It's summer and time for a road trip! (Or, in my case, reading about roads and road trips.) ;-)

I have vague memories of driving down Chuckanut and through Everett to get to Seattle, but I don't think we ever went any further than that. Washington's Highway 99, another in the Images of America series has pictures along the entire route with some nice notes about each. Parts of the route still exist, of course, but so do some of the stops along the way. Some are still in their original location, others have been moved.

Riding across the country takes a long time. A wagon and oxen takes even longer. The automobile changed all that, and someone had to make the first cross country drive. Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns is the book (and PBS show) of that drive. Filled with old photos and excerpts from letters (and wonderful narration if you watch the show) both are excellent.

It takes a bit of doing, but it is possible to find much of Route 66 today and Greetings From Route 66 the Ultimate Road Trip: Back Through Time Along America's Main Street from Voyageur Press tells you how. Filled with nostalgic postcards, old menus (check out the prices!), and 'then and now' photos this was a great armchair trip for me. Lots of fun facts such as where the first stretch of paved roadway was laid, the invention of parking meters or that Airstream trailers started out as a small, canvas covered cart pulled by a mule. If you like, you can take this trip for real, too. :-)

Route 66 changed several times over it's history and there are pictures of some of the old sections in Ghost Towns of Route 66 with text by Jim Hinckley and photographs by Kerrick James. (I rather like the photo of an old road ending in a lake). Be sure to check out the photo on page 34 where there have been a lot of changes. Some of the towns are little more than dust, others are making a comeback as interest in the Mother Road is rising.

Gary Paulsen is the writer, not his son (who is a sculptor) but a comment about how that son learned about a dog needing a home led to Road Trip, written by them both. What starts as a father and son road trip to rescue a Border Collie in need of a home becomes a rescue story of another sort when the car is swapped for an old school bus and other characters climb aboard. Quick read, fun.

Benoit Denizet-Lewis writes about dogs. One year he decided to drive around the U.S. visiting as many doggy people and places as he could. Travels With Casey: My Journey Through Our Dog Crazy Country was the result. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have been talking about to pretty much anyone who will listen! It's nicely balanced as in there's a chapter which includes a visit to the room where dogs who are not adopted are put down, one on life as a reservation dog, and a mention of abuse. He mentions how we changed breeds which resulted in health issues, and has an interesting meeting with the head person at PETA. Mostly though, it's a celebration of people and their dogs and the joy they bring. He talks with photographers, dog walkers, vets, and owners. He visits dog parks and dog friendly hotels and eateries. A most pleasing read. :-)

For other road trips see Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure and Dogtripping (May 17, 2014).

Reading Hermit With Dog