Recommended Reading

by Wes Hammond

Blue Highways: A Journey Into America
by William Least Heat-Moon

[See larger photo of cover]

(This book is not about the Lincoln Highway, although the author did travel the section between Ely and Fallon, Nevada.)

You are going to have a hard time putting this book down if you enjoy the lure of the road, especially if you like to travel along secondary routes. Faced with a broken marriage and the loss of his job, the author felt that an extended trip could bring some solace. He rebuilt a Ford van into a camper for traveling, and with a minimum amount of money he set out. Departing from Columbia, Missouri, he headed east to the Atlantic Ocean. Then traveling south and west, he completed a circle of the United States and back to his home.

The title Blue Highways comes from the fact that during his journey, the author stuck to secondary roads, which were colored blue on pre-Interstate era maps. His description of the scenery, the small towns he visited (including Fly, Tennessee; Dime Box, Texas; Nameless, Tennessee; Bad Axe, Michigan; and Due West, South Carolina) and the individuals whom he met is fascinating. Some great photography is included.

The January/February 2001 issue of Travelocity Magazine includes Blue Highways in its ten best travel books ever written; it is number 4.