American Road Trip

The American road trip is more than just a journey, it’s a romance between oneself and the idea of freedom and self-discovery. When I set off on a 48-day solo trip from New York to California, there was no riding itinerary, just a loose route through iconic American sites out West. As a teenager growing up in Alabama, my walls were covered with Ansel Adams posters. His black-and-white images of the American West were etched into my subconscious and have stayed with me as I pursued my life as a photographer. With his iconic images in mind, I set out on my journey at a pivotal time in my life both professionally and personally. Looking back, my only goal was to detach from my everyday life and create new work in places unknown to me despite the familiarity of their iconography. I was curious to find out how I myself might render such thoroughly explored visual terrain.

Driving west of the Mississippi felt like a rite of passage. Until then, I had only ever flown—mostly for work—to a few of the states I was about to traverse. En route to Big Bend National Park, Monument Valley and Yosemite, I was open to whatever experiences might unfold. One distinct memory was camping on the banks of the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park, falling asleep to hooting owls and coyote howls, only to wake to the sound of wild horses crossing the river below. Another is photographing a cowboy at a gas station somewhere between Marfa and El Paso. These moments were as profound for me as standing underneath El Capitan or on the ridge of the Grand Canyon. But the thing that stuck with me the most, looking back, wasn’t a place or a particular time, it was a general feeling. Other than visiting a couple of friends on the way, I was completely alone for most of the drive. Although I was alone, I did not feel alone, which is a very comforting state of being. When I consider the photographs I made along the way, I think that feeling shaped this body of work, and transformed my vision of the American landscape.

– Ty Cole