The American road trip is a rite of passage, an attempt to bring families together, an opportunity to gain perspective, and a chance to induce artistic inspiration. Robert Frank, Jack Kerouac, and Bob Dylan embody the archetype of the unknown untraveled American road that ultimately leads to external and internal discovery. Simultaneously, the inherent nature of passing though real places with real people and real things reveals the dichotomy between authenticity and novelty. The American road trip is intensely impactful and/or experienced as a type of Voyeurism via disposable cameras that accumulate landscapes and moments as souvenirs.

    The photographs in this series were taken in 2005, over 5 weeks, 21 states, and 11,000 miles. Digital cameras and smart phones were not ubiquitous; no Instagram, no twitter, no selfies, no Facebook, just paper maps, handwritten journals, and photos that had to be dropped off and developed over 24 hours. 2005 does not seem very long ago but it also feels intensely distant. It was a time of more unconstrained simplicity and freedom that perhaps is no longer possible. Nonetheless, small towns, sketchy truck stops, and obscure state parks over thousands of miles and loud music will always nostalgically narrate the certain unchangeable continuity of America, no matter how we document it.