Hello from the Ohio River Valley, where it feels like the armpit of North America! I’m Samuel Tegge, and this is In Ten Photos, a weekly photography newsletter.
This series of photos was taken during a three-day drive from Phoenix, Arizona to Cincinnati, Ohio in May 2024. The impetus? My sister turned 16 and needed a car, which aligned perfectly with me no longer needing mine. This could also be read as Sam wanted another excuse to drive across this beautiful country. And drive we did.
To drive across the United States is to experience its past, present, and future. There are towns that breathed their last breath decades ago, bustling cities bursting with life, and vast wilderness and wildlife that bore witness to it all.
There were deserts and mountains, rivers and forests. We smelled cattle for miles before we saw them. Grain silos towered over the plains like concrete fortresses. The Milky Way was seen. Kansas City barbecue was eaten. Friends were visited and birthdays celebrated. We were chased by swarms of mosquitos and clouds of dust followed us along old Highway 40.
Thank you for being here and enjoy!
P.S. If you made it this far, let me know what you think. I can’t respond to all emails, but I certainly read them all. Have a wonderful week. Cheers!