Aaron Sheffner Takes Jasper 2.0 Out on the Open Road

There’s nothing quite like the freedom of the open road. Stopping at gas stations to stretch your legs, which turns into a ritual: one person pumps gas and cleans windows, the other goes inside and stocks up on road snacks. The wonder of all the strange and beautiful things you pass. Watching a storm roll in as you power down a straight stretch of Wyoming road. Even driving in the desert for 12 hours is interesting when you can experience the light changing through the day, casting orange and blue over the landscape and turning the rocks and sands brilliant hues. Those unplanned excursions that you didn't anticipate, the changing views, your favorite albums to get you through the last couple of hours, the smiling faces of people who look at your license plate and see how far you’ve driven to be here. It’s such an intimate way to see new places and it always leads to the same conclusion: a road trip is always a good idea.

Mountain Views to Desert Views

Road tripping for me is about keeping things as lightweight as possible. With the seats removed from the back and the car filled with not much more than an inflatable pad, pillow, sleeping bag, basic food supplies, and water, I’m basically set. The heaviest part, and the one I refuse to compromise on, is my camera gear. It’s hard to know exactly what you’ll need when packing, and I’d hate to be without a particular lens in a place that may have taken days to get to!

My wife, Amilia, and I cruised down the eastern side of Wyoming. After hours of flat, open country rolling beneath the tires, the prominent Devil’s Tower came into view, standing tall and disrupting the planar landscape we had become so accustomed to. This was a planned stop along our journey south, and despite heavy smoke from a nearby wildfire that hid the sun, it was well worth the visit. From here, we punched it down into Colorado and made our way west toward Utah, a place that’s been on my bucket list since first picking up a camera. With the landscape changing what seemed like every mile, it was hard not to stop at every rock formation, point of interest, or trailhead. We drove straight into the heart of the Beehive State and camped in Canyonlands for the first night. Arriving just after sunset, we pitched the tent and went for a quick walk in the now slightly cooler weather to explore the area and plan a sunrise shoot. It didn’t take long to find the perfect overlook with views of the canyon below. Finding a path over the rocks to the exact spot I wanted to stand on as the sun rose was a story in itself, but we got there! This particular view of the Green River from above is, in my opinion, one of the best from the trip.

The next few days were stretched across Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, and Page, each day requiring a mandatory search for a river to cool off in. The Narrows ticked that box and included a little bit of adventure too. Packing the Jasper Rolltop Backpack with my two Sony A7iii's, three prime lenses, Rugged SD cards and case, as well as snacks, water, and towels, we headed upriver. This bag has become my new favorite for photography.

For me, I’m not usually in a place to take a worthy photo without putting in some miles on foot to get there. I use the extra storage on top of the camera compartment for things like jackets, food, a first aid kit, and even a camping stove (there’s no better reward for a sunrise hike than a freshly brewed cup of coffee, let me tell you). The rolltop storage is so handy and a feature that doesn’t come with most camera bags on the market.

Zion boasts some of the clearest and darkest night skies in the whole country, and with the Milky Way visible just after sunset in July, you don’t have to sacrifice a good night’s sleep to capture it!

Somewhere between Utah and Arizona, Amilia’s sleeping pad gained a puncture that we couldn’t find for the life of us. We ended up passing Lake Powell at about 10:30 p.m., so we decided to head down to the shore, sleeping pad in hand, and submerge it in the lake. We found the hole and patched it up with a bicycle puncture repair kit. Job done, and the next day we went back for a cool off in the water. Having driven nearly 2,500 miles (4,000 km) at this point, our car was also due for an oil change. These kinds of necessary to-dos while on the road almost structure your days, and it’s a simple, welcome contrast to the day-to-day at home.

When road tripping in your own vehicle and only a rough return date in mind, you have total flexibility to do just about whatever you want, so we decided to head down to the Grand Canyon, given its proximity to Page. We checked into Desert View campground, which, if you’re planning to visit the Grand Canyon and want to escape the hordes of tourists, I highly recommend.

After a few days hanging out at camp, where we followed the shade of a tree as we tried to escape the heat of the day and watched the sun rise and set over the canyon rim, we headed back toward southern Utah to drive through Monument Valley and Valley of the Gods. A mesmerizing landscape of huge red rock monoliths, almost the complete reverse of the gouged-out canyons we had visited in the days prior. After parking the car and pitching our tent, I threw the drone into the Jasper Backpack and headed up the road to take flight just in time to capture the landscape glow with the setting sun.

Pulling into Moab, with the car reading 41°C (106°F) outside, we checked into a hotel just to have access to A/C and a pool. This, I believe, was day 6 without a shower? Something I didn’t state at the beginning was that road trips with me are NOT glamorous, and after scrubbing a layer of red dust off in the ice-cold water, it was time to put camera gear on charge, throw in a load of laundry, back up the week’s footage on the Rugged SD cards, and source a cold beer to drink poolside.

Arches the next day was a blast. At only one degree hotter than Moab, we managed to check out Delicate Arch and Double Arch before heading to Hanksville, where the landscape had yet another dramatic change. This area looks out of this world, so it’s no wonder why the Mars Desert Research Station sits just a few miles away.

Driving from Hanksville into Capitol Reef, we sheltered from intermittent thunderstorms before putting some miles under our belt and heading north toward the western side of Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park. Blessed with a perfect sunrise, we brewed some coffee and watched the alpenglow light up the Tetons in front of us, one of those perfect camp mornings without another soul in sight.

Now well away from the desert, we drove through Yellowstone and our trip through the States slowly came to an end. I reminisced on all the things we’d seen, the places we’d visited. From the destinations you spend hours researching from thousands of miles away, pinpointing the exact location, combining the long stretches of highway with rough offroad trails, and the mandatory hikes with all your gear – all while timing everything to line up with the ideal lighting. Then there are all the memorable in-between moments that make road trips what they are – laughing at yourselves as you eat a salad kit in the Walmart parking lot while everyone stares, checking your shoes for scorpions each morning, and brushing your teeth in gas station bathrooms. It’s all part of the adventure!

Conclusion

As we made our way back home, the memories of this road trip settled into that special place reserved for the most unforgettable journeys. Each mile driven was filled with discovery, laughter, and moments of awe. The rugged landscapes, the challenges of life on the road, and the simple joys of exploring new places left their mark on us. In the end, this trip wasn’t just about ticking off destinations on a map – it was about embracing the journey itself, with all its twists and turns, every road trip brings something new and unexpected. And as always, when it comes to hitting the road, there’s one thing I know for sure: a road trip is always a good idea.