The Last Stop

"In Ford’s distinctly American photographs, these strange little shelters resemble hallucinated oases against endless empty landscapes, visual metaphors for refuge and rejuvenation on a long open road." — Hyperallergic "They’re the last vestiges of a bygone era, rendered obsolete by the ever-increasing affordability of air travel. There’s a tragically eerie beauty of these roadside relics – abandoned by history and a world that has passed them by, kind of like the drivers that they were created to serve." — Highsnobiety "Most travelers think of rest areas as places to pee and grab some greasy food. Ryann Ford sees them as art. OK, we’re not talking about your typical modern-day rest area...The old mid-century architecture and quirky themes (she once saw a rest-area in the form of a teepee) won her heart." — Paste Magazine "Her new book, "The Last Stop: Vanishing Rest Stops of the American Roadside," includes many of the 400 rest stops she‘s photographed across 19 states. It‘s a loving tribute to these modest monuments to travel. Her images show picnic tables, toilets and shelters -- clearly built to last -- dwarfed by the majestic panoramas of the American landscapes they‘ve served for decades." — CNN "Crisscrossing the country, she documented the rest stops’ eye-catching and re-awoke a moment in American history when the journey was as important as the destination itself – and when you could stop to take in your surroundings without being sold anything." — Huck "Truck stops aren‘t renowned for their glamour — since most people probably care more about finally finding a Starbucks than about appreciating the scenery. But photographer Ryann Ford has found moments of unexpected beauty along America‘s highways." — The Cut "The rest stop is a man-made oasis. Some are fancier—WiFi is now offered at many, along with various fast food and gas options—but the primitive set-up of a bench and shade (and sometimes a random barbecue pit) can bring tears to the eyes after a hundred-mile stretch on the interstate. It‘s the latter that caught the attention of Austin-based photographer Ryann Ford—beginning with an unusual red, white and blue rest area she spotted in Flower Mound, Texas, off the I-35. It was demolished only a few weeks after she took the photo." — Cool Hunting "Through her photographs of modest roadside rest stops, Ryann Ford captures an optimistic moment in American history when highways began to span the country." — ABC News "Her photographs are intriguing not just for what they show – the form, function and occasional kitsch of rest stops as well as the often elemental beauty of the vast landscapes around them – but also for what they don’t: cars and people." — The Guardian "From musician Joe Ely’s poetic foreword through the ironic final images, this is a moving ode to a vanishing American relic: the open-highway rest stop. We’re not talking about mini-strip-malls with fast food chains or knick-knack stores; these are lonely picnic tables and remote outposts, often graced with fanciful mid-century s and grandiose views. The map pinpoints indicate that most locations run from the midwest to the Pacific ocean, reflecting Ford’s cross-country sojourn in that part of the U.S. What a long, strange trip it must have been." — American Photo As seen in: Departures, The Manual, Governing