Highway Hypnosis:

Designed by Engineers; Hand-Crafted by Nature.

This series is based on the idea that while art often highlights the beauty of scenic landscapes, it rarely includes the roads we take to get there. The highway, so central to the journey, is usually left out. But when we remove it from the picture, we also erase a vital part of the experience.

We tend to focus on the few hours spent standing in awe at a landmark or National Park, but the truth is we often spend far more time in transit. We watch that yellow line stretch endlessly ahead, mile-markers slipping past. Most of us are willing to drive eight hours just to spend two taking photos. Yet it’s the time on the road that shapes the experience as much as the destination does.

We spend 8 hours in the car to spend 2 hours taking pictures at a scenic landmark.

I’ve crossed the country by car multiple times, from coast to coast and from north to south. I tried to find meaning in those long drives, but they weren't always taken by choice. The first time was just after college, when my life had fallen apart. I drove alone from Michigan to California in a packed Honda Fit, finishing the trip in three and a half days. I only stopped to sleep at brightly lit gas stations. On two other trips, I drove with my two dogs from Virginia to the Pacific Northwest, first to help care for my father and later to care for my mother after he passed away. On the return trips, I finally allowed myself to slow down and took detours through Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado.

You see strange and wonderful things on the road. Goats at a gas station. The Corn Palace. Wild bison. Bigfoot.

There’s something oddly calming about long, uneventful stretches of highway and quiet roadside stops. They hold a kind of peace. Whether in West Virginia, Oregon, or Utah, they manage to feel both familiar and strange. Maybe that sense of comfort comes from associating those places with major moments in my life. Or maybe it’s because I grew up in a small Michigan town where it took 45 minutes on the highway just to get to a Taco Bell. Maybe it’s just the hypnotic drone of the tires on the asphalt…

The road is not just a way to get somewhere. It is part of the experience. This series is meant to shine a light on that often-overlooked reality.