Arizona, I highly suggest taking your car on some dusty back roads and seeing these formations.

Every time I stopped it seemed like there were old cars - no rust of course, in, at the very least, working order.  Living in New York and Vermont you never see these cars, except for about one month a year.

As the red Beetle may give away, the town I was in search of was an old mining town situated at the top of some pretty steep mountains in the middle of Arizona named Jerome.  After the mining business stopped in this town, it was sort of taken over by different artists.  So, you have a few switchback streets far removed from chain stores and big businesses with many galleries, restaurants, and some pretty funky, older buildings.

Of course, some of the buildings are beyond repair, but they're still impressive to see.

I absolutely loved the town, but have a hard time imagining what it would be like to live there.  Not to mention what it would be like to live there in the 20s.  This is definitely another place I would HIGHLY recommend checking out - whether you're an artist, love to travel, or simply are just looking for a place to see a little off the beaten path.

On the way out from Flagstaff, or in my case on the way back, you should also check out a town called Cottonwood.

It's about 20 minutes away from Jerome, and about an hour outside of Flagstaff.  Skip the main strip and go straight to the Historic Downtown.  And, don't go on a Tuesday (to either places).  Most of the businesses are closed Tuesdays for whatever reason.  Still a cool town, lots of color, neat signs, and a few blacks to meander up and down.

Back to Flagstaff I went for the night, tucked to bed early, and planned to get up with the sun to go to the Grand Canyon for sunrise (or at least early morning light).

Thanks for the beauty Arizona!  I'm sure I'll be back to see  you soon.

Day 5 - Memphis, Arkansas, Oklahoma

I'm starting to think all Southern Cities don't wake up until the afternoon.

But that's okay, because it means that when I get up early to ride my bike around the city I don't have to worry about traffic.  And that is just how I did Memphis.  What a treat.

The other bonus to that is morning light is one of my favorites to shoot photographs in - long shadows and a warm glow.  The city is full of amazing old buildings and factories along the railroad tracks.  Many of them closed and/or abandoned, but some have been renovated into lofts or other businesses.  It was tempting to weasel my way inside to get a look at the gutted interiors, but, for the sake of my parents' sanity, I stayed on the outside.

 Let me start by saying, I love Southern hospitality.  After trolling around the old factories, I started to make my way back to the hotel.  I found a closed road that led to train tracks which would lead me back to Memphis.  A train was coming about 50 yards away, so I figured I would wait for it to pass and check the train out.  The train approached slower...and slower... and then stopped.  The conductor then got out of the front of the train and yelled over to me "Are you going to cross or what?  I stopped the train for you."

!

I'm still laughing about it.

 

Since we were staying about a mile from Sun Studios we decided to walk over and check it out.  What a cool building - of course decked out with some outrageous sign (in this case a Gibson Les Paul) in what seems like pure Memphis fashion.  Unfortunately, this is the start of Elvis Week in Memphis, so the place was packed like a sardine cane inside.  Needless to say, we quickly toured and got the heck out of there.

Off we went - away from the storms to come and towards Arkansas / Oklahoma.  We lucked out and narrowly missed some quarter sized hail and flash floods in the area... phew!  We decided to stop in Ozark, Arkansas to stretch our legs and see the city "Where it All Begins".  The town was more or less shut down for miles of yard sales and tag sales, so we aren't quite sure if the motto is valid.

We left Ozark just as a Flash Flood Advisory warning went up and put the pedal to the floor towards Oklahoma City, OK.  With a stroke of luck we drove next to about 30 miles of black sky and lightning, but made it out safe and dry.  So beautiful seeing a dark wall of weather duking it out with sunshine.

Sunshine won in the end.

While Oklahoma City seemed like a neat place to spend the night, we decided to push another hour or West towards Santa Fe.  Clinton was our final resting stop, and boy did we rest.

Off to Texas and New Mexico!

Day Two - Virginia to Tennessee

Virginia is for ... Fog, Cows, Corn ... oh, and Lovers.

Woke up to layers and layers of fog blanketing the sleepy mountains, and beams of sun striving to break through.  On I went - pointed towards Knoxille, Tennessee!

After about an hour of weaving through the incredible Shenandoah National Park, I stopped in Staunton, Virginia for a coffee and some sketching.

What a rad little town.  I was lucky enough to have the streets more or less to myself, and I was able to meander aimlessly... at least for a short while.

Back in the car, and on to Knoxville!  I somewhat accidentally decided I would drive straight from Staunton to Knoxville, so I got a little stir-crazy towards the end.  Made some of my fastest drawings to date :). 

I made it!  And just in time to get out of the car, onto my bike, and into the Old City of Knoxville.  What a beautiful, vibrant town.  I felt like every turn I took I came across another old building, with layers of painted signage on the top showing development and change over the years.  I was immediately drawn to this wall for that very reason - look closely and you can see the layers underneath "Philco".  I must admit, I've noticed that I've become infatuated with lettering and historic signage, from the color choices to the fonts.

Rounded out the evening with a free, live music concert in Market Square to carry the sun back down to rest.  Looking forward to waking up early to another beautiful day.  Planning to spend the morning putting about Knoxville a little more before heading out to Memphis, Tennessee for the evening.

Day 1 - New York to Virginia

Monday, August 5th I started out on my journey and newest art project, Between the Points.  I must admit, the anxiety I felt leading up to the departure was remarkable.  However, the moment I reached the end of the driveway, I knew how rare and special this opportunity and artwork was.

So, off I went - pointed vaguely in the direction of Shenandoah National Rainforest in Virginia.  I wouldn't be able to drive this in one straight shot, so I planned to stop at least once, at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

I first pulled over in the small town of Clinton, New Jersey - a quaint little town, with a beautifully restored historic street and old red mill.  The colors in the town were fantastic - everything bathed in a warm light, accompanied by a fresh breeze and little car traffic.

Back onto the highway, and continued to point it towards Gettysburg.  Just about there, I pulled off to get gas and had to snap a shot of this Amerilube.  I'm not sure if it was the plain nature of the signage, the clean colors and text, or the fact that the word "Amerilube" made me giggle at first that made me stop and capture it.

At last, I made it into Gettysburg National Park!  I parked my car as quickly as possible and hopped on my bike for a much needed stretch.  Gettysburg is incredible.  The landscape is wonderful - thick with old trees, ancient stone walls covered in turquoise moss, and a stillness that seems more and more difficult to find.  It's impossible to grasp the devastation of the Civil War while reading and learning through textbooks.  It seems there is a memorial or gravestone from the way about every 20 feet.

Got yelled at by the locals...

Headed out of Gettysburg and booked it towards Shenandoah National Park.  Landed in a super rad town, called Front Royal, Virginia.  Loved the color, light, and font style on the stores.

Arrived!  Shenandoah National Park, just in time to catch the sunset.

On to the next...