If you’ve ever traveled by car over a great distance (in really any country) you know that it can be one of the best forms of travel known to man. If you’re a passenger, there really is something about having a near endless opportunity to stare out the window and enjoy that scenery that fulfills you in a way traveling by air cannot always do. Of course, car travel takes longer than flying. And if you are the driver on a road trip who must pay attention to the road, well it’s not always the best form of transportation should you want to stop and smell the roses. The great thing about car travel is that it is up to you to choose to stop along the way so everyone in the vehicle can get out and safely enjoy the scenery. Including the driver.

Recently, I was the driver for a 12 state road trip sponsored by Hit The Road and Select Registry. That’s me, standing in front of the BMW I drove from Toronto to Phoenix, Arizona. Make that 12 states and half of one province: Ontario, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada.

These companies were kind enough to allow myself and uber talented travel writer: Spencer Spellman, an amazing opportunity. We saw our country in a way that truly helped me to appreciate its diversity and the beauty of what it has become, despite a sometimes painful history. My favorite states were Arizona and New Mexico.

I’ll be doing a series of posts on this trip in greater depth over the coming weeks. I especially want to highlight the great Inns that we were privileged to stay at courtesy of Select Registry. This post is a photographic highlight of the territory that we covered along the way. Spencer put up with my wanting to stop in the most awkward of places sometimes to get these photographs. I’m so grateful that we did stop, for I witnessed one of the most amazing sunsets I have ever seen on the side of a road in Arizona and I can’t wait to feature that on a future Sunset Sunday!