As much as I love jam-packed holidays filled with several tourist attractions and fun activities, nothing makes me happier than a peaceful long drive, whether that is on familiar ground back home or on unknown foreign roads.

The pictures above are from our road trip back to Calgary after a fun but also tiring day trip. There wasn't much to it besides, frothy coffee to keep our hands warm and an incredible view to please the eyes.

Before I leave it at that, I will share an interesting tidbit that got me thinking. Our conversation in the car turned to people's preference of mountains as opposed to vast open spaces like the prairies pictured above. Mountain dwellers often say they would feel isolated in a landscape like this while those used to alternative often find mountains suffocating. Me? Quite honestly, I can't seem to choose between the two.

There is something about driving up winding roads into lush mountains, surrounded by trees that show glimpses of the expansive scenery underneath, that is both relaxing and adrenaline-filled. For me, the mountains could never be suffocating. But while mountains are dynamic, prairies are still, and both are qualities I love in equal measure.

Driving down the road, the glimpses of yellow shrubs peaking through the dense snow with the glistening mountains behind them, reminded me of landscape drawings I made as a child. It may sound like an underwhelming comparison but the prairies offered the same simple and still landscape that I drew as I child with limited artistic capabilities. After a busy day in the snow, this steady and calm landscape was the perfect respite and the cherry on top, sunset colouring the white snow bright orange. 

I know I may be getting a little too philosophical, but it's nearly a new year and that means lots of introspecting, so let me have it.