Everything started in spring of 2018. Me and my soul sista Mery where in California mountains when after a couple of weeks in the woods in a cold weather our gypsy souls where craving freedom and adventures. One of those arvos we where watching the sunset when I suddenly looked at her and asked ‘What if we rent a car and go to travel? .. after a silent 5 second pause, a knowing look and a complicit smile I knew the trip was on! A matter of days later we had our backpacks ready and hitchhike to the closest town to rent a car, the adventures begins.
Our first stop was the stunning Yosemite park. We entered the park at night, guided by the moonlit and the dim glow in the trees and mountains around us. The more we entered the deeper we went into the canyon and into a denser bush when all of the sudden we look up to come across the highest most the stunning rock wall that reach all the way to the sky. The moon glare made it look like a silver, and the stillness in the air made every second of that night magical. And that’s how the trip started.
After spending a couple of days exploring the canyon, waterfalls and lookouts around the park we were ready to move on. Next stop?
No idea! That’s what made it fun, so we open our map and Mery said ‘I’ve heard about this Sequoia Park not far from here that has the most amazing trees’. So, there we went. This time we arrived at midday, it was spring and it was freezing cold, but nothing could stop us from coming down of the car and immersing ourselves in the most amazing sequoia forest, the biggest thickest trees I’ve ever seeing. We were two happy wanderers getting lost in the most magical beautiful places and our gypsy spirit was craving for more, the best was yet to come.
That night we were thinking our next stop. I knew we were far but the orange fiery landscapes of the Grand Canyon where always appealing, and I was hearing the calling. When I told Mery, she didn’t even hesitate it, we were going to the Grand Canyon!!!!
It was a long drive, lots of hours in the road, but we didn’t care, cause the best part was enjoying the ride! At some point we looked for a place in the map that seamed halfway there and it would serve us as stop to sleep over the night. When we got there the most magic started to unveil, like in an American western movie, we entered a dark almost dead town in the desert, with just a couple of dim sign light alongside the road. One of them said ‘MOTEL open 24hs’ that was us, after a week of camping and sleeping in the car we were ready for a bed. The motel had an old vintage look as well as the sign, I even remember saying to her this feels like an American movie. But the best part was in the morning, when we woke up, opened the door to see heaps of retro stylish signs. One of them saying ‘welcome to the route 66’. We could believe it ! we jumped out of the room onto the car to start wandering, every sign, every shop, everything was 60’s Elvis vibes, we were in one of the towns that goes along route 66. Our joy and excitement was unreal, stopping at every shop, gas station and milkshake place there was.
From there we had 2 options jumping back on the highway or hitting the actual route 66 to find more gems hidden in the desert road, a longer but more exiting road, and of course we did!
Next picture the two of us just hitting 66 route final destination Grand Canyon, stopping at random garage sales in ghost houses in the middle of nowhere, vintage gas stations full of style and memories and amazing characters full of stories. Two friends, desert roads, windows down,
wind blowing our hair and ‘born to be wild’ playing on the stereo. This was the moment, I had to portrait this moment and this message, of freedom, of living the present moment of enjoying the ride. And that’s when ‘Born to be wild’ was born. After another couple of days, we landed in The Grand Canyon in the sunset light to the see one of the most stunning landscapes I have ever seen in my life and a trip I will always cherish. Cause the best times are shared and they are always living in the present moment and remember: The journey is the destination. Love,
Pao
Hand paint illustration of Arizona roads. Inspired in the gypsy travellers and grunge bohemian vinyl records. This art print is the perfect vintage boho decor for a wall art. Available at the shop
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