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One of the most exceptional aspects of this road trip was undoubtedly the scenic routes. So much so, I decided to dedicate an entire blog post to the spectacular landscapes that punctuated our trip.
From mountains, to sand buttes, red rocks, deserts, the scenery was so various and so esthetically perfect it looked like it was man-made.
Route 66
The “Mother Road” was the name given by author John Steinbeck to the historic Route 66 in his book The Grapes Of Wrath. It is a must-drive when on a road trip to the Western U.S. The road was built in 1926, but was made famous during the Great Depression, when farmers from the Midwest followed it to flee the Dust Bowl (severe drought and dust storms that struck in the Midwest, which damaged agriculture) and move to California. (The book “The Grapes Of Wrath” tells this story.)The historic Route 66 went from Chicago to Los Angeles, passing by small towns and villages. After World War II, Americans grew more adventurous and got behind their wheel to travel across the country, following the Route 66, which made the towns and villages the road crossed prosperous.When the government built Interstate Highways that bypassed the Mother Road, most of the businesses that had opened along the road and lived off of tourism closed. Today, when you drive along Route 66, it is absolutely unbelievable to see how many homes are abandoned, how many shops, diners, motels and gas stations are completely run down.One of the scenic roads that was mentioned in our travel guide was the High Road To Taos, a marvelous drive, according to the book, that linked Santa Fe to gorgeous Taos, passing by beautiful pueblos, astonishing scenery, a fall, Natives art galleries and many other attractions that looked really interesting on paper, so we decided to spend an afternoon on the High Road To Taos. The beginning of the road was, as the guide mentioned, absolutely dreamy. Nambé Falls were jaw-dropping, the scenery looked splendid… and at one point, the only landscapes along the way were what looked like deserted towns or villages and abandoned homes and businesses. It lasted for a good hour, maybe more. We were so discouraged, we started kicking ourselves about wasting an entire afternoon of our short stay in Santa Fe, doing what we felt at the moment, took all the magic out of our vacation. When we got back to our campground, we talked about our afternoon with the camp host and she told us that it was Route 66 and almost everything on the road was abandoned. We had just witnessed History unfold right before our eyes and that was priceless.
Highway 101
Highway 101 is a road that follows the Pacific coast, offering sumptuous views. The day we decided to follow it, part of the road was closed, so we were forced to make a long detour that took a couple hours. This detour will remain one of the most unforgettable moments of this road trip because of the beauty of the landscapes, but also because of the stress caused by driving this narrow mountain road full of hairpin bends that prevented us from seeing vehicles arriving in front of us. I was gripped on my seat like never before; the adrenaline rush was insane. Once we arrived on Highway 101, the sun was about to set, painting the sky with beautiful multicolored ribbons. The view was splendid.
Million Dollar Highway
The Million Dollar Highway is one the most spectacular scenic roads in the U.S. It links Ouray to Silverton (two mining towns) and was named this way because of the millions of dollars that were made with the extraction of precious minerals from the mountains surrounding it.
Other breathtaking landscapes throughout the trip:
