Departure from Holiday

Florida

Starting with the odometer reading at such a one-of-a-kind number was surely a good omen.

All packed a ready! I am professionally dressed because this was my last day at my second to last clinical rotation, which was at Clinical Pharmacology Services where I would eventually get a residency position!

Twilight in north Tampa.

After finishing my final day at Clinical Pharmacology Services, I departed from Tampa. My first stop was my old college stomping grounds, Gainesville, Florida. I stopped by Paines Prairie, a savannah just outside of the town to embrace the clear skies that were all around me.

Me excited for my trip.

The locally famous boardwalk in Paines Prarie State Park.

One of the clearest skies I've seen in Florida. Normally a photo like this would be difficult due to the humidity and the light pollution.

While at Paines Prarie a group of bikers were also making a pit stop on their road trip.

The heart of student life at the University of Florida, Century Tower.

One of my travel companions: Magellan!

The rises behind me as I start Day 2 of my journey. It's a race to New Orleans.

Florida panhandle countryside

Tallahassee

Florida

The Florida Vietnam Memorial.

probably my last view of spanish moss for a few months.

The old Florida State Capitol.

Me standing in front of the new Florida State Capitol.

Florida's state mammal.

I have to admit, Florida State University has some amazing sculptures of its mascot.

A good friend of mine once told me the easiest way to get from UF to FSU was to go north until you smell it, then go west until you step in it. I've never had more accurate directions.

I'll be getting use to seeing this interstate sign.

Pensacola

Florida

My Top Gun face.

In Blue Angles country

I had to attempt this selfie.

One last look at east coast waters. Pensacola Beach, Florida

Pensacola Beach, Florida

The Naval base lighthouse.

At the Naval Aviation Museum

This is Blue Angle country at the Naval Aviation Museum

At the Naval Aviation Museum

A U.S. Navy space suit.

One of the capsules the U.S. Navy used for space exploration.

At the Naval Aviation Museum

Barrancas National Cemetery. Pensacola, Florida.

Louisiana

From Louisiana to Texas

Louisiana

Quite possibly my last Waffle House waffle.

This Florida boy did not know that posted speed limits exceded 70 mph.

Louisiana countryside.

Enter Shreveport, Louisiana.

Downtown Shreveport, Louisiana.

The gold tinted glass of the largest casino in Shreveport, The Horseshoe.

Downtown Shreveport, Louisiana.

The Horseshoe Casino.

Shreveport, Louisiana.

Enter Texas!

Good Times with Good Friends

Dallas, Texas

One of my best friends, camera-shy Jonathan, and his lovely wife, Amanda!

Sunset over Dallas, Texas.

Walter White sighting!

While exploring some of the hidden gems in Dallas, I stumbled upon a sketch artist competition.

Trying some of the local brews.

While exploring some of the hidden gems in Dallas, I stumbled upon a sketch artist competition.

This spice rack is just made for science geeks like myself.

charming fridge decore.

Jonathan cooking me dinner in style!

Dallas Historic District

Texas

The next morning in downtown Dallas with swarming flock of great-tailed grackles. Easy on the eyes, but impossible to keep your clothes clean and your open cup of coffee just an open cup of coffee.

Where Jonathan works, the tallest building in the Dallas skyline, the Bank of America tower

The Old Red Museum of Dallas County.

The Dallas historic district.

The reunion tower, where I would eventually end my day.

The Old Red Museum of Dallas County.

The Dallas historic district.

Me at the Dallas historic district.

The site where JFK was assassinated (the X on the road) as it looks like today, superimposed with a photograph taken by Abraham Zapruder just before when the President was shot back in 1963.

Some of Dallas's architectural taste.

The surprisingly bland JFK memorial.

The Dallas historic district.

A reminder of where I am

My fisheye lens comes in handy for selfies.

No 13! There is no thirteenth floor!

A preview of what I missed out on: A statue just outside of the asian art museum. It's an unfortunate tradition for art museums to be closed on Mondays. This is a lessened I learned the hard way, repeatedly, on my trip.

A trolley ride through Dallas's historic district.

A preview of what I missed out on: The entrance to the Dallas Museum of Art. It's an unfortunate tradition for art museums to be closed on Mondays. This is a lessened I learned the hard way, repeatedly, on my trip.

Klyde Warren Park.

Dallas, Texas.

Legend has it a Cessna flew through it.

Where my lunch date with Jonathan took place. Dakotas, an upscale steakhouse.

My first Texas steak.

Local Dallas street art.

A view of the Dallas skyline as seen from the Reunion Tower

Dallas, Texas, at night.

Good times with good friends.

Perot Museum of Natural History

Dallas, Texas

The Perot Museum of Natural History.

A petrified tree up close.

Surprisingly, the mineral exhibit ended up being one of my favorite exhibits in the museum.

Raw copper.

Crack open a boulder and you might find a way to pay for college

Flourite.

Pyrite.

24 karat gold

A view of the Dallas skyline from the museum.

Some of Texas's stuffed fauna.

What a nobel prize winner ends up with in the end.

The museum's bodies exhibit.

Yep.

That's a... yep

a live scan of my hand's vasculature.

Austin

Texas

Franklin's BBQ. If you've seen the movie Chef you know what this is about.

If you've seen the movie Chef you know what this is about. Unfortunately, due to the 2 hour wait I wasn't able to try it.

The Texas State Capitol building. Everything is big in texas.

A very familiar critter on display at the state capitol.

Upon arrival of

Barton Springs is a natural spring that has some man made touches to create this public pool.

Barton Springs.

Divers scale the pool to capture an endangered salamander,the Barton Springs Salamander, only found in Barton Springs for conservation.

A sculpture in the Umlauf Sculpture garden that depicts Icarus as he plummets to earth.

Austin, Texas.

Zilker Park.

Swans of Zilker Park

Zilker Park

Zilker Park, Austin, Texas

Texas is Big

Western Texas

The state of Texas is the second largest state. driving accross it meant driving at least 660 miles. Only when one drives through the state can one comprehend how large this state is. For being so big, and after visiting Dallas and Austin, I've come to accept that Texas is a very boring state. Although I didn't have to drive through the entire state in one sitting, the seven hour drive from Austin Texas to Carlsbad New Mexico proved to be the most mundane drive up to this point. Fortunately my collection of audio books kept my mind at ease during this expanse of dried desert brush and windmill farms.

I may not be a coffee drinker, but I need my chai in the morning!

Sunrise over Austin's back country.

First signs of wild cactus.

The rolling hills of west Texas.

First sight of windmills on my trip. By the end of my journey I would have seen so many of these that this first sighting meant nothing.

Just as my first wind mill sighting intrigued me, my first oil pump sighting did the same. I would eventually drive through an oil field in California with thousands of these pumps for miles.

My return to I-10

Entering New Mexico!

Entering the City of Carlsbad!!

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Carlsbad, New Mexico

Although I would eventually see bigger and better things on my road trip, the carlsbad caverns easily became the highlight of drive to the west. The sheer size of this cavern was impossible to capture on camera. Some of the rooms could fill football fields, but the poor lighting conditions produced some of the most difficult photo challenges.

There are two ways to enter the cavern: an elevator or the 1.5 mile natural walkway underground. I obviously took the more adventurous route.

The entrance to the cavern as seen from inside.

The winding, convoluted path that leads to the cavern.

They called this the whale's mouth.

The green patches along the walls of the cavern were not noticed by my naked eye. The algae growth is un natural to the cavern and is caused by the artificial lighting that lights up the pathway. The park is in the process of converting it's light setup to include bulbs that minimizes the algae growth

Lincoln National Forest

New Mexico

Before arriving into New Mexico, I imagined the state to be barren, rocky, flat, and devoid of life. My drive from the Carlsbad Caverns National Park proved to me that New Mexico is quite possibly one of the most diverse states in the U.S.. Within a six-hour span of driving through the Lincoln National Forest, I started from a beautiful underground cavern and drove through flat grassy plains, rolling hills, pine forests, snowy mountains with ski resorts, rocky canyons, and eventually the white sandy dunes of White Sands, New Mexico.

Just as I was leaving the Carlsbad Caverns National Park, a heard of big horn sheep crossed my path.

White Sands National Monument

New Mexico

I had been so stunned by New Mexico's landscapes that I arrived behind schedule to White Sands National Monument. The park rangers had closed the entrance gate just minutes before my arrival, but fortunately I was able to get a glimpse of this 275 square mile isolated wonder. White Sands field of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals and is the largest gypsum dune field in the world.

Arrival into Phoenix

My arrival into Arizona was greeted by the alien looking cacti known as saguaro cactus. These plants that are sometimes more than 300 years old and grow more than 25 feet tall are only found in this part of the world. Despite seeing them almost daily during my month long stay in Arizona, they were always a pleasing a unique sight to see.

As I drove along I-10 towards Phoenix I began seeing narrow poles sticking out of the ground. I initially thought they were some water retrieving infrastructure for the cities, but after a few minutes I realized they were the famous saguaro cactus. These protected plants were everyway for miles. I pulled over to Picacho Peak, a state park located half way between Tuscon and Phoenix.

Picacho Peak State Park

I would come to learn that the saguaro cacti are a vital component to the desert's ecosystem.

The much loved, much talked about, extraordinarily delicious In-N-Out burger! I would eventually develop a habit of visiting In-N-Out at least once a week.

The collection of dust amassed after driving through six states.

Part 1: Drive Out West

Departure from Holiday

Florida

Tallahassee

Florida

Pensacola

Florida

USS Alabama

Mobile, Alabama

>New Orleans

Louisiana

From Louisiana to Texas

Louisiana

Good Times with Good Friends

Dallas, Texas

Dallas Historic District

Texas

Perot Museum of Natural History

Dallas, Texas

Austin

Texas

Texas is Big

Western Texas

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Carlsbad, New Mexico

Lincoln National Forest

New Mexico

White Sands National Monument

New Mexico

From New Mexico to Arizona

Arrival into Phoenix