'A prairie wanderer' worth checking out

When I was in London for a summer, I was amazed by how quickly you could go from one country to the next. A weekend trip to Barcelona or Paris was one mouse click away from happening, and within a couple hours of train or plane time, a whole new city was waiting to get lost in.

We don't exactly have that same ability in the U.S., and living in the furthest northeastern tip of Michigan where it takes four hours to get most anywhere, the burden of travel is especially felt. The vast expanse of land, much of which is farm, can stretch into a never-ending green abyss filling car windows. And then what isn't cornfields or grazing cows is small towns that require greatly decreased speed to pass through and just as quickly as you enter, you're leaving them behind, wondering what kind of people live there or if they're lived in at all. I've always thought there's a kind of beauty to these tiny places that don't even make a dot on most state maps. The broken barns and general stores and deserted old cafes that might have a half-lit 'open' sign. Not to mention how perfectly the scenery pairs with driving music. I don't know what it is, but any song is better through car speakers, moving through unfamiliar rural terrain. I've learned this from many trips down route 54 crossing the Illinois/Missouri border, and it holds true in Michigan. Perhaps that says something about why I've chosen to reside in places driving distance away from my home base of Chicago.

European travel is incredible, but you definitely miss out on these roadside experiences.

Dave Jordano's 2010 Prairieland project captures the essence of small town life in Illinois through photographs he has taken throughout the state. He also has a Detroit series, and I found both to be mesmerizing.