Early in 2026 my wife and I decided it was time to make a change. Something that would be hard, seem absolutely crazy to some and amazing to others. We felt stuck in our current spot and wanted to make a chance for the better. She decided to go back to school to pursue being a teacher after a long, difficult road trying to find her way back into the workforce. Instead of just going to the university 20 minutes away we decided to pack our bags and move from Austin, TX up to Edmonton, Alberta.
I'll write all about the move in another post but it's not entirely important to what I want to write about today. Here's the short of it:
– We're moving from Austin, TX to Edmonton, AB
– We decided to make a road trip over the summer to make our way up to Canada
– With all the stops planned I knew I had to take advantage of the beautiful scenery
– Spoiler….I failed
I saw this trip as an amazing chance to capture photo and video the entire way to document the journey but also expand my skills and portfolio. I had shoots planned out for each stop and was excited to get started. Our place in Colorado was where it was going to kick off but as you'll see…. it didn't exactly happen that way.
We had a beautiful AirBNB in Jefferson, Colorado that was up in the hills and pretty secluded. I had photos, video and drone work planned out and wanted to get started. I unpacked the car and thats where I hit the first road block. I searched my bag only to realize that I had accidentally packed up the drone in the storage pod. I sat out on the patio for a little while and decided how I would change the plan when I started to get a headache. It quickly turned into some fairly bad altitude sickness and it completely took the energy out of me. I didn't take a single photo in Jefferson or our one day trip to Breckenridge.
The next stop was South Dakota for one night so we could take my daughter to see Mount Rushmore. She was excited about it and we didn't really plan anything else as this was just another quick pit stop on the trip. Other than some iPhone photos of her at the monument the only photo I grabbed was a shot of the road outside our hotel.
The following day we drove to Montana where we would be staying for an entire week so that I could work without being in the car. I spent the first night scouring Google maps for places to shoot and coffee shops and craft breweries that I had to visit. There will be more details in the aforementioned additional blog post but I was all ready to get started and then I got a phone call. It was my boss telling me that he was letting me go. Needless to say that took the wind out of my sails completely. I took a few days to decide what I wanted to do and start working on a plan for it but the photo and video project once again took a back seat to real life.
After Montana we went up to Edmonton for 3~ weeks. That time was spent looking for work, finding a place to live when we finally move up there, getting used to it all while also trying to have a summer vacation with our daughter. The time in Edmonton was very productive but flew by quickly. Once again, the camera didn't even make it out of my bag.
We then had a short stay in Radium Hot Springs, BC on our way to Trail, BC where we spent another week. This was the first time I actually picked up my camera to get out and go shoot. While I don't love what I got there I'm glad I did it because it was great to get outside more and also enjoy how beautiful the area was.
At this point we needed to head back to the US until we received our final permits that allow us to live in Canada while my wife attends the University of Alberta in Edmonton. We drove to Spokane, WA where we spent 10 days enjoying the Pacific Northwest. I made some time to get out with my camera again but with no plan other than to just shoot.
Then we had a short drive to Idaho that brings us to today. We have a houseboat on Lake Pend Oreille (Idaho's largest lake for those keeping score) and thats where I had a realization.
Just because I didn't start my project when I planned doesn't mean I should give up on it.
So I went out this morning with very realistic expectations to try making a very short video for the header of this post while also enjoying the early morning silence on the lake. Even if the video didn't work it felt like one of the best parts of the trip and all I did was go outside and exist.
Deadlines and projects can really be tough for creative people because our minds wander so much. So very, very much. I'm trying to focus on bite size pieces that I can knock out and keep the ball rolling. Starting a blog was another project that I've wanted to start for quite some time so I decided that I would kick both of them off today.
I know it won't be for everyone and I don't even know if anyone will ever see it, let alone read them but I'm still doing it. For myself. With my own rules. So get ready for photos of cars, craft beer, coffee and who knows what else I find in Canada.