I am not a soccer fan, but I have been enjoying all the European tourists who have chosen to visit our country to see the World Cup. These sightseers have been having the best time on social media road-tripping from game to game and state to state. They’ve marveled at Buc-ee’s, been thankful for air conditioning because it has been so hot (Amen, brothers), and declared Taco Bell the Promised Land. As I viewed post after post sharing how much fun they were having, I couldn’t help but think that would be a great way to spend our country’s 250th birthday. To that end I offer you several great reads that celebrate the beauty and vastness of our country - from purple mountains majesty (they climb them) to amber waves of grain (they drive through them). Summer is great time to pack up the family in the old station wagon, er sorry, SUV (tried to kick it old school there for a minute) and maybe these books will inspire you to visit somewhere you haven’t been yet. Just be sure your AC works before you hit the road.

This book is kind of the reason for this post. A new release from Beverly Gage, this one travels all over our country to various historical sites to tell American history. I think Gage said she went to over 300 sites. I got the audio book, but you can also do print if you want. My favorite part of this one is that she blends all the locations together. It’s not like in one chapter you are in South Dakota and then the next chapter you are in Chicago. She just tells the story, weaving in all the locations as they appear in history. 

If you don’t remember this one, it was huge about a decade ago. Cheryl Strayed decided to walk the Pacific Coast Trail with very little preparation. I don’t recommend that you try that - she got lucky. But I do recommend that you read this book. It celebrates both the beauty of the area and persevering through trials that creates growth and a bestseller. Plus she throws a shoe. Can't go wrong there.

This was a fun read by an author I enjoy. She decides to drive from the Pacific Northwest across the country to Key West, FL. If you get the audio book you can actually hear recorded voicemails from the author as she was on the road. This is probably my favorite Lindy West book.

If you have not read Sarah Vowell, stop what you are doing and let’s get caught up. Vowell was contributing editor to This American Life on NPR until 2008. This book chronicles her 2005 road trip to visit the assassination locations of Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, and William McKinley. It might sound morbid, but Vowell has a great voice that makes this captivating. If you like this one, be sure to check out her others for delightfully quirky takes on American History. 

My husband and I visited The Grand Canyon a few years ago and it was breathtaking. We were only there for a few hours, so we just got a brief overview. Fedarko goes more in-depth by actually walking and camping his way through the canyon. If you like this one, don’t miss his other book: The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon.

The world was recently captivated by Alex when he climbed Taipei 101 live on Netflix. But Alex got his start climbing more local landmarks. He is the first, and so far only (according to his website), person to free solo El Capitan in Yosemite. This book is about his history with climbing, as well as about our National Parks. If you enjoy the book, there is also a movie about Alex’s climb, called Free Solo. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2019. It has beautiful shots of Yosemite.

I love Nick Offerman. I will read anything he writes. Offerman loves the great outdoors and he writes about his adventures here - hiking Glacier National Park and renting an airstream with his wife - Megan Mullally. If this one tickles your fancy, but sure to check out Offerman’s other writings. Then catch him in popular turns as Ron Swanson (Park and Rec) and Jinx (Margo's Got Money Troubles).

This one takes us back to hiking - this time on the John Muir Trail, which shares about 160 miles of its length with the Pacific Coast Trail. Three friends in their fifties decide to tackle this hike. This was a beautiful and fun read about perseverance and friendship, but in no way made we want to take up hiking - especially when faced with lightning at 11,000 feet of elevation. Nope. Hard pass.

I feel like you can’t have a book celebrating American nature without this one. It has become a classic tale of trekking, doing for the Appalachian Trail what Wild did for the PCT. At least this time, I felt like Bryson actually put some time into training before just taking off. If you like this one, it was also made into a movie with Robert Redford and Nick Nolte. 

I didn’t know what to think about this one. I had never heard of the author before, but as soon as I started reading I knew I was going to like her. Blythe is a comedian and her takes on the great outdoors were hilarious. Feeling unsatisfied with life in general, but particularly with her job, she quit and decided to take a road trip vacation to all the National Parks she’d never visited. My favorite part was that she always wanted to complete the packet to get her Junior Ranger badge at each one. I didn’t even know that was a thing. Did I want to travel and sleep in the car like she did? Nope. But I think we’d be friends just the same.

Ok friends, I hope you have as much fun reading these books as the European tourists did buying snacks at Walmart (they got Twinkies!). It’s good to remind ourselves how much beauty America has - there’s a song and everything. In America the Beautiful? (the book, not the song), Blythe Roberson says, “Travel is a way to more deeply understand America, to grapple with its flaws, but also to see what is beautiful about it.” I wish you all great travels this summer.

Happy 250th America!

:) Amanda