Road Tripping USA
Or what happened when a recent flight from Denver to NYC was cancelled because yet another blizzard was due to hit the north-east of the USA. The next available flight was not available until six days later. We hit the road, the Interstate-70 East and watched as the states rolled by in a blur of constant motion, starting with the high plains drifting from Colorado and Kansas . . .
The middle of nowhere is someone's somewhere . . . .
Nightfall Topeka, Kansas . . . (iPhone)
Struggling in the dark, noisy light of St. Louis, Missouri . . .
Morning in Ohio . . .
Pennsylvania . . .
New Jersey Lights!
Snow covered streets of New York!
The photographs are a collaboration, our family version of I Spy, and most taken from the moving car through a dirty window, settings all over the place. Just like us!
Well, we would have done the same thing, jump in a car and take off. You made the best of a crappy situation. My favorite was your caption, “The middle of nowhere is someone’s somewhere.” I love that. Glad you are home safe and sound. Talk about a detour!! Margie
The thought of hanging around hotels and airports was too much. Good to know you would have been on the road too Margie!
I hope you didn’t have to walk! 😉 It is so much more interesting by the road than outside an airplane window. Very good series! Guns and Jeseus… 😉
Bente, you are so right about it being more interesting on the road and can’t wait to do it again with more time to explore. Thank you so much for your kind comment!
Yes, repent and Jesus is real with the gun show. Far out man. Good shots and I loved the blurred shot of the farm house taken through the window. Confess your sins!
It would take years.
Such are the rights to free speech and to bear arms! As lovely as it is to see farm houses from an Interstate I do feel for the owners having to look and listen to it where once upon a time there was probably a much simpler road . . . 😦
As for your sins Gerard, I can’t possibly comment except to say that, as a Catholic, we get to wipe our slates clean on a weekly basis!
Did I-70 long ago. Read your post, loved the pictures and am now fighting flashbacks. The Lincoln Tunnel shot is mind blowing. You made it through that at night? Kudos to whoever drove. I do remember the desolation of the plains, flat, forever flat. Happy you on the East Coast.
How long did you take Tom? Hope the flashbacks aren’t giving you too much grief . . . . Mr Kuche took us through the tunnel by which time it was as good as a home run!
It is difficult to imagine how empty large portions of this country until you see it.
We know it’s out there but we also know that out there is another country. Imagine trekking out there with a horse and wagon all those pioneering years ago . . .
I’m hearing there is snow in Atlanta and it has ground to a halt. I guess more 7 day delays in the air. Road trips could return be the new way to go!
I know! I heard on the radio today there is black ice on the roads down south which must be a nightmare . . . We were so lucky, and grateful the roads weren’t too bad. NYC roads were the worst which reminded us why we did what we did! Here’s to more road trips!
What a journey, Patti – not simply in miles, but through such diverse cultural landscapes. Loved so many of these pix … 🙂
Thank you Meredith!
Woody Guthrie sang it best
The “I need a kidney” photo just about did me in…in a former life I was a dialysis social worker. What can I add? You could write a book with these snaps- heck, you did.
A sign with a difference that’s for sure, and you know all about the desperation . ..
Oh my God. What a trek! What an incredible and diverse country! Gosh you sure have done some tripping and photographing. Did i notice Dom putting petrol in the car! Hey and what amazing weather in NYC -10 to -4c and Chicago -21 to -10c. Keep warm my sweet one. Actually sweltering here in Tassie. Keep up the good work xx
Oh Robbie, I don’t know what to say . . . I don’t think Dom has ever put petrol in a car, I think he might know how to if he had to. He doesn’t have a driver’s license yet and not sure when that is ever going to happen. Until then he gets to sleep in the back seat although not sure when that is going to happen again either. Hope it cools down for you soon dear Robbie! xxx
Yup – gotta admit the “i need a kidney’ outdoes the rest of the bible belt propaganda :>) you got some good ones here!
This one did jump out at us! Thank you Pat for your kind words – shooting from a moving car is always full of road bumps, blurs, missed opportunities, exhaustion and so much more. I was sorry not to get a photo of the nice young State Trooper who pulled us over in Kansas for speeding but I didn’t want to push my luck.
What great sights on this trip. Looks like something you won’t soon forget.
Thank you Angeline, the trip is falling into time warp territory already!
Great shots, as usual. Did that expanse of flat, flat country remind you of Nevertire? How long is Dom going to be in US? xx g.
Thank you Gaynor, it was like Nevertire on steroids! Will keep you posted on the Dom!
Small town USA, kind of as I imagined. 🙂 Interesting views of country life.
I know exactly what you mean Lignum and then I am thrown by just how “big” small town USA really is! Perhaps that doesn’t make sense . . .
Wow, what a trip! Great shots, Patti! Just like something from a road movie – just with more religion and kidneys.
Never underestimate the power of the kidney!
This is traveling! On the road, again (soundtrack for your photos), an adventure you will not forget. Did you rent the car? If yes it is in the Robert Frank style! Ok, he took more time…but your photos are beautiful…difficult for me to say which one I prefer, probably the one with the smokestacks in the New Jersey…
robert
So pleased you like the smokestacks – there were so many along the way – Kansas City, St Louis but I either couldn’t get the shots or I was driving, a rented car. It felt at times as though we were following the industrial pulse of the US and we had it all to ourselves in the middle of the night, along with so many trucks on the road. Thank you so much for your kind words and so hope to get on the road again with much more time. As for the Robert Frank style, swoon!
Those billboards are like chapters of a novel describing the people who live in the solitude of such vastness.
So well said Marcelo, and how exciting to read between the lines for surprises!
The most interesting trips are often the unexpected ones. You must have had a blast with your camera!
No great expectations and all the thrill of the ride! Seriously though, we were very lucky with the weather on the way and yes, the camera did get a work out between the three of us!
What an interesting Trip and great photo series. I really like how you document your trip. “The middle of nowhere is someone’s somewhere . . .” This is true. The best stories come from life itself and by accident. And Woody Guthrie is perfect for the trip. Whenever it is possible I prefer still to travel on the road. I hope you can do it soon again.
Stefan
You make so many wonderful points, thank you Stefan and, as you say, there are so many pleasures to be had from traveling the road. Wherever it takes us. Love to hear about your journeys!
Excellent road trip photo essay. Gorgeous countryside, and thr trucks look like elephants lumbering across open plains.
I like that shot of the Saint Lois Arch. I have ideas of how to shoot that landmark, and hopefully someday I’ll get the chance to pull one of them off.
Amazing photos! Were you glad to be back safe and sound in NYC?
Wow Patti! You have captured the mood and feel of these places so very well. I can feel the vibration of the car:)
What an unexpected adventure! Thank you for taking us along on that cross country ride 🙂
fun times!! I love road trips. 🙂
I’ll add another wow! These made me ache to go on a road trip, you’ve caught the atmosphere and emptiness so well. It’s hard to imagine such space here – I’d love to see it. And these signs are just the beginning of so many stories aren’t they..some of the best times happen on the road v. plane – you just see so much and are reminded of the distance/difference between places – bet you’ll always remember it far more than you would’ve a flight!
love this post. gotta get back out there!
“Jesus is real” – What a surreal post! 😀
Hey … thanks for the vacation. A road trip my favorite way to travel. I’m not big on flying.
Isn’t it incredible how many religious signs are strewn on all the highways?
DO people stop and find Jesus because they’re driving somewhere?
Do they think people will become part of their congregation because of extreme road exhaustion?
Ssooo …. many questions about those signs.
When I get in the car I sing (not very well – and – with an odd look from hubby) Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again”.
Gosh, if there wasn’t so much snow around I’d take a road trip.
But, in the meantime … THANKS for the ride.
Issy xoxo
CG’s comment made me laugh as usual … thank you for the ride and sights Patti – I wonder what happened to the kidney guy :S
Looks like you found the Bible Belt on your way 😉 Interesting vista’s on your journey. I see someone was keeping their sugar levels up with the Dunkin’ Donuts – very important on a long drive. Love those farms in the snow and the trucks 🙂
Patti, I have been crazy busy and unable to follow bogs much at all – this is now ancient history for you! Anyway, I too enjoyed it, the kidney billboard, the inside of the car after a few tough days on the road with the family…and then it hits: NJ, the lights, the familiar look of a snowy NY side street. So familiar, that feeling of coming home to New York.
It is with great interest that I studied your photos of your cross-country trip. The great flat horizon of the Western Plains, the soft rolling hills of the Midwest, the cities, night, day, clear sunny days, snow, … it’s all there…
Four years ago, my wife and I started out from Ottawa, Ontario, heading west trough Port Huron, Michigan, towards Seattle through Chicago, Omaha, Rapid City SD, and back through Fargo ND, Duluth MN, and Sault-Ste-Marie ON : 14,000 km. Then last year, at this time of the year, we left Montreal towards Florida (five days) and came back (eight weeks), sticking to the coast like velcro : 8,000 km. Somewhere along the road during the first cross-continent trip, I started taking pictures of the road, while my wife was driving. We were travelling in a small RV, camping along the way.
It’s a fantastic experience.
I took note of your shots of the billboards along the road. I started taking note of the billboards along the road during the second trip. Wish I had taken pictures of them — I will be more observant during my next trip.
The continent is so vast and diverse, yet small at the same time.
What wonderful journeys and, as you say, fantastic experiences. Plus you seem to have given yourself the luxury of time to really explore. In my fantasy road trip I am torn between taking a small RV and camping or getting a small car, something like a Subaru Outback heading from NY to Buffalo, Detroit and across to the South Dakota Badlands and taking it from there. The south is another thing altogether, one day I hope!
What plans do you have for your next adventure? No wonder film makers enjoy the big American road trip movies, they almost write themselves! Happy clicking out the window next time, the photos being living proof of the freedom of free speech across this great land!
Lovely to meet you Fernan!
Thank you for your response.
Our experience is that you get to know the country better when camping. You get to meet people and talk with your neighbours. You really feel the pulse of the nation that way. Ours is a small 20 ft RV, not much larger than a Volkswagen camper. Yet, it’s comfortable. Just like being home on the road : https://www.flickr.com/photos/fernanc/6085590039/in/album-72157622567689837/
Also, the frame is that of a Chevy Express 3500. This is the same as the trucks electricians, plumbers use to work. You get to see the road for a higher point of view.
Next extended trip : next year, from Montreal to the SW USA, New Mexico, San Diego, San Francisco and back. Probably 12 weeks.
If you’re interested, I posted a few road photos here : http://fernancarriere.com/2015/03/17/les-routes-de-lamerique/ .
Five days to get from Montreal to Florida : http://fernancarriere.com/2014/12/10/de-lhiver-a-lete-en-cinq-jours/
Also, through my former photo club, I accepted a challenge before leaving on my east to west trip four years ago : Parking — http://fernancarriere.com/2014/02/22/stationnements/.
Looking forward to following your blog…