I had one goal today: Make it to Sedona before sunset. 

Fail.

I passed through Flagstaff with about an hour until twilight, but the clouds and mountains had other plans, ushering in the darkness before its time. Boat in tow, I retreated to Flagstaff where I'm holding up for the night. 

Nothing special - just a cheap room to catch some sleep - tomorrow I check out Monument Valley and The View Hotel.

Here are some photos of the drive - it truly was beautiful, the green hills of California giving way to the brown, rocky mountains (which are snow covered in Flagstaff). 

Even though the dark sky ruined my chance to see and photograph the rock structures in Sedona, it did create an awfully nice sunset. The clouds were all over the place, some streaking and others glowing. 

That's right - across the country I go. I'm departing from Santa Barbara on Sunday morning, Philadelphia being my final destination.

I've spent the past two and a half years soaking up the sun and the sand here in California, but now it's time to move on, to explore the other parts of the country. 

I'm going to take the southern route (I'm towing my boat), and I hope to hit Roswell, San Antonio, Austin, Alabama. That's my best guess on the drive - but it's always subject to change once I get on the road.

The only thing I know for sure is that on Sunday night I'll be stopping somewhere near Flagstaff, and on Monday I'll hike Monument Valley and stay the night at The View Hotel: http://www.monumentvalleyview.com.

It looks absolutely stunning, so much different than any other part of the country in terms of its scenery. Fingers crossed for a clear day in the desert. 

Someone asked me today if I was ready to leave, and my indifference sort of surprised me. It's weird: As a travel writer, I'm used to moving on. Right now it just feels like the end of any other trip - a sense of sadness for what has passed and excitement for the next thing to come.

Looking at these photos helps to deal with the aforementioned sadness. I can't imagine how big those rock structures are when you're standing next to them.

Follow along with my journey - I'll be writing from the road!