After the hectic pace of the last few months — all the college craziness and graduation readiness and party planning and trip preparation — a road trip was the perfect thing. Since Montana was our 1600-mile-away destination, we had plenty of time to unwind in the car, turn off all thoughts and worries, and just watch the landscape go by. …

There was the desert of Arizona:

The deserty cliffs of southern Utah:

The meadows and mountain ranges of northern Utah, which got more and more snow-tipped the higher north we went:

The farmland of Idaho:

The greens and blues of Idaho:

The snow-topped mountains of Montana:

And the peaceful pine trees of mid-Montana:

The drive is truly one of the best parts. …