I spent years chasing photos of The Wave—those impossible, swirling rocks in Arizona. Winning the permit lottery felt like a sign. I imagined standing there, feeling small and awed, finally part of the landscape I’d obsessed over. But when I got there, all I could think about was how thirsty I was, how the sun made my skin ache, how the silence wasn’t peaceful but sharp. I took the photos, but none of them looked right. I kept waiting for the moment to feel like it was supposed to. It never did. Maybe some places are better as dreams. Or maybe I’m just not the person I thought I’d be when I finally arrived. #Travel #TravelExpectations #UnfilteredJourneys