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In 2013, I ate Mexican food with a girl named Allison. In 2014, we drove across the US. People still ask me why I did it. "Because she loves Mexican food" is one answer, but "because she loves national parks" is better. She was offered a job at Yosemite, but she couldn't drive from Florida to California by herself in such little time. She was planning to turn down the offer. I bought a plane ticket the next day and we were off. We had ten national parks to see, all between Colorado and California. We tried to reach Colorado in 28 hours. We didn't stop until Amarillo, Texas and napped in a parking lot, laughing hysterically at our discomfort. We were out like lights soon after. We woke up and kept going. Despite a snowstorm and limited visibility, we made it. We couldn't see the Great Sand Dunes but had the comfort of knowing they were there. We slept for 12 hours. Then, the snow had stopped and we saw blue sky behind the tallest sand dunes on the continent. After exploring, we were on the road again. We set out for Mesa Verde and walked through Spruce Tree House pueblo homes. At Arches, we got up early to hike to Delicate Arch before the crowds arrived. Next was Canyonlands, where we drove the road and visited various viewpoints. Then came Capitol Reef where we hiked with snakes. Next was Bryce Canyon where we stared at towering hoodoos. Zion followed, and we hiked small trails and saw Kolob Canyon, the perfect place for solitude before Las Vegas. We went to Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam. You wouldn't believe the size of it without standing there yourself. In Death Valley, we went to Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America at -282 feet. Continuing north, we entered Sequoia and Kings Canyon, standing beneath the largest tree in the world and walking among giants. Last was Yosemite. We were at one of the most famous national parks in the world, but the trip was at an end. We visited Glacier Point and hiked what we could. Then just like that, it was time for Allison and me to part ways. I had to say goodbye to this person I barely knew, then got to know so intimately. Would we see each other again, or rely on memories of these twelve national parks? What a disaster this could have been. But we took the risk and we're better for it. Allison and I became best friends and still travel to national parks together. We have been to Denali, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone. I'm lucky to have her as my lifetime travel companion.