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Near Big Bend National Park, Texas – This is one of the most remote rest areas in the country. Since almost no two are the same, the anticipation of what the next one down the road will look like is really fun. I usually plot a weeklong trip around a few great ones that I’ve found online, and then end up finding lots more along the way. When I find one that looks really unique or fun, I do a little research and then set out to find it. RF: Before heading out on a photo trip, I use Google Images to find various people’s snapshots of rest areas all over the country. ĭY: What was the process like of finding your locations? It was the middle of winter and was below freezing, there wasn't a soul around. 84 – I was driving to Colorado from Texas and stopped at sunrise to get this photo. These sites not only illustrate a unique period in the American travel experience, but are significant for the architectural forms found within them. Rest areas have become relics of America’s roadside past.
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They gave small towns a chance to show their cultural significance. When interstate highways were first built, passing up many small towns, rest stops were a way to reconnect people to the places they were traveling though.
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RF: Even though I think it’s inevitable that these stops will ultimately be lost, I think it so very important to document the remaining ones before they are gone forever. Like this story? Get the latest from the Daily Yonder directly in your inbox, twice each week. There were "Beware of Rattlesnakes" signs everywhere! ĭY: Why do you think preserving these stops is important? It has these cool southwestern-style structures that are nestled back in the sand dunes. Anthony, New Mexico – I-10 – New Mexico/Texas Border – This is a great little stop on the border of New Mexico and Texas. I had considered doing a photo project on them before, but this was the deciding factor. I came across a news article detailing the closure of many of them due to budget cuts, and they weren’t just being closed, but demolished. One night I decided to Google “rest areas” to see what they looked like in other areas of the country. I noticed that a lot of them looked really old, some had cool mid-century architecture, some were really quirky, like they were shaped like a teepee or an oil derrick, or had a theme to them depending on the region we were in. We had the giant interstate rest areas in California, but it wasn’t until living here that I really started to notice rest areas. I started noticing these cute little roadside tables along the different highways. Shortly after moving to Austin from California, I would get sent out on assignment by Texas Monthly magazine, and often had to drive all over Texas. RF: The Last Stop is a photography project documenting the vanishing roadside rest areas of America’s highways. What drew you to photographing rest stops? What’s compelling about them to you? I had shot this one before in the summer, but the snow gave it a whole new look. We were the first ones to stop since the snow overnight. I was driving back to Texas after being in Colorado for Christmas when I passed this stop. After graduation I attended Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, and decided to specialize in architecture. Even then I loved exploring and shooting forgotten and lonely places. I always enjoyed photography growing up and finally took my first class in high school. Ryann Ford: I grew up in the mountains of Southern California, a very small town of about 6,000 people named Running Springs, near Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear. ĭaily Yonder: Where did you grow up? Tell us a little bit about your background. You couldn’t take a bad picture at this place. It was a hot summer day at sunset when we were shooting, and a thunderstorm had just rolled through, so hardly anyone was around. The picnic tables there are iconic, straight out of the '60s, and the landscape is like no place else on earth. All photos by Ryann Ford White Sands National Monument, New Mexico – This is by far my most favorite location.