Leila's friends were getting married in Portland, Oregon so we decided to go on an epic American Northwest road trip. We managed to visit the Great Salt Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Mount Rushmore, Badlands National Park, and many other scenic spots along the way. This was my first time going out west as the furthest west I had ever been was Breckenridge just a few months prior.Leila and I had to see the Great Salt Lake while we were in Utah. We decided to check out one of the more desolate portions on the north side where the famous Spiral Jetty was created. Although the rock spiral was rather mundane, the lake itself did not fail to impress. Walking up to the water's edge felt like being on another planet. The brilliant white salt beach contrasted with the pinkish water made for a very surreal experience.Not far from the Great Salt Lake we came upon the Golden Spike National Historical Park which commemorates the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. A final "golden spike" was used to join the two rails spanning the country which reduced coast to coast travel time from six months to one week.We finally made it to Leila's home state. We planned to stay with her friend in Puyallup while we were there for a couple days. We drove up the west coastline of the state, stopping over on Long Island for my very first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean.Somehow we got halfway across South Dakota without even thinking about Badlands National Park. I was looking at a map and it popped out at me all of a sudden so we swerved off the highway and headed to the park before it got too dark.
