If you've been on a road trip lately, cruising five over the speed limit on the interstate, you likely noticed a lot of the same passing by out the windows. You could count your distance not by milage but by how many McDonald's or Holiday Inns you pass along the way. Of course, that wasn't always the case. Before such sprawl introduced a plethora of oversized gas stations (complete with ATMs, WiFi and ready-baked Cinnabons), there were simple rest stops dotting the American highway. So unassuming that they're largely ignored by drivers today. But not by photographer Ryann Ford who has documented her love for the disappearing roadside icons in a gorgeous new book, The Last Stop: Vanishing Rest Stops of the American Roadside.

"I wish I could remember the exact one that did it for me, but I think it happened after subconsciously seeing a few of them," says Ford. "I was drawn to the minimalist scene—a modest little structure set out on a beautiful landscape—and the mid-century architecture." The book, which contains dreamy, people-less portraits of the small shelters, showcases both the setting's natural scenery and a unique era of American travel. A time when drivers were more than happy to sit at a picnic table, pour themselves a drink from a thermos and enjoy the view while consulting a well-worn map.

The Last Stop, $29.61 at Amazon

The Last Stop, $29.61 at Amazon

Back in the 1950s, after President Dwight Eisenhower created the Interstate Highway System, the country's roads became more and more standardized as long stretches of asphalt connected disparate parts of the United States. But while strict rules were being set for highway construction, no such rules were in place for the rest stops. "The functional objective of those sites included parking, restrooms, picnic areas and information dispersal," writes Joanna Dowling in the book. "But as the traveler's only direct interaction with the landscape, safety rest areas also began to serve as a way to connect people with local flavor that was once readily accessible from the roadway." Taking some time to relax at these unique rest stops became as much a part of the American road trip as burgers and fries or the license-plate game.