It’s a small gas station nestled onto a mountain road, fluorescent lights buzz overhead. Rows of dusty candy and other road trip essentials arranged in neat lines on beige metal racks. Lottery tickets and cigarettes, a cacophony of color and plastic wrapping, create a wall behind then worn red counter. Read more…
While I wind down county highways across the United States, I am struck with how many towns appear to be struggling, a slow death march of empty storefronts and faded roadside signs. It’s apparent in every state I’ve visited, from Michigan to Maine and beyond. It appears that small town Read more…
Sunday night, I stopped in a gas station in a small town in Illinois to pick up ice. The man in front of me was rather unassuming, probably about 5’8” with tanned skin, cropped hair, jeans and a black sweatshirt. Someone I normally wouldn’t have looked at twice, except — Read more…