Prior to the 2023 Western Frontier trip, I had seen little of the Western United States. I had flown to California for work trips. I had been to neighboring New Mexico many times and had driven to Colorado and Wyoming the year before with my nephew.

Knowing I could not miss the opportunity to add this trip to my sabbatical travels, I was excited to hit the road and see much, much more.

Many of my biggest travel surprises have been in the Western U.S. Exploring it by car is an almost spiritual experience. Within the vastness are so many different landscapes that it’s hard to get bored, even after driving for hours. Visiting the following was an amazing experience:

New Mexico: I stopped in Santa Fe to make a return trip to the New Mexico State Capitol, a modern capitol built in the oldest capital city in the United States.
Colorado: I returned to the Colorado State Capitol building in Denver to capture photos and a passport stamp I missed when I was there the previous year. The drive through the Rockies on Interstate 70 is one of the most amazing drives in America.
Utah: Entering from Colorado on Interstate 70, I took a shortcut to Salt Lake City after driving through some amazing scenery. Utah is a natural sparkler. Salt Lake City is a gem, and the Utah State Capitol offers amazing views of the Wasatch Mountains to the east. You can dip your toes into the Great Salt Lake at Antelope Island State Park and stop at the Bonneville Salt Flats on the way to Nevada.
Nevada: This state surprised me the most. I thought the drive on I-80 would be long and boring. I love that I was wrong! I stayed in Carson City, the state capital, which is Texas-friendly. It is also close to Lake Tahoe, where I enjoyed an afternoon drive around the lake and coffee in Incline Village.
California: I had been to California before, but it was always by air. My first drive across the California state line brought me through some amazing and changing views. I made a quick stop at the California State Capitol and Old Sac in Sacramento before heading to the Bay Area to cross off some bucket list items from my previous visit.
Las Vegas: This was the second major surprise in Nevada. I did not expect to love it, but I did! I don’t drink or gamble, but I do eat and shop, and the Las Vegas Strip is an amazing place for good food and shopping. I’m game for a long weekend.
Arizona: I took my first steps into Arizona by walking across the state line at Hoover Dam. I drove across the northern part of the state on Interstate 40 to spend a couple of hours at the Grand Canyon before settling into Phoenix to visit the Arizona State Capitol.

I had to be back in Austin by early June, so I went straight to back to Texas, which really was only a third of the trip home. But I did get to stop in El Paso to eat at one of my favorite pizza places anywhere, Ardovino’s, before stopping overnight in Fort Stockton (which had been visited by a tornado a few hours earlier).

The next day, it was on to Austin, but I did get to shop in Fredericksburg for a bit before arriving home, knowing I would hit the road again soon.