we travelled by car EXCLUSIVELY every time we would go on a trip when i was a kid, and we lived in idaho at the time. a lot of my strong childhood memories are of being in the car looking out the window and i just really love the dramatic red cliffs and the insane forests. honestly my favorite thing about america is probably the “americana” aesthetic of like roadside motels and long stretches of highway
we lived in WA where I live now but when I was a kid (ages probably 7 to 15) my family drove to Utah every year for a two-week camping and backpacking stint. and the drama of the deserts, the different ones from eastern WA down to OR and of course the mountains then stark deserts of UT… dang. dang. I hated being cooped up with just my siblings and parents and aunts for two weeks but so much of my imaginary worlds comes straight outta the wilds that flew past my window in my formative years
