It's been a week and, when I close my eyes, I can still hear the sound of tires rolling over 1000's of miles of pavement. Months ago, Justin (@justincookphoto ) asked if I'd be interested in going on a road trip through the states of South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. At the time, we were still officemates at our local co-working space The Mothership (@mothershipsightings , previously Mercury Studio) and I remember immediately thinking "Hell yeah!". But there was also a wee bit of trepidation too. To date, I still remember Justin talking about a similar road trip he had taken before (that time by himself) and how much he got out of it, and I didn't want to potentially deprive him of another similar experience merely by being present. Also, while we were office mates and got along awesomely, being stuck in a car for the first time for hours on end could be a catastrophic social experiment to our already great friendship if it went poorly.

He said not to worry about it, and I already know that I worry about unknown shit too much anyways. We bought plane tickets, rented a car, and… it was amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever been on a journey that was so charmed! Where I witnessed so much. Where “failures”, big and small, were consistently rewarded with something greater a few hours later. Where we were “randomly” approached by so many decent and genuine people, and were gifted with their stories. I think we both often felt like we were being led, rather than choosing our own path. It was a sight to behold and it was tough to watch it end.

So yeah, this guy, Justin. I want to thank him. Thank him for taking a chance on myself and our friendship, leaning into it, and trusting that everything would work out fine. Thanks for the laughs, the stupid memes we created (that’ll never get old), the conversations, the lessons, your friends and acquaintances (that housed us and had incredible recommendations), Wounded Knee and witnessing it with me, your support, your patience, your process, your craft… all of it (and it’s a hella long list). We should do it again sometime. :)