Beautiful States of Mind
A Father and Daughters’ Pilgrimage to All 50 States
Beautiful States of Mind guides readers on a father and daughters’ wondrous pilgrimage through 50 states. The end result is a heartwarming tale of family reckoning, exploration, healing, and growth.
Available now!
Description
Beautiful States of Mind is a memoir. It is also a book about travel, parenting, self discovery, and Americana.
Follow a father on a one-of-a-kind bonding experience with his two daughters as he comes to grips with a new family reality following divorce. Through his cathartic journey he is able to take something that has been broken and make it whole again through the auspice of travel.
Gone, however, were the carefree journeys of his youth involving parties with models, beachfront hostels, and bartending on Bourbon Street. Now it was packing for three, navigating a festival of meltdowns, and learning to appreciate the wonders of butt-kicking machines and purse museums.
Beautiful States of Mind guides readers on a father and daughters’ wondrous pilgrimage through 50 states. The end result is a heartwarming tale of family reckoning, exploration, healing, and growth.
Reviews
Hear from a few of those who have read the book.
“Divorce is hard, painful and heartbreaking. Families are torn asunder. In Beautiful States of Mind, Chelan David hits the road with his two daughters and shows us how to emerge from the darkness. He is not putting it back together. State by state, he is building something new. Something better. Something beautiful.”
– Mike Matson, columnist and award-winning author of Courtesy Boy
“By conquering all 50 states with his daughters, Chelan David provides a roadmap to parents in search of adventure, spontaneity, and special bonding moments. Travel – like sport – can be an incredible teacher of life lessons. I can’t imagine a better coach on the road than Chelan.”
– Scott Novosel, former University of Kansas basketball player and author of Fieldhouse
“Chelan’s love for his daughters shines through on every page of this travelogue. From September 11 to Covid-19 and the death of George Floyd, the young family’s travels intertwine with events that have helped shape this nation in the equally young 21st century. Chelan’s eye for detail and his commitment to connecting with his girls through the ups and downs of their voyage make for a heartwarming read, while offering tips for things to experience should readers decide to make a similar journey of their own.”
– Sara Bennett Wealer, Author of GRAVE THINGS LIKE LOVE and NOW & WHEN, Delacorte Press
“I’ve known Chelan for years and have long admired him as a great father. This is a touching, beautiful story of how travel molded Chelan’s own childhood and in turn, has helped guide his adult life and create an eternally beautiful connection with his daughters. A must read for anyone with a heart.”
– Dave O, Afternoon Drive Host at Mix 93.3
“An honest, wise, and tender account of a father’s love, his desire to save his daughters from the devastation of a broken marriage, one that he himself suffered growing up, Beautiful States of Mind is the riveting story of one family’s healing through travel and adventure. Chelan’s ambitious quest to visit all fifty states with his daughters following a painful divorce, is a profound exploration of intergenerational trauma and redemption, as well as a life-affirming meditation on the sacred nature of travel, its ability not only to expand one’s soul, but ultimately, heal and deepen our most cherished bonds.”
– Robert Young, Author and Founder of Beauty and Praise of Altruists Foundation
“All stories of travel begin with a starting place. And Beautiful States of Mind shows us how even the most tragic beginnings can become inspiring, guiding touchstones. Chelan David’s loving, vivid prose lighten the heaviness of his own starting place – a trauma-rocked childhood. And with his fatherly hand, his words guide us on a courageous emotional adventure. Chelan’s tales will take you away, and they will ground you in the beauty of family love and human resilience. It’s an enchanting way to travel the fifty united states.”
– Becky Blades, author of Start More Than You Can Finish and Do Your Laundry or You’ll Die Alone
“Beautiful States of Mind is a joyful intergenerational journey that explores with humor and vulnerability the ways history and geography define our identity. Chelan David seamlessly weaves together family adventures, fascinating stories of both quirky and iconic American places, and reflections on his own childhood. A beautifully written and poignant narrative that inspires us to embrace the importance of family and self-discovery.”
– Sabrina Stoker, author of Poisons of War
Excerpts
Read a few small excerpts from the book.
Planet Earth
Although my travels were limited as a teenager, I still carried a latent wanderlust from my time traveling the world as a child. My impulses were reinforced by letters I received from my father when I was in elementary school. One such letter – addressed to me and my sister – read: “You two remember that life is big and beautiful and the universe is also big and beautiful, and so never get hemmed in like a bird in a cage. Get your two selves out of the confines of Lawrence, out of Kansas, out of USA, out of India, and out of the earth (that is to Jupiter, Venus etc.) and see and do things.”
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
We woke up in and donned our Rocky uniforms: grey sweatpants and sweatshirts with black skull caps. The girls were excited to see the “Rocky Stairs.” We’d watched the movie before our trip. Afterwards we discussed some of the lessons that could be learned: never giving up; recognizing potential in others; and winning isn’t everything. One of the things I’d forgotten was that Rocky lost the fight to Apollo Creed in a split decision. However, as my kids pointed out, he won because he did his best.
Excerpt #3
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
There are a lot of things to do in Cape Cod, but ice floe hunting is generally not one of them. In our quest to find a beach with suitable viewing, we stopped by a small visitor center operated by the National Park Service. The gentleman behind the counter appeared grumpy when we interrupted his afternoon reading and assumed an even fouler mood when we asked him where we might be able to see icebergs.
Icebergs, he admonished us, are large chunks of freshwater ice. Ice floes, on the other hand, are chunks of frozen saltwater. Being from Kansas, I wasn’t well-versed in the intricacies of glacial ice packs. Regardless, after a quick lecture we were provided with a map to Wellfleet, a small Cape Cod community where ice floes had washed ashore.
Excerpt #4
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
During the day the Grand Canyon is breathtaking. At sunset, it’s truly magical. An ever evolving palette of color, the canyon undergoes various permutations, depending on weather conditions and time of day. As the sun descends, dancing shadows tango with vivid frescos; shadows of marigold, vermillion, and scarlet flicker across the rugged peaks and valleys. The air cools and conversations hush. One is left to reflect on the enormity of the universe and their place on Earth.
Excerpt #5
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
We craned our heads towards the top of a hill and saw a group of buffalo. Soon we heard bellowing. Kylie and I got out of the car to get a better look. Two bulls began to challenge each other, crashing heads and trying to hook each other with their horns. After about a minute the vanquished bison was butted down the hill, in our direction.
It was surreal to have an enraged 2,000 pound animal careening our way. Frenzied and unruly, it resembled a wooly tornado, ready to eviscerate anything in front of it. As the bull regained its balance, its dark and unnerving eyes bore into us. Under the coarse, shaggy fur was a huge hump, composed of muscle. Although bison are bovids – members of the cattle family – this didn’t look like a tubby cow on the farm. It looked like a chiseled cow that had been pumping a lot of iron. An imposing pair of upward-curved horns rested on the mammal’s broad head, poised for action.
Excerpt #6
Anchorage, Alaska
Eklutna Lake wasn’t on our original itinerary and expectations were minimal. We were in for a pleasant treat. Emerging from the parking lot trail we were met with an Artic oasis. The sky had cleared. A brilliant sun illuminated the turquoise glacial waters, as clear and blue as an emperor butterfly. In the nearby peaks, forget-me-nots – Alaska’s state flower – intermingled with dogwood and fireweed. The soaring Chugach Mountains provided a majestic backdrop.
