FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: powerHouse Books is pleased to announce the May 24, 2016 release of The Last Stop: Vanishing Rest Stops of the American Roadside
Road-tripping along historic Route 66 is a wanderer’s dream. With its open stretches of blacktop and vast vistas, the route from California to Texas epitomizes the overwhelming spirit of the American Southwest. While embarking on this epic journey, photographer Ryann Ford was struck by the multitude of humble, solitary mid-century rest stops built during the nation’s golden age of car travel. What may have been a nondescript blur outside the car window to most, intrigued Ford. What was the story behind these quirky and playful pieces of Americana, such as the mock adobe dwellings in New Mexico and faux oil rigs in Texas, which she passed by? The Route 66 trip left Ford wanting more, so she set out on a quest to document as many of these locales as possible, all across the country.It was a race against time: with countless commercial options at nearly every highway exit, many feel that these old rest stops are no longer necessary, and many were being closed and scheduled for demolition. Determined to capture as many as she could while they were still in existence, Ford did whatever she needed to gain access. Whether ducking under fences, stepping over fallen trees, or hiking through the snow, she found a way to get the shot. Collected together for The Last Stop: Vanishing Rest Stops of the American Roadside, Ford’s photographs take us on a memorable ride across the United States, visiting more than 75 different locales along the way. Included in the book are rest stops in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Illinois, Kansas, Montana, Mississippi, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri. With The Last Stop, Ford does far more than capture the remarkable, effective design of our nation's road stops, she preserves a moment in the American travel experience when the journey was just as important as the destination itself.
A partial preview is available by clicking here: The Last Stop Photography / Travel / Americana High-res scans to your specification are available upon request; scanning from the book or lifting images from the mechanical file are strictly prohibited. Mandatory credit line: From The Last Stop by Ryann Ford, published by powerHouse Books. For more information, please contact: |
