The Old Roads

Anyone who knows me at all knows that I’m quite the geek. But I’m also a nerd, and yes, there is a difference. Geeks are generally experts at something, particularly something technological, while nerds are a bit overly intellectual and completely obsessed.

I’m a history nerd, particularly obsessed with the highways and byways we don’t travel anymore — the ones that wind along impossible ridges, through tiny downtowns and over bridges that have seen better days. We don’t travel them anymore because the transportation departments built new roads — first new, improved versions of those old roads, sometimes several iterations, and later interstate highways often far from the original route.

I’m also a camera nerd, and those two go together quite well. I’ve been traveling some of those old roads, photographing as I go. Sometimes I use a Canon t2i Rebel, and other times I just whip out my iPhone and shoot through the windshield. Sometimes both.

I’m creating a series I’m calling The Old Road — the highways we don’t travel anymore since they built the new ones. If you like, you can follow my progress here.