This video is basically my first-ever American road trip video diary—made mostly for future me, but I’m sharing it with you too. We started in Sacramento (yes, because of Lady Bird), drove through Nevada, and made our way into Utah and Colorado with a week of mountains, deserts, and my personal favorite: rocks. Along the way, I squeezed in a few stationery stops—like City of Industry in Salt Lake City and Two Hands Paperie in Boulder (a Traveler’s Company partner shop), where I did what I always do: browse, stamp, and admire paper goods. It was also my first time visiting national parks, so I went all-in on the “visitor center rinse and repeat”: stamps, exhibitions, and a little bit of merch. I stamped everything into my Traveler’s Notebook passport insert (still counts as a passport, I’d like to think) and used the trip as an excuse to paint quick symbols and mini landscapes on the go. More than anything, this week felt like a reset—less laptop time, more looking out the window, and more evenings spent journaling instead of doom scrolling. By the end (Mesa Verde especially), I felt calmer, more balanced, and honestly very inspired for future creative projects.