Sunflowers – Less Beaten Paths of America Travel Blog

Vistas are the joy of back roads travel. Every corner, every crest of a hill, every mile offers a new vista. And this country has some spectacular and splendid vistas.

Over the years I have seen some amazing vistas. Whether they be in the deserts of the southwest, the high plains of Montana or on the oceans in the east or the west, the views are endless and inspiring. Following are some of the vistas I have enjoyed and their locations. Enjoy the ride and the views.

A view of the Portland Head Light in Maine

Hills of Shenandoah Valley in presunrise hours on Easter 2017

Sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean as seen from Old Orchard Beach, ME

A lonely highway in south central Nebraska, near Overland

Spacious skies over the Grand Canyon in Arizona

The river into Juneau, Alaska as seen from a mountain top near Juneau

The mountains and the Yellowstone River as seen from US 89

The long straight highway near Cohagen, MT

Beautiful Highway heading into Virginia from Kentucky

Louisville, KY as seen from across the Ohio River in Indiana

The Oyate Trail highway in southern South Dakota

Fall colors from the Virginia Creeper Trail in Virginia

Beach at Clallam Bay, WA adorned with seagulls

New York City at night as seen from Hoboken, NJ

Sawtooths as seen from Lower Stanley, Idaho

Scenic cinder Hills and Shadows as seen on Idaho Hwy 33

Bison relax along Lava Creek in Yellowstone while pronghorned antelope look on from the background

Panoramic View of Pittsburgh from atop Mt. Washington

The Tetons as seen from near Drummond, ID

Sunset in the Sweetgrass, north of Dunkirk, MT

A view of the New River Gorge in West Virginia

Wind Turbines seem to blossom like flowers out of the corn fields of Iowa

Pennsylvania sunrise as seen from Boyce Mayview Park near Upper St. Clair, PA

Fall Colors from the Eagle’s Nest above Bancroft, Ontario near Algonquin

Texas Hwy 30 between Huntsville and Shiro

Hells Canyon in northeast Oregon is actually wider and deeper than the Grand Canyon

Three Sisters – nicknamed Faith/Hope/Charity near Sisters, Oregon

View of the Beartooths near Red Lodge, Montana from the highway was awesome

America the Beautiful – A scene near Glacier National Park

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The United States is a vast and diverse country. From sea to shining sea there are sweeping vistas and spectacular scenes of nature.

The grandeur of this country is not seen on the interstate highways, but on the back roads and the gravel roads that have woven the fiber of this country.

Grandeur as seen on a back road in North Dakota – The Enchanted Highway

Mt. Moran in the Grand Tetons as seen from Colter Bay Lodge

I am always awestruck by the superb landscapes that one can witness on the back roads. Some of these landscapes, such as the Grand Canyon and the Rocky Mountains, are known by everybody. But there are so many more spectacles to feast your eyes upon.

When speaking of grandeur, perhaps one of my most favorite locations is Monument Valley in the northwest corner of Arizona and the southwest corner of Utah. Located within the Navajo Indian reservation, this amazing natural wonder has been the backdrop for many movies and television commercials. And one can only stand in a location or another and must turn their head from left to right to catch the full glory of this spectacular wonder of nature.

Visiting Monument Valley with my family in 1993

Sumoflam at Coal Mine Canyon in Arizona in 1990

Not too far from there and also on the Navajo Reservation is a much lesser known, but in another way very spectacular sight. Called Coal Mine Canyon, it is a hidden gem off of a two lane highway east of Tuba City, AZ.

Coal Mine Canyon is filled with a variety of HooDoos…ghost like rock formations that can form eerie shadows and spooky formations at night. The view goes on for miles into Blue Canyon. In any other state, this might be a National Park or Monument. It is just one more canyon in Arizona.

Sitting high up on Mt. Evans in Colorado in 1990 looking down at a crystal lake,

Head north into Colorado and take a ride up to Mount Evans north of Denver. Nearly 13,000 feet up, it offers up an amazing view of the mountains and lakes below.

The Beartooth Range in northern Wyoming.

At Beartooth Level — looking at the mountains from the top of the world

Not to be outdone in the words of grandeur, is the scenic highway that traverses the Bear Tooth Range along the Montana and Wyoming border. I have only been there once and it was in the very early spring on the first day the road was open. There were still piles of snow on both sides of the road. But the expanse of the mountains left me in awe.

An antelope and her calves run through the grasslands near Craig, CO

SD 63, a gravel road, runs through northern South Dakota’s grasslands and badlands

But grandeur is not just mountains or spectacular geologic formations. I can drive through the plains of North Dakota or South Dakota and experience miles and miles of grasslands.

I have driven through these great plains in North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Nebraska. To some, the drive through these vast grasslands might be considered boring. To me, the vast expanse of grasslands is stunning.

Wide Open Spaces near Scottsbluff, Nebraska

Mountains and grasslands near Glacier National Park and Bynum, Montana

Sandhill Cranes fly over high plains near Dell, MT

Expansive corn fields in central Missouri

Then there is the grandeur of the oceans. I have been blessed to have been able to see the Pacific Ocean from the northern parts of Washington and Oregon all the way to the coast in Southern California. I have also seen the Atlantic Ocean from points in Maine all the way south to Florida. The amazing sunrises and sunsets over the water provide unspeakable grandeur and a glorious feeling.

Like the oceans, the Gulf of Mexico offers similar sights. Nothing like witnessing the spectacle flocks of pelicans flying in sync overhead.

Christmas sunrise near Ocean City, Maryland with a dolphin swimming by

Waves crash on the Pacific Ocean in the northwestern-most point in the continental US near Neah Bay, WA

Brown pelicans fly in synchronized formation over the Gulf of Mexico near Galveston, TX

The most gratifying part of experiencing grandeur for me is that every back road and numbered highway offers a peek at splendid views. One needs only crest to the top of a hill and laid out before your eyes are wonderful scenes like that of Hells Canyon in Oregon, or in Hell’s Half Acre in the middle of Wyoming. Drive along a two Lane highway in the eastern United States in the fall and you get to the top of the hill and see nothing but spectacular fall colors as far as the eye can see.

But the grandeur is not just in nature. From a different perspective, the views of the skyline of a big city offers its own brand you were. Whether enjoying the skyline of Manhattan from across the river in Hoboken, NJ to witnessing the scene of riverine cities such as Pittsburgh or Cincinnati from the top of a hill, one gets a sense of how small they really are.

Three of my grandchildren look out at the lights of New York City from Sinatra Park in Hoboken, NJ

A panoramic shot of Pittsburgh from Mt. Washington

Seattle as seen from a boat in the Puget Sound

Massive bald cypress forests in Caddo Lake in NE Texas

I am grateful to live in these United States and my heart is filled with joy that I have been able to travel many a back road and experience the grandeur of this country.

With each new road comes a new experience. I still have yet to personally experience the special nature of Yosemite National Park or the giant sequoia trees of Northern California. But I have seen the vast expanses filled with volcanoes in Hawaii or the old volcano cones in New Mexico and Arizona.

Humongous field of sunflowers in Central Kentucky. This too offers a feeling of grandeur

I have driven the long highway over Lake Ponchatrain in Louisiana and over the amazing Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. These man-made spectacles still offer a sense of grandeur.