Original Collection

The Ultimate Road Trip

In the summer of 2002, a pickup truck, a blue tarp, and a manageable regard for distance set out across the country.

The surviving record covers mountain lakes, roadside signs, monuments, museums, ballparks, Chicago, New York, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Denver, and enough highway to justify the title.

Select any photograph to see the larger version.

Travelers stand beside a pickup loaded beneath a blue tarp.
Two travelers pose beside the packed pickup before departure.
Three travelers gather between the packed vehicles.
A traveler opens a pickup door in a parking lot.
Two travelers stand beside parked sport utility vehicles.
A smiling driver looks out from a red pickup.
A closer view of the driver in the red pickup.
A traveler poses at a roadside overlook above a bridge.
A calm mountain lake beneath wooded hills.
The lake and forested hills from the shoreline.
The mountain lake seen through evergreen trees.
The trip vehicles parked at a wooded stop.
A traveler stands at the edge of the mountain lake.
A traveler poses beside the lake.
A traveler stands beneath a roadside historical marker.
A quiet lawn and parking area at a mountain stop.
A posted notice at a roadside recreation area.
A traveler adjusts gear on the grass.
A traveler continues arranging equipment on the lawn.
A small-town bar and parked car.
Storefronts along a small-town street.
Two travelers pose beside a red trolley.
One traveler sits while another stands beside the trolley.
A town spread across a hillside.
A wider view across the hillside town.
Two travelers consult road maps on the pickup tailgate.
An overhead view of maps spread across the tailgate.
Travelers trace the route across a road map.
Another close view of the route-planning session.
A traveler stands near the pickup beneath darkening clouds.
A nearly dark view across rows of cemetery markers.
Rows of white markers recede into the distance.
Cemetery markers at dusk.
Travelers walk among the markers after dark.
Two travelers stand among the cemetery markers.
Rows of markers beneath tall trees.
Travelers walk between cemetery markers at dusk.
A close view of a weathered headstone.
The moon against a black night sky.
Another close view of the moon.
A traveler sits on a motel-room bed.
A television glows in the motel room.
A roadside motel sign at dusk.
The low motel building beneath a clear morning sky.
Another view of the roadside motel.
A large Wyoming welcome sign beside the highway.
Travelers walk toward the Wyoming sign.
Travelers reorganize bags and gear at a roadside stop.
Three travelers sit among the luggage.
Open plains viewed from the vehicle.
A broad stretch of plains and distant hills.
A small portrait card propped against the dashboard.
The portrait card beside drinks and the gearshift.
Another dashboard view of the portrait card.
A close view of the card below the car stereo.
The dashboard card framed by the stereo and cup holders.
A black sightseeing bus passing through town.
The tarp-covered pickup traveling through an intersection.
Mount Rushmore seen from below the surrounding pines.
Two travelers sit on a stone wall at the overlook.
Granite formations rising above the trees.
Travelers secure the tarp on the pickup.
A traveler leans against the open pickup bed.
The approach toward Mount Rushmore.
Mount Rushmore at the end of the approach.
A tilted view of the granite cliffs and blue sky.
Three travelers sit together at the overlook.
Three travelers pose with the granite landscape behind them.
Four travelers sit together on a stone wall.
A closer view of Mount Rushmore through the trees.
The monument framed by pine branches.
Another close view of the carved mountain.
Layered formations across the Badlands.
A road winding through open Badlands country.
Two travelers pose at a Badlands overlook.
Two travelers stand farther back from the overlook.
Deeply eroded ridges and gullies.
Pale Badlands formations under a hazy sky.
Dry grass beside a roadside sign.
Prairie grasses on the edge of the Badlands.
A closer view of dry grass and eroded ground.
A weathered fence and marker in the grasslands.
A wooden roadside marker bearing the number eight.
Dark ridges beneath a glowing sunset.
Sunset light over the Badlands.
Pale formations in late-day light.
Another distant view of the pale ridges.
Orange sky above a dark rock formation.
Two travelers stand beneath a sheltered overlook.
A lone tree and jagged formations at dusk.
A historic brick building on a quiet street.
An indoor baseball field viewed from the stands.
A closer view of the artificial-turf baseball diamond.
The domed stadium interior and upper deck.
A spectator watches from the stands.
The baseball diamond from high above home plate.
Players spread across the indoor field.
The field and outfield seating during play.
Banners and seating beneath the stadium roof.
Two travelers take a photograph together in the stands.
A lit tower rising into the night.
Stage lights above a nighttime crowd.
The crowd faces a brightly lit concert stage.
Concert lights seen over the audience.
Another view across the nighttime crowd.
A morning city view from an upper floor.
Roads and low buildings seen from above.
A vertical theater sign on a sunny downtown street.
Two travelers stand near a waterfront attraction.
Travelers walk along a downtown street.
The group continues through the downtown district.
Storefronts and traffic at a city intersection.
A historic theater building across the street.
Travelers enter a darkened entertainment venue.
A transit warning sign above an escalator.
Travelers ride an escalator toward street level.
A tall Chicago skyscraper framed between buildings.
Downtown towers rising above a traffic light.
A low-angle view up the side of a skyscraper.
Buildings and an elevated train line downtown.
Another steep view of the dark skyscraper.
Traffic passing beneath the elevated tracks.
Vehicles and storefronts under the tracks.
A van approaches beneath the elevated railway.
A hazy skyline beyond a large downtown building.
Traffic moves through the city beneath the skyline.
A traveler poses in an open downtown plaza.
The Chicago River and surrounding towers.
Travelers cross a bridge above the river.
Skyscrapers lining the river.
Another river view through the downtown canyon.
An ornate downtown building at an intersection.
A tall historic building seen from below.
Closely packed towers against the gray sky.
Boats and buildings along the Chicago River.
An ornate interior inscription and hanging lamp.
The skyline with its tallest dark tower in the distance.
Downtown towers viewed beyond an overpass.
A broad avenue leading toward the skyline.
Three travelers sit on a stone railing.
The skyline rising beyond park trees.
Downtown Chicago seen across a landscaped park.
A park lawn with the skyline behind it.
Three travelers stand at the edge of a large fountain.
The fountain plaza and city skyline.
The skyline across open park grounds.
A dark tower partly hidden by trees.
Three travelers sit together on broad stone steps.
A traveler sits on a brightly lit arcade ride.
Another traveler tries the arcade ride.
A dinosaur skeleton displayed inside a museum.
Bookstore shelves divided by category signs.
Two travelers sit in a dim restaurant.
The Art Institute of Chicago entrance.
A vintage camera-store sign above the street.
A pigeon walking along the pavement.
An ornate hall with a long wooden counter.
A large departures board inside the hall.
Modern Chicago towers beneath a blue sky.
The skyline beyond trees and open space.
Downtown buildings viewed across a plaza.
A North Bridge marker set into the pavement.
A stone gate at the edge of a city park.
A tavern sign hanging above the sidewalk.
A traveler looks across Lake Michigan.
Another traveler poses beside the lake.
Open water stretching toward the horizon.
Two pairs of shoes rest on lakefront rocks.
A commuter train passing below street level.
The packed pickup seen from an upper window.
Two travelers stand beside the loaded pickup.
A traveler pauses beside an automated teller machine.
A rooftop sign supporting the Chicago Cubs.
A neon Chicago Comics sign in a storefront window.
Two travelers sit together inside a restaurant.
The photographer's shadow on the pavement.
The Wrigley Field marquee above the entrance.
Fans gather outside Wrigley Field.
The ballpark and field viewed from the stands.
The outfield stands on a sunny afternoon.
A wide view across the field and crowd.
The scoreboard and flags above the bleachers.
Fans fill the shaded seating area.
Play underway on the baseball diamond.
A closer view of the pitcher and batter.
Another pitch seen from the upper deck.
The infield and crowded stands.
The scoreboard and center-field bleachers.
The outfield and rooftops beyond the park.
A rooftop crowd overlooking Wrigley Field.
A broad view across the ballpark.
The Chicago skyline from the highway.
Downtown towers seen through the vehicle windshield.
A tall dark tower rising above the roadway.
The skyline from a moving car.
Chicago's skyline seen from the outskirts.
Storefronts along a neighborhood street.
A traveler pauses beside the pickup at a gas station.
A van ahead bears a handwritten message across its rear.
A traveler drives along the highway.
Two travelers ride in the front seats.
Construction at the World Trade Center site.
Excavation and surrounding buildings at the site.
A closer view across the construction area.
The site seen from behind a temporary barrier.
A visitor looks through a fence toward the site.
Steel, cranes, and nearby buildings beyond the fence.
Another view across the construction site.
A display of police and emergency-service patches.
Lower Manhattan seen across the water.
Buildings surrounding a busy city plaza.
Visitors gather outside a transportation terminal.
A large globe sculpture in a public plaza.
Times Square filled with signs and traffic.
A vertical view through Times Square.
Billboards and towers above a busy intersection.
Another view along the crowded Times Square corridor.
Signs and high-rises filling the avenue.
Pedestrians and signs in the theater district.
Radio City Music Hall and surrounding towers.
The Radio City Music Hall marquee across the street.
Travelers approach the NBC complex.
Flags hang above the NBC Studios entrance.
The golden Prometheus statue at Rockefeller Center.
Street signs and American flags near Rockefeller Center.
A traveler in a red shirt rests on a bench.
A traveler in a green shirt sits nearby.
An arched sculpture at Rockefeller Center.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art entrance.
Central Park treetops with the skyline beyond.
Apartment towers rising above the park.
The skyline across dense summer trees.
An indoor garden atrium viewed from above.
Dark towers silhouetted beyond Central Park.
A wide lawn in Central Park.
Visitors approach the Strawberry Fields sign.
The Imagine mosaic at Strawberry Fields.
Visitors gather around the memorial mosaic.
Buildings seen across a Central Park lake.
Another view across the water and trees.
Twin towers rising beyond a quiet park lake.
Baseball fields and paths in Central Park.
A baseball game viewed from high in the stadium.
The infield during play at the ballpark.
A hazy city view above the treetops.
Buildings and roads visible through summer foliage.
A roadside gas station beneath a gray sky.
A traveler walks across the gas-station lot.
Old brick paving underfoot.
An apartment-rental sign painted on a brick wall.
A large Indiana Pacers mural downtown.
Two travelers pose outside Conseco Fieldhouse.
Another view of the Pacers mural.
A tall civic monument and fountain.
The monument framed by nearby buildings.
Statues and water at the base of the monument.
The monument viewed from the plaza.
A bronze bust mounted against a stone wall.
A pickup truck ahead on the highway.
The same pickup approaching a toll lane.
The Gateway Arch rising beside downtown St. Louis.
The arch seen above highway signs.
A church tower framed beside the Gateway Arch.
The full curve of the arch above the trees.
A traveler walks near the base of the arch.
A steep view up the stainless-steel arch.
The Mississippi River and distant shoreline.
Riverfront roads and bridges beside the water.
Industrial structures across the Mississippi.
The St. Louis skyline beyond an open lawn.
Downtown buildings and the arch across parkland.
The Gateway Arch against a partly cloudy sky.
A baseball game underway in a red-seated stadium.
Sunset between downtown buildings.
A stone cathedral with twin towers.
Reflective office towers against a blue sky.
Sunlight glints from a tall modern building.
Downtown buildings and a large hotel sign.
A white civic building with a central tower.
Flower beds and lawns before the civic center.
A city skyline beyond a landscaped park.
An ornate entrance inside a government building.
A framed portrait in a civic building.
A second framed portrait in the gallery.
A third framed portrait in the gallery.
An ornate domed ceiling viewed from below.
A signed baseball displayed on a pedestal.
A civic building and statue viewed from above.
The same civic plaza from a slightly lower angle.
A historic cannon displayed in the plaza.
A second view of the cannon.
A domed capitol building beyond a green lawn.
The capitol dome framed by trees and streetlights.
A brick restaurant building on a sunny corner.
A roadside cafe sign at dawn.
A small gas-station notice in a blue doorway.
The Idaho State Capitol after sunset.
An Idaho Potato Commission display in a storefront.
A simple smiling face drawn on a pale wall.
The capitol dome lit by evening sun.
A lone tree in open country at dusk.
A tree silhouetted against the fading horizon.
A reservoir reflecting the last light of day.
Calm water and dark hills after sunset.
A traveler rides in the vehicle at night.
A dark ridgeline beneath the final twilight.