This post was made for the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge:

“This week be a visual storyteller.”

I just got back from a trip out West. I finally got to California and immediately found out that it’s an amazing state for road trips. About 2 years ago, I drove 7 hours by myself from Austin to Marfa (and back! I even got a friend to do the same thing later), and although at first it was fun, it got to a point where I was getting anxious and scared. This time it was different but in a great way.

Palm Springs turned into home base for my roadtrip around the Salton Sea. There were two main stops:

• Salvation Mountain in Niland
• Galleta Meadows in Borrego Springs

These towns are about 90 minutes apart and have an evaporating (and smelly) body of water between them.

The way to Salvation Mountain was a transformative experience. I felt so relaxed, like I was finally realizing that I didn’t have to work that day or the day after that. I was an explorer in the desert. Going with flow.

I was SO happy when I saw Salvation Mountain from afar. I couldn’t’ believe I was there. I cried when I got to Marfa but here I was overjoyed and shaking. I’ve been wanting to visit for years.

After a quick stop at the gas station, I was off to Borrego Springs. At first it was farms, cows, solar plaques and dust. Then it turned into a huge desert valley with the mountains as background. I was so in love with what I was seeing on my drive. I saw the ATVs in the RV parks. You can rent them, but I wasn’t properly dressed for that type of adventure (Maybe next time?)

Sometime later, as I was entering Borrego Springs, I started seeing these statues of horses and realized that I was there. Galleta Meadows has metal structures all around Borrego Springs. It turned into a self-guided tour to finding the sea creature that attracted me to this place. And what a sight it was. I never expected the structures to be so massive, but they are. The landscape there is so beautiful, and the mountains are just amazing.

The way back brought me through the badlands, a mind-blowing view of Salton Sea and the surrounding desert that will always be in the warmest corners of my mind. This road trip was the perfect beginning to my California trip and I think it might be unbeaten for now.