As anyone who knows me can attest, I am not a morning person. If I could get away with it, I probably wouldn't get up until at least 10:00. Unfortunately, that would make me about 90 minutes late to work.
When it comes to travel, however, I can easily get up at a very early hour. As I have gone on many road trips, most of them have started early in the morning, sometimes even before the sun is up. I love how things look in the morning, the trip not yet started, the experiences ahead instead of behind me.
On my trip out west, I started at or before sunrise several days, to maximize my enjoyment of the sites before me. I remember the cool dew-filled morning as I left Rock Island, and the crisp air outside of Cheyenne, Wyoming. I remember the sun coming up behind me as I drove through the Nevada desert to Yosemite, and the sun rising over the canyon walls as I headed back up to the Yosemite Valley the next morning. Most of all I remember the frost and fog outside of Glacier National Park, and the sun rising over the mountains as I drove along the Yellowstone River towards the Roosevelt Gate.
The world can be a very beautiful place when the sun rises. I'm not certain why I can't find that beauty every morning, but I do appreciate it when going on my road trips. Maybe I can take the feeling of anticipation for a day a travel and apply to my regular daily routine.
