About a month ago I embarked on a 3,000-mile solo road trip across the country from Columbus, OH to Southern California. It was invigorating. It was beautiful. It was eye-opening.
As I drove by the oil fields of Kansas, through the breath-taking mountains of Colorado and across the overwhelming burnt orange landscape of Utah, I fell even more in love with this country I call home.
Getting the chance to experience a mere fraction of the overwhelming beauty that America has to offer made me realize how insanely under-rated this country is in terms of natural allure.
So many people feel the need to go gallivanting across the globe to find that true, serene, untouched beauty. When in reality, we have it in our very own backyards.
There was, of course, one other aspect that really boosted the experience to an entirely new level. Music.
What is it about music that so seamlessly intensifies a person’s experience of something?
Prior to leaving, I had created this killer playlist to accompany me as I drove across the vast Wild West. I ended up taking note of the truly soul-stirring melodious gems that kept me dazed in what I recently dubbed the “American transcendental state”.
So, whether you’re driving across town or flying to foreign lands, here are 5 songs to get you going on your next adventure:
1.Begin Again -Dispatch
2. Dusty Trails -Lucius
3. My Sweet Lord -George Harrison
4. Living Proof -Gregory Alan Isakov featuring the Colorado Symphony
5. Watch Me -Labi Siffre