Photographer Captures Abandoned Attractions on America’s Roadsides
Dotted around the interstates that crisscross the United States are abandoned roadside attractions once erected to amuse wary travelers.
For photographer Ken Lee, the abandoned attractions, kitschy tourist traps, and strange sculptures are a source of curiosity and led to him drive thousands of miles, mainly across the Southwest, to document the most eye-catching ones for a project that turned into a book.
If the attractions aren’t surreal enough, Lee also uses the light painting technique which involves setting the camera on a tripod, opening the shutter for an extended period, and illuminating the subject with a multi-colored LED flashlight.
“One uses the flashlight as a paintbrush. Brushing on light, not paint,” Lee explains. “It’s a fascinating and addictive art form, and very actively creative. To the uninitiated, it looks like someone running around waving a flashlight, but it’s very creative and very fun!”
Lee’s fascination with roadside attractions began as a child when, on his way to the Grand Canyon, his family stopped at Bedrock City, a Flintstones-themed roadside attraction boasting an amusement park, camping area, restaurant, and gift shop.
“The part that piqued my interest was how they built the cartoon town of Bedrock,” Lee says. “They included buildings, sculptures, and even a large dinosaur slide.”
“Later, when I got into night photography with light painting, I contacted the owner at the time, Linda Speckels,” he continues. “She gave me permission to come and photograph there.”
Lee also had the opportunity to photograph the International Car Forest of the Last Church, the “allegedly haunted” Lake Dolores Waterpark, Borrego Springs, Nelson Ghost Town, and other locations.
“They’re fascinating because they’re designed to entice people, and when in decay, they take on a different life of their own,” he adds.
Lee has been shooting his project, which he calls Abandoned Roadside Attractions, for 10 years and there are 10 locations in the book, all in the Southwest. “I’ve visited more, but those are either not in the Southwest, or I couldn’t squeeze it into the book,” Lee adds.
Lee estimates he has traveled “thousands and thousands of miles over many, many trips” for the project; returning to some of the locations several times.
“I enjoy these road trips immensely,” Lee reflects. “Sometimes they were solo, and sometimes with friends. The things they had in common were that they were all fun, adventurous, dusty, and involved eating tacos.”
Lee would always ask permission before photographing a site which wasn’t always easy as caretakers tend to be skeptical of such requests. However, Lee says that he would often win them round by sending examples of his work and they would end up giving him tours of the abandoned attractions.
“Sometimes, we might have frightening and unexpected encounters,” Lee says. “Frightened bats might fly out from inside a building, scaring us in the process. Other times, birds fleeing or burros snorting.”
“I’ve also encountered someone living inside a structure,” he continues. “We’ve also been stopped numerous times by policemen and security, wondering why there were suddenly funny-looking lights.”
When asked his favorite location, Lee names Bedrock City as he has a strong emotional connection with the location.
“However, if we go by the amount of visits, it’s Galleta Meadows in Borrego Springs. I can’t get enough of photographing giant, rusty dinosaurs in the desert,” he adds, before reeling off a few other locations he enjoys.
“I like weird stuff. It’s fun. You get these amazing subjects!”
Abandoend Roadside Attractions Under a Southwest Moon is available to purchase on Casemate. More of Lee’s work can be found on his website and Instagram.
Image credits: Photographs by Ken Lee.
