Glacier makes its presence known early. The land rises and the mountains begin to take up more of the windshield than the sky. By the time the entrance sign comes into view, it is clear this is a place governed by weather, not preference.

Somewhere about 130 kilometers north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, the world changes. The road bends north along Highway 17, and suddenly you are in another realm, one ruled by cliffs, water, and endless sky. The first glimpse of Lake Superior hits like a deep breath you did not know you were holding. It is hard to believe you are still standing beside a lake. This is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area, but it behaves more like an ocean, cold, moody, and

Flagstaff is a surprise by design. Tucked at 7,000 feet in northern Arizona, it rises from the high desert like an island of green, crowned by the San Francisco Peaks and wrapped in the world’s largest contiguous ponderosa pine forest. To anyone picturing cactus and sandstone, it feels almost improbable.