Stop the coup in the United States! Vote! Resist! Persist!

During the February gray, cold, rainy season in Seattle, I had enough. I had to go find some sun and 80 degree weather. At this time of year, about the only place I could drive to for this kind of weather is my favorite Joshua Tree National Park. Since my wife was going to be on the east coast for three weeks visiting family, I realized I could travel to Joshua Tree and do a photo scouting trip to Antelope Canyon Arizona. We could then meet back together at our daughter’s house in Boulder, CO, and then drive back to Seattle. I figured I would have plenty of time and could work around any inclement weather (it was winter and I would be above 4000 feet for much of the trip).

I use the app Polarsteps to both plan and record photos and comments from our trips. When I get back home, I can then curate, edit, and comment on the high points of the trip and then choose to print a photobook. I love the way that Polarsteps automatically captures the route of the whole trip along with statistics like how many miles were driven and what was the longest distance between the beginning and midpoint. For each section of the “book”, Polarsteps captures the altitude, the latitude/longitude of the photo, and weather on that date.

As with most of the things I do, I had to add several additional goals to my time away. The first addition was to start the clock on visiting all 50 state capitals in the United States during 2025. Given the rough outline of the trip I had in mind I could visit eight of the lower 48 state capitals on this trip without going too far out of my way. A few months ago when I was thinking about trying to visit all the state capitals I came across this optimized map for how to see all 48 state capitals in 8-9 days.

As luck would have it, the weather in Seattle was clear as I got ready to leave. Why can’t it be rainy and cold so I can say good riddance to PNW winter weather.

I expected that I would encounter snow on my trip. I didn’t expect that it would occur within three hours of leaving Seattle. A sneak snow and ice storm hit Oregon and Washington and I had to stop for the night in Vancouver WA. I didn’t know if this was a good or bad omen, but I persisted. Because I had arranged to meet a former colleague in Grants Pass, OR, and because of the snow and ice conditions I decided to bypass Olympia WA and Salem OR. I realized I could visit those close by capitals any time. As luck would have it, I was able to visit Olympia WA on the last day of my trip.

What started out as a lark – visiting state capitals – turned into an informative adventure. Each state capital that was open when I visited was very welcoming. The docent in Arizona was so excited that I was visiting so many capitals. She shared “I completed my first visit to all the state capitals twenty years ago. I am so delighted you are going to try and see all of them in a single year.” She then asked “what is your favorite state capital so far?”

What an interesting question. It never occurred to me that I might have a favorite. Or even how I would decide what was my favorite. Without thinking too much, I said “my favorite has to be Washington state. The capital looks out on the working port of Olympia and the Puget Sound.” She smiled. I think she suspected I would change my mind as my journey progressed. As I thought about it some more, I realized that my favorite state capital was in Boston. I’ve always loved the Golden Dome and the closeness to the origin of our country (it is the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s ride and the battle on the Lexington/Concord Green). I now look forward to creating criteria to help sort out my favorite state capital.

When I first thought of visiting the state capitals, I was mostly interested in getting photos of the outsides of each state capital. I wasn’t paying attention to which days I would be showing up at each capital and whether the state legislatures would be in session. When I visited the Arizona state capital, both bodies of the legislature were in session. I spent thirty minutes listening to position statements by representatives for why they were voting a certain way. I couldn’t believe I was able to just walk in and take a seat in the gallery to listen to the debates. Clearly I am going to have to adjust how much time I expect to spend for each capital visit.

As I listened to the legislators carry on the mundane business of each state, I was fascinated with the photos and art work that adorned each of the capital buildings.

The high point of the trip for me was hiking through the Lower and Upper Antelope Canyons outside of Page, Arizona. For years, I’ve seen amazing photos from professional and amateur photographers of these canyons. It was time I saw them for myself. After researching the best times to visit to get the sunlight just right, I realized I was visiting at the wrong time of the year. So I viewed this as a scouting trip and I would return with my wife at a better time of year (summer months). I could not believe my eyes. With each step I took, I wanted to take another photo. Not knowing how difficult the hikes would be, the only camera I would have is my iPhone 16 Pro. I am so glad I had just upgraded to the higher resolution camera. The results were so far beyond my highest expectations.

From Lower Antelope Canyon:

From Upper Antelope Canyon:

While reviewing my photos, I realized I captured a small plane flying overhead. I didn’t see it when I was taking the photo. I love serendipity.

One of the most famous photos of Antelope Canyon is the “seahorse”. Just about every Tshirt in the tourist shops had this photo imprinted. The guide insisted that we had to take this photo.

While in Page, AZ, I was required by state law 🙂 to photograph Horseshoe Bend and Forrest Gump Hill in Monument Valley.

For me no trip is complete without sampling local craft distilleries, craft breweries and small wineries. The craft alcohol creators in Boulder, Billings, Page, and Helena did not disappoint.

On every extended trip, there is always a surprise. In Billings, Montana, while we waited to see the orthopedic surgeon who will be doing my full ankle replacement this summer, we toured Pictograph Cave State Park during a snow shower. This small state park was a joy to behold. As my oldest daughter shared “we love pictographs and seek them out on all our trips through the west.” If you have a spare couple of hours in Billings, MT, I would strongly recommend stopping by to see the pictographs.

With all the craziness that is going on in our country today, it is trips like this where I can shut the larger world noise out and just be with the majesty of nature and the history of America that surrounds us.

Peace.