In 1865, Horace Greeley from the New-York Daily Tribune encouraged everyone to “Go West … go West and grow up with the country.”

In 2021, I concur. Go West. It’s vast. It’s filled with empty spaces. There are countless places where the wilderness is undisturbed, where the west is still wild and where Wi-Fi is non-existent.

My husband and I moved to Colorado in the fall of 2018. We stayed in out West for two years.

Growing up and living on this side of the U.S., I had been to the Appalachian Mountains for rafting, ziplining, hiking, ATVing, shopping, and touring. The Appalachians were (and are) beautiful and full of history.

However, I didn’t know what mountains were until I visited my daughter out west. She attended and graduated from University of Colorado in Boulder, so I had several trips that inspired my ultimate move. The Rocky Mountains were magnificent. Indescribable really.

My daughter still lives out west and who could blame her. She’s a climber, skier, hiker, biker and all the things you would figure a “west girl” would be.

My husband were blessed to live and work out west in Eagle, Colorado, near Vail and Beaver Creek, for a year and a half and, later, in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for almost 5 months. In between the two locations, we lived in Utah for a little over six weeks during the Covid-lockdown until Jackson Hole opened. There were worse places to be locked down.

Ah, yes, Covid … If it hadn’t been for the pandemic, we’d still be out west somewhere. I’ll save that for another blog.

During our time there, we explored New Mexico, Nevada, and Idaho, too. But Colorado, Utah and Wyoming were home for a while. All so different in landscapes, people, and energy. The vibe in Colorado was as varied as its three regions: Front Range (prairie), Rocky Mountains and Western Slope.  Boulder and Denver had their own vibe, too.

I could write paragraphs describing Utah and Wyoming. Much of Utah, our favorite “home,” was just surreal: arches, salt lakes, hoodoos and candy-colored mountains. Driving through the Arches, you feel like you’re in a giant’s sandbox or at the bottom of a dried up ocean.

Wyoming was mostly untamed and gave you that Old West / Native vibe. Grand Teton was nothing short of majestic. In Wyoming, all major roads lead to Yellowstone National Park. And, in case you forget that crown jewel is a caldera, there are plenty of hot springs and geysers to remind you.

Although I don’t regret moving back to the South, my heart still yearns for the West. Until I return, art will have to soothe my soul.

The Go West collection was born from that yearning. You can see it here.