Utah - #21

I don't need to say much about Utah, other than Zion. I will return here. I will come back to hike, climb, and camp. It is beautiful.

Eat at Wagon Wheel Diner and have an omelette.

Nevada - #20

Number 20 puts me at the 40% mark! I am almost half way to my goal!

Let me start by saying that I HATE Vegas. The city is grimy, over priced, and for someone who doesn't drink or gamble, it doesn't have much to offer. They call it Sin City for a reason. I was glad that I only spent one day in Vegas.
My favorite part of Vegas was going up in the Stratosphere. To see the city from that view was pretty neat. Also, eat at Blue Ox tavern. It is not on the strip so it is priced well and it is a Minnesota themed restaurant. The food is so good.

Arizona - #19

First off, when in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, EAT AT PITA JUNGLE. This is place is so good I wanted to go back the next day. I had my first Gyro there and it was delightful. Then go and burn off all the food you ate at Dave and Busters. I have a weird obsession with Dave and Busters, I am a kid at heart so games are always a good option. 

On my way out I found a Tastee Freeze. I stopped because Jack and Diane. If you don't know what I mean by that, then we probably aren't friends.

My last undertaking in Arizona was to go to the Grand Canyon. I had never been to the Grand Canyon before and I got to the North Rim right at sunset. I felt so small. I had a hard time comprehending how God does it. The Grand Canyon is just a speck of what He has created. The Grand Canyon is big. The Grand Canyon never hurts people. The Grand Canyon never fails to bring beauty to those who visit. But here I am, loved, so much more than the Grand Canyon. Someday the Grand Canyon will disappear, but I will get to live with Jesus forever. What a wonderful loving God, that I get to call my Father.

New Mexico - #18

New Mexico has an REI with a really awesome retired man that works there for fun! That is all that really needs to be said, but I guess I can say a few more things. If you are in Albuquerque, please eat at Frontier and go to Satellite Coffee. Frontier is a local favorite and rightfully so. They are quick, inexpensive, and so good. If you have a sensitive to spicy mouth like me, beware of even their mild sauce. It had my mouth and lips burning. Satellite Coffee has some great desserts, awesome baristas, and a relaxed atmosphere. I am not a coffee drinker, so those are the things I look for in a coffee shop. As my friends and I were leaving Satellite, a guy was walking with a girl and the conversation they were having as they approached us was obviously about us. He decided to pretend that he knew us and called us by completely random names. People in New Mexico are super random (yes, I am judging them off of this one guy).
New Mexico is also were I said good bye to Dastinee. We said good bye at least three different times before we departed for our gates in the airport. Dastinee is genuine, has a heart for Jesus and for people, is smart, is funny, and is athletic. During my time in Washington we hit it off right away and became friends faster than anyone I know. If only we lived closer, we would hang out everyday! When you have a job that makes you travel so much, building community on the road becomes very important and I am so glad I was able to make such an amazing friend this year. 

Texas - #17

Texas was quite the adventure to say the least. I have never had as many travel issues as I did that day. Houston had tornadoes so my 4 pm flight out of Love Field was completely cancelled. I then got a flight out at 10:30 pm from Dallas/Fort Worth so I could make my next college fair. I got to the airport 3 hours early. Did security again and then found my friends who were already at the airport. We found an awesome lounge and cereal bar to eat at. Definitely eat that Cereality! Our 10:30 flight became an 11:30 pm flight because our flight crew was late from another trip. They loaded the plane and then we sat for a good 45 mins. I guess this plane had come from Houston and there was something wrong with the radio so we had to get off the plane and get a new one. We loaded our next flight and I noticed the flight attendants were uneasy and looking at their watches a lot. All I could think was "Please don't time out on us". By this time it was about 12:45 am and the captain got on the radio and told us our plane had some pressurization problems. Then he said the words I feared the most, "our flight crew has timed out, please reschedule your flights for tomorrow". To make a long story short, they put us up in a hotel so we could sleep for three hours. We came back to the airport the next morning, did security again and finally made a flight out! These tough travel days make the good ones so much better.

Also in Dallas, Alana had her first Inn N Out burger! Yippee for that!

Arkansas - #16

Arkansas is a pretty awesome place. I spent most of my time in the Gentry area, as I usually do, but I also got to explore Crystal Bridges Museum of Art. I love museums, I love art. This museum is completely free. I view art museums like graveyards. It is what people leave behind to be remembered by, it is how they continue to tell their story after they are gone. A name, a year, but more importantly they left a story. What will story will I leave behind? Most importantly, I hope it is one that points people to Jesus and what an adventure life is when He is actively part of your life.

Oklahoma - #15

Oklaaaaahooooomaaaaaa, where the wind come sweepin down the plains...!
Oklahoma was a stop for a wedding of an old friend of mine. Savannah looked so beautiful on her wedding day, but I only got a shot of the reception venue. It was a perfect country wedding, and I got to wear my cowboy boots. Double points!