This... this is the Arizona I knew until just over a year ago our cross country move took every expectation and understanding I had and turned it on its head. If you're a regular reader of our blog, you already know that Johnny and I have family (our grandmas and Johnny's aunt) in the same small city in southern Arizona. Their nearness is part of the reason we chose to move to Flagstaff. Prior to our move, we had both visited Arizona many, many times but never together. Our first weekend trip down south came just over a month after we had moved to Flagstaff and we've gone back several times since. Every time we make the trip, I fall more in love with a place I used to think was just brown, ugly, and hot. It's been so special to make new, shared memories in a place we both have so many old, fond memories in as well. Earlier this month, our worlds again collided when we decided to spend the afternoon in the small, artisan community of Tubac. It had been at least 10 years since I'd visited but the colorful ceramic pieces brought me back to afternoons spent bartering in the streets of Mexico with my parents. With our own place to decorate, Johnny and I settled on cement cow skull (seen below) and couldn't have been happier with our purchase. Visions of a fireplace mantle in an unknown, future home inspired the purchase. With the shops starting to look more and more all the same, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed back to spend more time with our grandmas. With fall quickly disappearing up here in the "north country" and winter looming, we're looking forward to more weekend trips down south.
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Getting to and from Montana is remarkably easy when you live near an Allegiant hub. Originally, we thought we'd fly from PHX to Missoula for Johnny's sister's wedding in early August since fares were cheap and the flight was short (no stop-overs!). As we thought about it more and more, we realized what an amazing opportunity this was to do our first, real roadtrip together. We had traveled cross-country together once before when moving to Flagstaff but moving doesn't allow for much spontaneity or adventure, things we were craving desperately after a summer spent mostly cooped up indoors working. As we started to get the basics of our trip mapped out, we decided bringing Winslow with would be the only way to do it right. Living with a dog with separation anxiety is difficult at times but 2 weeks on the road and in Montana, together nearly 24/7 with him seemed like the easiest thing in the world. Easy isn't the word I'd use to describe it now that it's all said and done but nonetheless it was perfect. For those of you planning a roadtrip with a dog at some point in the future, here are our recommendations. 1. Plan Ahead...More or Less - You all know by now I love planning; I'm obsessed with it! In my head, it was especially important to plan this trip with a dog in tow so we didn't have to worry about finding places last minute that would allow dogs. Each day of our trip I had detailed in my planner. I had 4 pet-friendly nights booked at various KOAs, campgrounds, and AirBnbs for our trip out prior to leaving. We stayed exactly 1 night at any of the locations I had previously booked. Thankfully, the places I had booked had flexible cancellation policies so we were able to get out to the lake 2 days earlier than planned. Another thing to consider is where you're going to eat on the road with a dog since pet-friendly patios can be few and far between in certain areas. Go Pet Friendly has to be one of the best resources out there for pet parents! You can search any city to see pet-friendly restaurants, hotels, campgrounds, activities, and services. I especially love their blog as they do a great job detailing various trips they've taken with their dogs. Their posts on Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks were especially helpful since dogs are restricted (and rightfully so!) at the parks. 2. Take Turns - Just because there were only a few places we could explore with Winslow within the parks didn't mean we wanted to miss out on the experience of being there. A lot of the parks can be seen from the car and roadside stops along the way (where dogs are usually permitted!). However, there were a couple places we wanted to check out that we just couldn't bring Winslow so we took turns. We made the short hike to Jenny Lake in the Grand Tetons separately which actually ended up being a really great experience for us. While the other hung back in the car with Winslow, we each got the opportunity to take pictures of the lake and it was fun to see how we both experienced it differently. Johnny also graciously stayed back with Winslow while I walked the boardwalk to the Grand Prismatic Springs in Yellowstone. It would have been fun to do it together but we both enjoyed the chance to see the parks on our own too! 3. Pack Smart and Appropriately - This is a given but bringing a dog on a road trip is like having a furry, little person with very specific needs along for the ride. A collapsible water/food bowl should always be readily available (i.e. not hidden beneath luggage in the trunk somewhere). We're lucky that Winslow is content with sleeping the entire time we're in the car, and when I said the entire time I mean it! We drove 10-11 hours on 2 days of our trip and he was out the whole time! I did pack some bully sticks along in the event that he got restless but only used them for the times we were taking turns exploring the parks and one of us was left waiting with him in the car. Finally, doggie bags. ALL THE DOGGIE BAGS. Traveling with a dog can be limiting but it can also be one of the greatest experiences! For every 5 restaurants or activities that don't allow dogs, there's an equally awesome opportunity that does! If you're willing to be patient and put in the additional effort to seek out the dog-friendly, I can guarantee your road trip will be 100x better with your furry friend in tow!
Last Sunday, I had the opportunity to take some photos of my coworker Courtney and her husband, David, who are expecting their first child (non-furbaby that is) together this November. They so graciously asked me to help them capture this special moment in time. We ventured out to Hart Prairie to sneak a peak at the rapidly changing aspens. It's been awhile since I've shot people other than family members and they made it so easy for me! They were naturals and the perfect, overcast lighting didn't hurt either! Can't wait for this new adventure for the two of you! Interested in setting up a shoot? Click "Contact" at the top of the page and send me an email or a DM on Instagram!
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