The American dream takes on new meaning in photographer Eliot Dudik’s series Paradise Road.

Through the images, Dudik takes the viewer on a journey across the U.S., from empty grasslands to suburban lawns, from dirt byways to mountain valleys, all along different roads named Paradise Road. Each photograph unveils a different view of a potential paradise through expansive landscapes and stoic portraits of people he meets along the way.

The ongoing project began in 2013 when Dudik set out with a question of what paradise and the American dream really look like, five years after millions of Americans lost their jobs, homes, and savings in the 2008 financial crisis.

Dudik was in the process of leaving a job and had just ended a long-term relationship. Not sure of what was coming next, he felt overwhelmed by the unknown. “Typical life angst for a 30-year-old, I think,” he says. He started thinking about the idea of the American dream: that anyone can achieve prosperity if they work hard enough. For more: www.npr.org