Views, which is the name of a Drake album I haven't listened to

In a halfhearted attempt to be relevant, I have titled this post after some pop culture that I don't know anything about. Thanks to this slick move, my SEO is about to be off the charts. I'll keep you posted. (Actually, I was just too lazy to come up with a blog title.)

I have one more post I'm working on about Elan and Michael, then you'll get to hear about my final stop (Riverside, CA!) before I came home. I got home on the fourth, where my family helped me recover from a month of extraverting by hosting a huge party. (jk, all the best ppl were there & I had a grand time.) Since I've been home, I've played 49 rounds of multiple solitaire and blogged 0 times, forgive me. Because I know thousands of you await each post with bated breath, I've compiled some of the prettiest road pics I've taken so far to tide you over until my post about Elan. Who, let's be real, is the reason you're all visiting the blog. What a queen.

I took the photo below on the way to my shadow in western Oklahoma. What a sunset! Even in Oregon, the people I stayed with were talking about how Oklahoma has the prettiest sunsets. This is a proven fact, verified by the renowned scientist Ree Drummond, so enjoy this quick shot while you book your next vacation to America's corner. Seriously, that's what the highway sign says. What does that mean?! We need a new marketing crew. 

I had a two-day drive between Denver and Oregon—through Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah. 

As I anticipated this summer, Wyoming was a must-visit on my list, number one out of the places I've been before (I'll happily let Seattle and Portland sit atop the never-before list). If states were people, Wyoming would be introverted, unassuming, and freaking gorgeous. Like me!

But seriously! Look at that mountain. (Then picture it with a nice filter and adjusted light, cause it was even prettier in real life. But I don't edit my pictures because I'd rather do other things, like make pancakes or watch So You Think You Can Dance.)

Below is Oregon, just being beautiful. I was listening to This American Life when I took this picture, which is one of my favorite podcasts. The episode, about coincidences from people all over the country, was so entertaining. Here's the link!

More Oregon . . . look at those trees! Amazing. And the reflections of the car interior on the windshield! Also amazing.

Here's a random mountain that reared its beautiful head on my drive through Washington state. It's not even Mount Rainier! Just a less-fussed about, nameless-to-me, still-photogenic mountain.

And a sunset north of Napa that blew my mind. Before nightfall almost really blew my mind. It closed out a 12-hour drive with 15 miles of winding hairpin turns. In hairpin-turn-land, 15 miles is about 45 minutes. Send help.

This final picture is from my drive home. I snapped it in Arizona. Or New Mexico, I can't remember.  From spending about ten hours in each state on Highway 40, I decree that New Mexico is prettier. New Mexico is also where Troy and Gabriella attend East High, don't stick to the status quo, break free, and make cinematic history, so props to this under-appreciated state for its vital contributions to the definition of being American. Sorry, Grand Canyon, you've been overtaken.

As Abigail says in the greatest-ever video on the Perkins vimeo channel, "There you have it, folks!" Crummy, mid-podcast pictures of our grand land, with strange lighting and even stranger commentary. Thanks for reading. More updates soon!