When I was a kid, summer road trips were a family tradition. There wasn’t much in the way of variation since we usually drove to my grandparents’ home located in Keith County, Neb., but I didn’t mind. I was not one of those kids who asks, “Are we there yet?” every five minutes. Sitting in the back seat and watching the scenery go by was usually all the entertainment I needed. Well, that and a package of SweeTarts made me pretty darn happy.
I bring this up because my husband and I recently went on a road trip to Durango, Colo. We like to take our time (no road warriors here), so we picked a route that took us through Oregon, Idaho, Utah and our final destination of Durango. We had such a good time, and I was reminded of how much I enjoy road trips. No SweeTarts on this journey, but plenty of beautiful scenery, happy tunes and lots of time to talk.
The library has many travel guides in the collection in both print and digital editions. Search for a state or a country, and you’ll likely find multiple options for travel guidance. I was curious what might show up by searching the words “road trip” in the library’s catalog, so here is a selection of road-trippy titles for your reading — and viewing — pleasure.
- “Don’t Make Me Pull Over!: An Informal History of the Family Road Trip” by Richard Ratay.
- “Horatio’s Drive: America’s First Road Trip” [DVD] directed by Ken Burns.
- “Laugh-Out-Loud Road Trip Jokes for Kids” by Rob Elliott.
- “Moon Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip: California, Oregon & Washington” published by Moon Travel.
- “Road Trip: Roadside America from Custard’s Last Stand to the Wigwam Restaurant” by Richard W. Longstreth.
