While driving in 2007 on a solo road trip from California to central Texas, photographer Ryann Ford was struck by a recurring sight: Humble, solitary rest stops. Her book, The Last Stop, does far more than capture the remarkable, effective design of our nation’s road stops. It preserves a moment in time that is quickly fading, a unique period in the American travel experience when the journey was just as important as the destination. Near Lajitas, Texas, FM 170.
Ryann Ford via powerHouse Books
- While driving in 2007 on a solo road trip from California to central Texas, photographer Ryann Ford was struck by a recurring sight: Humble, solitary rest stops. Her book, The Last Stop, does far more than capture the remarkable, effective design of our nation’s road stops. It preserves a moment in time that is quickly fading, a unique period in the American travel experience when the journey was just as important as the destination. Near Lajitas, Texas, FM 170.Ryann Ford via powerHouse Books
- Winona, Texas, I-20.Ryann Ford via powerHouse Books
- Near Abiquiu, New Mexico, U.S. 84. "I was driving back to Texas, after being in Colorado for Christmas, when I passed this stop. We were the first ones to stop there since snow had fallen overnight," wrote Ford.Ryann Ford via powerHouse Books
- Galveston, Texas.Ryann Ford via powerHouse Books
- Bonneville Salt Flats, Wendover, Utah.Ryann Ford via powerHouse Books
- Walker Lake, Nevada, U.S. 95. "Shortly after arriving here, we started noticing an unusual prevalence of very large spiders. Actually, they were everywhere. It was so strange and creepy that we Googled it, and sure enough, news articles detailed the freakish spider infestation, wrote Ford.Ryann Ford via powerHouse Books
- Flower Mound, Texas, I-35. "This was the rest stop that inspired the project," wrote Ford. "As I researched rest stops to see what was beyond the Austin area, I was excited to find a photo of this rest stop, and then shocked to read it would soon be demolished. The next weekend I drove four hours north to shoot it, and sure enough, it was demolished a few weeks later."Ryann Ford via powerHouse Books
- Las Cruces, New Mexico, I-10.Ryann Ford via powerHouse Books
- Sonora, Texas, I-10.Ryann Ford via powerHouse Books
- Monument Valley, Arizona. "This is one of the last picnic tables in Monument Valley. There were many more, but the rest were demolished so that a hotel overlooking the valley could be built. This table is located in a pull-off, offering a great view of "The Mittens" rock formations in the background," wrote Ford.Ryann Ford via powerHouse Books
- White Sands National Monument, New Mexico. "This is by far my favorite location. The picnic tables there are iconic, straight out of the 60s, and the landscape is like no place else on earth. It was a hot summer day at sunset when we were shooting, and a thunderstorm had just rolled through, so hardly anyone was around. You couldn't take a bad picture in this place," wrote Ford.Ryann Ford via powerHouse Books
- Near Thackerville, Oklahoma, I-35. This stop was closed and fenced off, but we found a farm road just past the rest area that took us around back. It looked like it had been closed for years; some of the giant oaks had fallen on a few of the teepees, and it was winter, so the trees were bare.Ryann Ford via powerHouse Books
