This summer’s road trip followed the great Rocky Mountains from the upper corner of Montana, down to the bottom of Colorado, then back home to the desert. The epic nature of the landscape inspired new ways of considering the combination of sight and sound. Songs are great and a must for any long journey. But, if considering a proper “soundtrack,” we can also look to music that follows less of a song structure and more of an audible environment, to color the rocks, plants, dirt, water and skies with more vibrant colors.

At the risk of using this platform (once again) as my own personal vacation slide show, I thought I would share some of those landscapes and the “playlist” they inspired. Where last year was a more conventional look at songs to set the mood inside the car, this year we give more consideration to what’s happening outside the windows.

Glacier National Park

Glacier is a dramatic landscape born of rock and ice. The formation of mountains is almost too slow a process to wrap one’s head around. But, the destructive nature of glacial ice brings a more frantic pace to the formation of mountains. It carves away at layers, some as old as 800 Billion Years, revealing fossilized stromatolites, the first life forms on this planet.
The Rockies are now crumbling away. Unlike the rising Himalayas, their growth has ended and are now at the mercy of the elements. This only accentuates their beauty. Like many of the glaciers that have melted away, so too will the rock faces and water falls

Yellowstone National Park

Almost the antithesis to Glacier’s ephemeral state, Yellowstone is an ever changing and growing place, born of past and future destruction. In a human lifetime, it may appear suspended in it’s current state. But, even in this state, you can witness the wild activity. Pots of mud and water bubble up from deep within the earth. Geysers spray hot water far into the sky. As you circle the park, steam can be seen rising from trees and the smell of sulfur fills the air, a sinister reminder that there are deadly elements at work. Earthquakes and landslides occasionally upset the serenity of the park, reminding us that this is a ticking time bomb. With all it’s predictability, it is coiled and ready to strike with fierce surprise.

Grand Teton National Park

Just south of the Yellowstone plateau is the picturesque Grand Teton National Park. The landscape reveals the stark contrast of the flat land, dramatically uplifted towards the sky, forming a range of razor sharp peaks that seem to slowly cut through the earth like a saw blade through wood. In this vast scenery, one can imagine life without cities. You are drawn in, to be lost forever in the wilderness.

Monument Valley

Leaving the cold, wet life of the rockies, you are met with a dry, desolate landscape that resembles the lifeless face of a distant planet. At first glance, it seems to go on forever, in a never ending haze of red and brown. But, upon closer inspection, you can see the shapes and shifts brought about by the movement of the earth. These changes are slow, but they result in beautiful formations, like ruined temples to the gods. What once seemed like a monochromatic pallet, changes into a spectrum of light and color, made more vibrant by its lack of variety. It’s just as beautiful as any river or mountain. You just have to look a little closer.

Oak Creek Canyon

The last night of this trip was spent camping in Oak Creek Canyon, just north of Sedona. This is a favorite quick get away from our desert town and a perfect final stop before returning. There’s a serenity, protected by the canyon walls. Before the sun went down, we walked along the creek, listening to water rushing over rocks, eating wild blackberries and taking in the last bit of cold before returning home. At night, a powerful monsoon storm hit, brining heavy rain and lightning, seemingly striking just outside the thin walls of the tent. This was the last song of the playlist provided by nature itself. It was music more dramatic and full of life than anything that could be composed by humans.  This is the music that has inspired all music, past, present and future.

Spending time outside sharpens our senses. Music has a much greater impact when paired with visual stimulation and a quiet mind. I urge everyone to find those places that inspire your playlists, whether they be made up of your favorite songs or familiar sounds. To quote the poets Andre Benjamin and Antwon Patton…
“Get up, get out and get something”