This is a big place. I knew this already, but was reminded once again. I wish I could tell you I had ample time. I wish I could say I drove slowly. I wish I could tell you I made photographs and films along the way. I wish I could say I stopped and talked to someone. I wish I could say I had time to make a stand. But I didn’t. I got in the van near the far end of Long Island, and I got out in the mountains of Northern New Mexico. 2125 miles. In two days and four hours. I shot five photographs total—all of the same thing. One of the five is the one you see here. I had just slaughtered hundreds of insects and thought you should know.
- I love the United States. I still think this is a great place. The size of the country is considerable, and the space between points, as you go west, is why I love it so much. I love all regions of the country, but when my wheels crossed back to New Mexico, I was laughing with excitement.
- We have issues.
- I don’t understand many of my fellow Americans.
- Someone spent money on installing massive screens on gas pumps, screens that blare advertising at top volume. Mountain Dew, Starbucks, etc. This is incredibly annoying, and who thought this was a good idea? And why do this when the building housing the station has been under construction for three years, because “there is no money to continue the build.”
- New Mexico is still weird. The first car I saw after crossing the state line was missing its rear bumper and both rear quarter panels and was held together with duct tape. (Pontiac Aztek, the car from Breaking Bad.) The second car was a beater Subie with a dead deer in the back seat.
- Our roads are in poor condition. Not all, but many. New York and New Jersey, not great, but this is understandable. Old roads, high traffic, hard winters, and extreme difficulty in making upgrades due to the high traffic. PA is decent. Ohio and Indiana are truly shockingly bad. Illinois was a total surprise, as was Missouri, which both had almost flawless tarmac. Oklahoma was strange, but in a good way. There is no development along the highway between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. All of the development is back off the road and out of sight. Oklahoma tolls are high, however. Texas panhandle roads are decent, good in parts, but the rest of the state is a mess.
- Texas is proof of what NOT to do as a state. This state used to be so great, and now they are shooting themselves in the foot again and again. The worst urban planning in America.
- Much of the entire road system is under construction. Sure, we are near summer, so this makes sense, but it goes way beyond that. Imagine driving thirty miles of nonstop construction. I saw this in both the city and the rural areas. Almost my entire route through Dallas was under construction. In some places, we drove through construction areas unchanged in two years. No progress. Machinery sitting abandoned. Water pooling, weeds growing over half-finished bridges and roadways.
- EV vehicles are a tiny percentage at best. Above 30mph, the noise from tires surpasses engine noise, so those of you thinking EV vehicles will combat much of the road noise might be disappointed. And those same expanded lanes filled with EV vehicles make no sense. Tesla was the most common EV I saw, with KIA being number two.
- The only thing I see being done to combat massive traffic issues is lane expansion, which has to be the worst path forward. The new expanded lanes will be filled with traffic the second they are complete. We are also building massive concrete walls in an attempt to block the noise from the highway, ruining the lives of those who are unfortunate enough to live nearby. So stupid. So shortsighted.
- Oil and gas and the auto lobby are two of the most powerful forces in America.
- Men’s restrooms will give you PTSD.
- People drive WAY too fast for no reason.
- There are good and bad drivers everywhere. I did not miss the elderly in Subarus, whom I encountered the moment I returned to Santa Fe. And yes, I was yelling, “Goooooooooo,” as we sat at a green light.
- There is a ton of god, religion, Jesus, crosses, and other religious nonsense blanketing the roadways. Enough already. I have no issue with someone searching for or practicing their faith, but I find most of the marketing to be a bunch of hogwash.
- The only political signage I saw was Trump-related. One sign said God, Trump, Guns, Oil, no socialism, and something else I can’t remember, hand-painted on the side of an abandoned 18-wheeler. I would bet all the money I’ve ever had that the person who wrote it couldn’t define socialism if given a dictionary and unlimited time.
- Rural America is failing. Holy crap. It’s grim out there. Closed businesses, hospitals, and box stores. We saw entire sections of cities that were abandoned. The structures were still there, but everything was closed. It is not uncommon to stop at a gas station with non-working pumps, half-finished buildings, and unkempt grounds. Sorry, red states, it appears you’re the hardest hit.(See Red vs Blue below.)
- Food prices are crazy high. This covers both grocery stores and restaurants.
- Gas is high in places, cheap in others. But still subsidized, so you Euros would love it.
- Food choices along America’s major roadways are truly horrendous. Sugar, soda, gluten, fat, corn, artificial flavor, and color are just about all you will find. Fast food, chain restaurants. This is embarrassing.
- Americans are overweight. I visited a gas station chain with over a hundred pumps. Local people were going there just to hang out. I started counting overweight people inside, but stopped when I hit 100. RFK Jr. is entirely unqualified and dangerous for the country, but the idea that we need to change some things about the US health system is true.
- Overall, when I see something stupid happening, men are involved. Men are dull, underdeveloped, stunted, unimaginative, predictable, and just plain gross.
- The most dangerous driver on the road is a young female on her phone. Good God Almighty. They are borderline sociopathic.
- Road cyclists think they are too cool for lights, which is one reason why there are so many roadside shrines to dead cyclists.
- People play video games while they are driving. My van sits high. I see them doing so.
- A sizable percentage of truck drivers are immigrants. Indian and Asian were the two I saw the most. I kinda knew this, but didn’t really pay attention until this trip. I love this. Makes me want to know more about how this came to be. Is it generational? Why this field?
- Corn seems like the number one crop. (Wheat?)
- Most people say “hello.”
- I wore the same clothes the entire drive, even when I slept, and never took a shower. I’ve been home for half a day and am still wearing the same clothes and have not yet showered. (I told you men were gross.)
- I was completely disconnected from the news for two and a half days.
- I have many new book/photography ideas that came to me while in deep thought while driving.
- Interstate highways are a soulless way to cross the country. Go one mile off in any direction, and you begin to see and feel so much more because you must slow down.
- Red state vs blue state is a fabrication to divide us, and to put money in the pockets of the people who deserve it the least. Don’t fall for it. Every state is both red and blue. They think we are idiots, and so far, we are proving their point.
- I did not see a single train.
- I saw one person on a fully loaded touring bike riding across the country. He was in Texas, fighting a horrendous headwind and riding the interstate section of Route 66.
- Auto-dependent sprawl is the most common building method in the USA.
- Insecure men don’t like my sandals.
- We did not listen to any music or podcasts. My wife read and slept while I did all the driving.
- We love the van.
- At some point, we will have the time to do these drives right.
Comments 22
Wow. This is rich, like a German chocolate cake and a double espresso. I will respond in a letter to come, but for now, two things.
People, mostly men, are terrified, and their worst fear is someone thinking that they’re afraid, or that they are “wrong”. Men kill each other every few minutes on America in an attempt to prove otherwise.
And we are, despite people claiming to be righteous Christians, a horrendously Godless nation. Show most of these folks the words actually spoken by Jesus in the Bible, such as love and help thy neighbor, no matter they be black, brown, gay, homeless, immigrant, transgender, etc. and watch what happens.
I’m not promoting Christianity, but people are rudderless without a belief in some force greater than themselves.
Thanks Dan….now, about that espresso….
Author
We’ve perverted just about everything we are supposed to stand for. And even questioning this can now land you in hot water. What could be more American than questioning injustice? Most of the religious things I see, especially those tied to organized religion, are just facades to take money from folks who don’t know any better.
I’ve had such a road-trip hankering for the last 18 months or so and I cannot for the life of me figure out how to cram one (a meaningful one) into my schedule. My current home to my Folks’ home is basically 1500 miles. 2 twelve-hour slogs and I’m in their driveway, but like you said, that leaves zero time for detours and photography. I would also like to make the trek before cold/snow are likely.
How the heck did you not see a single train? main rail routes either north or south of you?
How did you not fall asleep without music or podcasts with your co-pilot sleeping? You’re a cyborg. Put me behind the wheel on a hot day and hold me at 20mph or less, and I’m snoring through the guardrail.
I saw a thing that restored some of my faith in humanity this morning; A world stone skimming (likely known to many as skipping) championship exists. I haven’t done the reading regarding any annual change of venue, but the recent one was held in Scotland.
Author
That’s the thing. We can’t cram. And yet we continue to do so. I wouldn’t even label this a road trip. This was a high speed burn. (At van high speed, not normal people high speed.)
I’ve been re-reading Atlas Shrugged the past few days, and some of your points feel like you’re summarising the book.
Also, I drove through Italy this summer, it was nice. Bad roads are where the fun really is…
Author
There’s cool bad and then just poorly maintained because someone stole the toll road money bad.
Dan, I believe you mentioned Bill Bryson’s “Small Town USA” some time ago, so you’d know how a road trip is done “right.” In 1993 I drove 11,000 miles in seven weeks from New Port Ritchie, FL, to San Diego, CA, and back, and I still have a big box with all the slide photographs I took.
Author
I see a book! I love Blue Highways!
By my calculations that’s about 16 hours a day!!! That’s some driving. I am always amazed when I get back from another country, how overweight we are in this country. Might have something to do with the gargantuan sugar drinks served in those fast food chains and gas stations! Really enjoyed your talk/interview in LIC. We had a great time!
Author
You are correct. Not optimal. And yes, at the gas station with a hundred pumps I saw crowds of overweight people with MASSIVE soda cups.
I’m English but have visited the US many times: LA, SF, Orange County, New York and Boston, not exactly a very representative selection, I admit. Your list of observations feels familiar to me as a visitor. Personally,I find Americans friendly, open and honest and willing to engage with a fairly open mind. Many of your remarks are also attributable to the UK; Men, drivers, cyclists, crumbling cities, poor roads, growing obesity rates. One thing we don’t have is ostentatious religion. I’ve always been curious as to how a nation with such hedonistic ways manages to be so overtly God fearing. Maybe the answer is right there.
The UK and Europe is lurching to the far ish right, center ground politics is struggling to hold on and I fear it won’t. I watched a video today on the very good Louisiana Chanel (Danish Gallery, nothing to do with the US state). Two photographers from Holland are photographing Europe in transition; It’s a ten year project but appears to be extended. How it will all shake down, I don’t know, it’s tricky time, particularly for young people of both the US and Europe.
Author
Neil, great points. Also note, the average American is a middle American which is very different from the folks who live in the places you have visited. And the truth is we aren’t a God fearing country. We say we are, and our politicos love to dangle this as red meat to the masses, but we aren’t a religious country, or a Christian country. We never have been. The Louisiana Channel is SOOOOOO goood.
Dan,
Yup, I totally get that the places I’ve visited are not middle America. I’ve ’flown over them.’
You’re right: religion is the red meat. If hypocrisy was a religion, the White House would be the cathedral.
Author
What’s amazing is the people who still fall for it.
In response to #4. There are 4 buttons/tabs on either side of the screen. Press the 2nd one from the bottom on the right hand side. It is a mute button 😉
Author
I ran my hands all over this damn things and there was nothing to turn it down or off. I’m sure some do have that feature, but this thing was as a smooth as a baby’s ass.
Great summary!
I agree and empathize on all your points.
It is a strange culture that we have evolved into.
Who would have foreseen this 40 years ago.
I am living in a state that I cannot relate to, Massachusetts, but my wife likes it here, mostly because of family.
I used to travel across the country many time just for the adventure, pleasure and photography.
Several times on a motorcycle. A Moto Guzzi. My last trip was 2 years ago out to Utah. I am 66.
The most interesting aspect that strikes me when on long trips across the country is I hardly see state troopers.
On one trip out to Montana, Wyoming Colorado, etc. I only saw a few state troopers on the entire trip but as soon as I enter Massachusetts I will see 5 or 6 in just a 50 mile stretch. NJ is probably the same but I avoid that state.
I drive to Boston from western MA frequently on the mass pike and will ALWAYS see on average 10 state troopers. I don’t get it. Why do we need so much law enforcement?
Cops everywhere, keeping us safe I guess. From what I am not sure.
Been to and through each and every state except Hawaii, but I kind of did when we landed there coming from S.Korea many many years ago to refuel.
Your story reminds me of my longest trip 17 years ago. I packed up my old Volvo 940 (had 270,000 miles on her, still ran like a Swiss watch)) , hit the road, went through Canada on the Trans Canadian highway.
Drove for 36 hours pretty much straight except for gas stops, replace a blown alternator belt, and cat nap for a few hours.
Then I crashed at a truck stop and slept for 6 or so hours.
Not much to see until hitting Alberta. I love mountains!
Headed north, through Banff, Jasper etc.
Entered TOK Alaska. The general store there had several older gents sitting in chairs.
One guy saw my Volvo and MA plates and asked me for the front license plate. He said he collects them and didn’t have one from MA.
After talking to them over coffee, I decided to give him the plate.
I figured I didn’t need the front plate.
Stayed there for 14 hours or so then turned around and headed south as I was using up too much time for my vacation.
The small border station must of thought it odd but didn’t say anything. Easy crossings.
This was before our national fear and paranoia we seem to have developed as a country.
Came back across Montana, stopped at Glacier national park, drove around Montana, through Utah (great state I thought), Arizona, Colorado and then headed east.
Stopped at many places during the trip for photography. Mostly used a Hasselblad 500.
I wish I could live out west. Northern AZ or Utah maybe.
I wish I had done photo books like you always do, talk about and recommend. Should have done it on all my trips but I didn’t. Regrets. We all have em.
BTW, You have a gift in writing.
Ciao
Hi Daniel. I’m disappointed that I couldn’t make it to your talk in NYC last week. Glad you got home safely. I couldn’t have coped with that journey at that speed, with no music and only five photographs, but it seems you’ve done that journey many times before.
A road trip would be nice. Finally got my US driver’s license, but hesitating to get a car for several reasons, including the precarity of being a permanent resident whose green card is being renewed after a decade. The estimated wait time went from 24 months down to 18 months and then up to 25 months. Before 2025, I believe it used to just take a few months as a routine procedure.
When’s the next Q&A video? Now, here’s a question:
“How can I stay sane while waiting for my green card and having to constantly self-censor?”
I’ve been posting a few things on Substack, kind of essays, but can’t say much. I have several drafted that I can’t post. Trying to be indirect. But I’m not that kind of a writer. Not clever or creative when it comes to metaphors and so on. And who wants to read my ramblings anyway? Perhaps I’ll end up with an audience of one: Just some MAGA guy working at USCIS. I’m living in fear of a rejection.
But I cannot NOT channel everyday thoughts and frustrations into some kind of writing from time to time. Maybe the answer is to compile essays over time and make a Blurb book, and be able to share writing (and images) without it being searchable online. That seems interestingly subversive. But a much bigger project demanding a lot more time. And I’m meant to be working on academic publications about another topic.
Maybe there’s potential for collaborations… Collected writings (and a few photos) from several collaborators about the present moment in history… Now, there’s a thought…
Author
Yes, compile, compile, compile. Wait. Forget about the audience.
Yes, definitely compile, compile, compile. But I’m in two minds. The historical record is important, and diaries / journals or any kind of written work can be important for that… And I’m not seeking an audience (“followers”)… But there is something about 2025 especially that hits me as an urgency to be in real-time conversation, rather than writing notes for later review… This feeling of unfreedom, a predicted winter of discontent, and the chilling of free speech is all making me feel a kind of anxiety that I’ve not felt before…
Last weekend, we drove our Fiat Ducato campervan (same as yours, but Italian) from the north coast of France to the south coast – about 1200km, or 750 miles. Stopped twice for fuel. The first stop had a patisserie shop, selling the usual top quality French bread and cakes. I indulged. Hard not to. The services also had fuel, EV chargers, a restaurant, coffee stand, toilets, shady rest areas, etc. Everything was clean and nicely presented. I can’t remember the other services – no patisserie and not as nice. It’s hard to relate what I see on main French roads to what you describe. However, I live in Ireland and I can relate to some of your other comments on driving styles and stupidity.
Author
You had me at French bread…..