Take Back Roads

Take Back Roads

Seeking authentic travel experiences, one back road at a time

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Category: California

A man in a white t-shirt reading "BORN FOR ADVENTURE" in big letters stares away from the camera, looking at beautiful canyons with long shadows extending from the orange and brown rock formations
October 2, 2025November 18, 2025 Scott

Taking Cross Country Road Trips to Celebrate Graduation: A Three-Generation Tradition

October 29, 2017October 22, 2025 Scott

Where the Pavement Ends

Two men sit next to a bright campfire in Joshua Tree National Park. The fire illuminates their faces, the tall joshua trees surrounding them, their tent, and the truck and rock formation behind it.
October 14, 2019September 5, 2024 Scott

How to Camp for Free: Essential Gear for Dispersed Camping

The snow-capped peak of Mt Grant looms in the distance over US route 95 in Nevada
April 9, 2020June 8, 2022 Scott

Great American Road Trips, Part 2: My Favorite Back Roads in America

Bixby Bridge on the Pacific Coast Highway sits in the distance near the Pacific Coast Highway in Big Sur California
May 29, 2018May 9, 2022 Scott

Astrophotography 3: Camping in Big Sur

A green REI tent in a wild campsite is tucked up into an evergreen shrub in the Arizona wilderness. Brick red dirt, bright green shrubs, distant mountains and a bright yellow hot air balloon round out the scene.
October 2, 2019August 20, 2020 Scott

How to Camp for Free: Where to Find Dispersed Campsites

Sitting by the campfire in Joshua Tree National Park under a dark canopy of stars
November 25, 2017August 5, 2020 Scott

Night Sky Photography: Shots of the Moon, Stars, and Milky Way

The Milky Way shines over Inyo National Forest near June Lake and Obsidian Dome. Milky Way galaxy. Stars. Starry Sky.
March 15, 2018October 6, 2019 Scott

Astrophotography 2: A Million Lights in the Darkness

The Milky Way shines brightly in a sky full of stars over Big Sur, Live Oak trees, and the Pacific Ocean
September 12, 2018October 6, 2019 Scott

Astrophotography 3 … Part 2: The Actual Photoblog

Recent Posts

  • Taking Cross Country Road Trips to Celebrate Graduation: A Three-Generation Tradition
  • Chen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
  • The Great American Road Trip: an Itinerary for Driving Cross Country
  • Finding Quirky Roadside Attractions Across America
  • Maine Back Roads on a Motorcycle: The Actual Trip (Part 2)

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Categories

  • An RV drives a curving back road through beautiful mountains
    Beautiful views on the Million Dollar Highway
  • cars and motorcycles travel through the mountains on a scenic back road
    Drivers enjoy the panoramic scenery of the back roads in Colorado
  • A drone shot of a u-shaped two lane back road winds through the pine trees in eastern California's High Sierra region
    A swooping curve on US-50 in the High Sierra, California
  • A man stands in the middle of a back road in the desert of eastern California with the towering Sierra Nevada mountains in the background
    Just over the border into California near Mono Lake
  • A distant car drives up a back road as it weaves its way up a distant hillside
    A driver navigates the back roads leading to Great Basin NP
  • A beautiful vibrant sunset glows over a back road where there is a silhouette of two kids sit taking a selfie
    Soaking in the sunset at Badlands NP
  • A pair of Harley Davidson motorcycles enter Doane Robinson Tunnel, with the faces on Mount Rushmore clearly visible under fluffy clouds in a blue sky
    Riders explore Doan Robinson Tunnel near Mount Rushmore
  • The towering granite peaks of Grand Teton mountain range soar towards an ice blue sky over Jackson Lake
    The stunning peaks of Grand Teton NP
  • Snow capped granite mountain peaks tower over TA Moulton old barn in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park
    Is there a more iconic Wyoming view?
  • A narrow dirt road runs along the side of one of several mountains creating the boundary around Sun Valley Idaho
    A back road heads into the mountains surrounding Sun Valley ID
  • A two lane back road by a raging river divides two drastically different landscapes - smooth rolling sage-covered hills on the left, and jagged granite cliffs on the right
    Steep canyon walls carved by the Payette River in ID
  • A man standing near a black Ford F150 stares out over an enormous desert valley in central Idaho
    A traveler surveys the landscapes of central ID
  • A back road route stretches straight across the flat desert valley floor towards the towering eastern Sierra Nevada mountains in California
    Mono Lake CA
  • A curving back road arches towards a panoramic view of the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains in eastern California
    CA route 89 in the Eastern Sierra Nevada
  • back road route bridge stretches across New Melones Lake in the foothills of the western Sierra Nevada mountains
    CA route 49 near Angels Camp CA
  • The iconic Half Dome in Yosemite NP
  • Crisp fluffy white clouds and a brilliant blue sky top the towering snow capped peak of Wheeler Mountain in Great Basin National Park Nevada
    Great Basin National Park
  • Monument Valley back road
    Monument Valley, on the AZ / UT border
  • RV bus driving west on a back road
    An RV heads west on the Loneliest Road in America

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