At the beginning of May I took part in a one-week road trip through the Southwest of the USA. As an Instagramer from Germany I was invited to accompany a German-American team – three people from the not-for-profit travel agency “Discover America” – on the so-called Craft Beer Trail. The aim of this trip was to show that there are other trails beside the famous Route 66 which merit a road trip. To do so, several international teams were sent on various tours. A team which included German members was picked for the Craft Beer Trail. For us, this came down to: four states, 7 cities, and countless breweries – all within eight days! It was a comprehensive program which comprised not only breweries, but also museums, restaurants, and other points of interest. It meant that I had little time for words, even less for pictures, because I thought that the hike to the Flatiron at Boulder, Colorado, was much more interesting than foods. At least visually.
Starting on the third day, whenever possible, I got up a lot earlier than every one else and was therefore able to walk through Denver in peace, to explore the Santa Fé train station and so take some photos in Arizona which I was at least reasonably happy with.
The week was definitely interesting. I visited cities which I might never have seen otherwise, like, for example, Salt Lake City. Generally speaking it would have been obviously nicer if we had had more time in each city to immerse ourselves in its spirit. I would advise everyone to plan at least two weeks for this trip. This would also make the brewery tours more enjoyable and one would be able to concentrate better on taking photos, spend more time on the streets, and capture the spirit of America without stress. Personal highlights for me were the baseball game in Denver and the hike in Sedona!
More information on this and other iconic trails in the USA can be found at www.entdeckeamerica.
Uwa Scholz
About the author: uwa scholz. aka @uwa2000 on Instagram. Grew up in Berlin. Cell phone photographer. On Instagram since July 2011. Street photographer by coincidence. I document the city, but other Instagramers call me a street photographer. I’m currently traveling through Europe and the USA.