Have you ever dreamed of trying something new, or getting out of your comfort zone, or leaving a place you’ve lived in for 25 years? Well that’s what I did this past summer. I up and left my hometown of Washington, D.C. moving 3000 miles away to a little LA beach town. Hello scaries. Talk about trying something new.

My saint of a boyfriend helped me plan and pack for my upcoming move. We chose to take the southern route across the US and make a road trip out of it. Why, in the middle of summer, we chose the hot humidity of the southern states, I’ll never know.

My favorite stop would had to have been New Orleans. What a city. It’s so unlike any other place I’ve visited in the US. The history and culture of it was so vibrant and interesting, and I loved it. We took an airboat tour of the bayou the morning after we arrived, spotting turtles and alligators along the way (those guys are HUGE!). The Spanish moss hanging from the bayou’s Cypress trees created such an eerie and ethereal feeling so naturally, I had to capture it.

Continuing on through the American South, we stopped at a plantation home in Louisiana called Houmas House. The centuries old oak trees that flank the property show off the manor’s stately gardens. As I walked around the garden’s paths I became distracted by the beautiful flowers and trees – cue my clumsy nature. I stepped on a red ant hill which, thankfully, I was able to escape with only a few bites. Boy, are those bites painful!

Finally making it to the Wild West, we camped for the night in Guadeloupe Mountains National Park. As this was our first night camping on this trip (and for me, the first time since I was 19), we made the mistake of camping without sleeping pads. Pro-tip: never do that. However, waking up as the sun rises to the sounds of nature has to be my favorite thing in the whole world. Stepping out of the tent and filling my lungs with fresh mountain air was the most amazing feeling. We took our time packing up that morning and as we continued the drive on to California we stopped at a lookout to capture the morning sun rising over the mountains.

See more of my photos from the trip here.