America The Beautiful
Don’t worry—this post isn’t political. And for that matter, it’s not particularly about Supply Chain either. The advantages of having your own blog…
Last week I got back from an epic 3000 mile journey in an (eventually) well-worn blue Honda Odyssey that carried us through some of the most striking, surreal, and unforgettable landscapes in the world. After over a year of planning I set off on a road trip with my wife, our three children between 5 and 10, and my parents, who flew in from the UK to join us. We packed tightly into the van and embarked on an ambitious 10-day adventure through the American West—from the peaks of Colorado to the sequoias of California, with canyons, deserts, and red rocks in between.
We started in Denver, exploring Dinosaur Ridge, Red Rocks, and Boulder, before heading into the mountains—Georgetown Loop, Leadville, and crossing the Continental Divide. Then came Utah, where words often failed: Arches, Canyonlands, Natural Bridges, Valley of the Gods, and Monument Valley.
From there, we traced the edges of Gooseneck Bend, skirted the waters of Lake Powell and Glen Canyon, and stood in humbled silence at the Grand Canyon. We hiked through Coral Sands, wandered into the Belly of the Dragon, and gaped at the formations in Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Cedar Breaks.
Nevada greeted us with the Valley of Fire, Lake Mead, and the engineering marvel of Hoover Dam, before we climbed into California’s Sequoia National Park and ended, road-weary but grateful, in San Francisco.
It’s easy to put something like this off. Work doesn’t pause, life keeps moving, and there’s always a reason to delay. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that if you don’t plan time off, you won’t take it. Even in just ten days, this trip reminded me of the power of stepping away. We weren’t on email. We weren’t checking in. We were racing daylight, managing snacks, having valuable conversations with the kids, and enjoying each turn in the road as new vistas revealed themselves.
More than that—it was perspective.
When you take time off, you're not just making memories. You’re restoring clarity, allowing your mind to wander again, and recharging in a way that makes you more present, more effective, and frankly, more human when you return. I came back with a clearer head and fuller heart—ready to lean back in.
And yes, as someone who lives and breathes Supply Chain, there’s a strange joy in knowing that the real miles our industry moves—via LTL, FTL, and middle-mile carriers—translate to the same ground we covered in a well-traveled, bug-splattered, 2-year-old blue Odyssey. It’s a stretch to tie it to supply chain. But it’s also a reminder: we operate in the real world. And sometimes, it helps to reconnect with the scale of it.
Becoming an American citizen in 2019 was a moment of deep pride, and with it came a desire to explore and better understand the country in all its complexity. This journey was part of that exploration and of my evolution as a citizen. From red rock canyons to giant sequoias, desert plateaus to coastal cities, the sheer geographic diversity of the United States is astonishing. It’s a country of breathtaking contrasts—I can’t wait to see more of it.
Getting into work, in October 2019 the morning after getting my citizenship I was greeted with this wonderful sight!
Where next?