Bucket List Road Trip
My bucket list includes a road trip along the Pacific Ocean from Seatle, Washington to San Diego, California. I have driven a section of the California coast between Santa Barbara and Huntington Beach. I have been to San Fransico, and I am going to San Diego next month. So far, I have loved everything I‘ve seen on the West Coast and I know there are some more great sights I want to stop and explore as I drive. I want to dedicate two weeks to this adventure.
My dad heard my plan and quickly let me know, “There is no way you can make it from Seatle to San Diego in two weeks.”
I said, “It’s just a little over a thousand miles, only about twenty hours driving. Two weeks should be a good amount of time to drive and explore.” I missed his emphasis on the word, you, in his response.
He said, “Yeah, most people could do it in a few days, but when you stop to take pictures every few minutes it will take at least two months.”
He is right. I do like to stop often to take pictures. This summer he was driving when I requested that he pull over so I could photograph the swarms of monarch butterflies on the roadside flowers. There have also been a few other awe-inspiring must-stop scenes he has obliged to over the years.
Awe Walks to Awe Rides
I have always liked to take pictures. When I began to learn more about awe, I started with awe walks. I have also now been planning awe rides. I plan a little extra time when I am going somewhere so on my way home I have time to stop a few times to capture things that take my breath away at first glance. Here is what I found this weekend on my drive home from the beach.
The first fall colors filling in and reflecting on this pond was worth a bit of my time, I pulled over as this scene first came into sight.
As I drove along there was a wall of trees and just as they broke, these bunches of flowers were waving over this white fence. They took my breath away at that moment. I had to pull over, wait for the driver behind me to pass, and back up on the side of the road for this photo.
I saw signs for an alpaca farm. What I saw next, was still unexpected. The way the second fence is positioned on the hill created an illusion as if the fence was tucked down for me to peek through. I caught a super-quick glimpse as I drove by slowly, but I had to turn around for the photo. The alpacas were fun to watch for a few minutes. I was in awe of the perfect viewing fence-frame maybe even more than of the alpacas.
Final Thoughts
In order to really take a proper awe ride, it is best to have a driver so that they can pay attention to the road as you scan the surroundings for the awe-inspiring scenes. The driver should be willing to stop, pull over, and turn around as needed. Good luck finding a driver. So far I haven’t found many volunteers. If you have to do a drive instead of a ride, take your time and be safe.
I am finding that the research about the benefits of awe walks transfers to awe rides for me. Of course, an awe walk is always enjoyable too. Drive somewhere, park, and walk. The most important part is finding time for awe.
Research suggests that awe has a way of lifting people outside of their usual routine and connecting them with something larger and more significant. This sense of broader connectedness and purpose can help relieve negative moods and improve happiness, and it can also make people more generous as they become less focused on themselves. Evoking feelings of awe may be especially helpful when you are feeling bogged down by day-to-day concerns.
Thanks for reading. I hope everyone takes some time to seek moments of awe and finds the benefits uplifting.
If you want to enjoy the benefits of reading and writing about experiences of feeling awe and learn how to become a writer, start here at our Medium publication, For Awe.