Getting lost is a good thing for photographer Joshua Hrehovcik, a Manchester native who included this shot of a license plate in his “Retro Roadtrip” book “Cars!”
The latest travel/photo book for photographer Joshua Hrehovcik, aka the Retro Roadtripper, and book designer Geraldine Aikman, explores the Seacoast, with a few side trips along the way.
There’s more than meets the eye when Manchester native Joshua Hrehovcik lowers his camera lens to talk about his life.
First of all, he’s a travel guide and lifestyle photographer who regularly gets lost.
Secondly, he may have nine books, but his brother has 23, and don’t even get him started about the stark difference between their numbers of Instagram followers.
But most importantly, a self-deprecating sense of humor is key in pretty much any situation.
Known as the Retro Roadtripper, Hrehovcik (pronounced hair-O-check)shares his explorations of New England in chronicles that are part travel books and part photo albums.
The latest travel/photo book for photographer Joshua Hrehovcik, aka the Retro Roadtripper, and book designer Geraldine Aikman, explores the Seacoast, with a few side trips along the way.
Provided by Joshua Hrehovcik
That includes “Retro Roadtrip: New Hampshire Portsmouth and Dover — and a Couple of Side Trips,” including Rye and Hampton Beach.
It’s available in area stores, including Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord, and RiverRun Bookstore in Portsmouth and the Portsmouth Historical Society, as well as on Amazon.
Hrehovcik now lives in Kennebunk, Maine, but his next project in the book series will take him “south of the border” back to familiar stomping grounds: Manchester, a place that holds a warm place in his heart. His Queen City roots go back to when his father, Cosmo, was a machinist in a shoe factory in the Millyard.
His first stop will be the Red Arrow Diner, a casual landmark where people have long gone for comfort food and the chance to bump into politicians and celebrities.
Tips for roadtrippers
Hrehovcik, who jokingly describes his mission to “mildly go where lots of people have gone before,” employs a wide range of cameras, from an old digital camera and one of those disposable, wind-up cameras to his cell phone.
But the first tip he has for first-time roadtrippers is this: “Bring snacks. Lots of snacks.
“I get in my mighty Mazda and take off down the road. I park the car and start walking. Next thing I know I’m six miles away and I’m hungry,” he says.
Another good piece of advice is to avoid asking friends and family to join an outing.
“I tend to veer off when something catches my eye. I’m glad I rarely have passengers ‘cuz no one would put up with it. It’s like … a hundred feet, stop, 50 feet, stop, u-turn, stop and take pictures. There are so many great country roads that have hidden gems.”
When asked how he got into road wandering, he takes a big inhale like he’s preparing for a log run with lots of twists and turns.
Getting lost is a good thing for photographer Joshua Hrehovcik, a Manchester native who included this shot of a license plate in his “Retro Roadtrip” book “Cars!”
On the road
images Provided by Joshua Hrehovcik
It all started when he launched an Instagram page to convince his cousins in New Jersey to come visit. They didn’t know anything about New England and he wanted to show them some of the views to entice them to make the trip.
“It was like, ‘Hey, when you come visit me, we’ll go have lobster, we’ll go downtown Portsmouth, and here’s Hampton Beach and the White Mountains,’” he said.
As he explains it, his cousins started following him and then people who weren’t his cousins followed suit.
Getting out
Hrehovcik now has about 3,000 Instagram followers. His brother, Noah St. John, a motivational speaker and author, has about 42,500.
Back in 2019, Krehovcik issued himself a challenge to up his count, and he’s still trying.
“In my defense, (my brother) also started his Instagram account before I did. I’ve gone from 250 to nearly 3,000, so I’m coming for him. It’s sibling rivalry at its finest,” says Hrehovcik.
Soon after he launched his social-media presence, a friend and colleague reached out and suggested doing a book of photographs.
“Geraldine (Aikman) is an extremely talented artist, painter and graphic designer. I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed but I’m smart enough to say yes.”
According to her Linkedin account, Aikman creates art for textiles, paper goods, gift wrap, home goods and designs for self-published books.
Now the Retro Roadtrip series also features “Winter in Southern Maine and a bit of New Hampshire; “The Little Lobster Book,” “Signs of Portland, Maine — Past and Present; Kennebunkport — and a bit of Cape Porpoise”; “Cars — and a Couple of Trucks” and “Seashore Trolley Museum — Kennebunkport, Maine.”
“The idea is to get on the two-lane roads … and find the old-school diners, the mom-and-pop general stores, the places that have been around for decades where you walk in and feel like you’ve stepped back in time. I just can’t wait to get in the car and find them.”
Hrehovcik mixes shots of well-known views with quirky you-probably-don’t-know-about-this sights, such as a handsome cat named Frankie who is described as a municipal parking lot attendant in Exeter.
Among Granite State towns, Hrehovcik especially is a fan of Laconia, Dover, Hampton and Portsmouth. Though there is a drawback to the Port City, he says: It always seems to take longer than expected to leave.
“Four hours later and I’m still taking pictures and the battery has run out on my camera. There’s too much to look at walking around town — the food, the architecture, the history.”
Some of the sights are so familiar that they’ve blended into the backdrop of life. Others are things that people notice for the first time.
Sometimes he maps out a plan, other times he purposely wanders.
“I used to get really wworked up about getting lost. Now getting lost is great: ‘I don’t know where I am, let’s see what I can find,” he says.
