trailertraveler wrote:
Charles Kuralt's "on the Road" TV segments and shows along with John Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley" sparked my interest in RVing before I could even drive. My first trips in a homemade truck camper were before some of the Interstates were completed. My first was similar to Steinbeck's following US-20 to Yellowstone National Park. Travelling as a single teen, I was adopted and treated like family even if only for a day or two by many great folks along the way. I met several that I kept in touch with over the years.
If you, like me, enjoy Travels With Charlie & Kuralt's TV adventures, check out William Least Heat-Moon's
Blue Highways. Another great backroad travel book.
While I enjoy both books, I really learned my backroading from my father. Much of the travel was before the interstates, so backroads were the only choice. Still, we made the best of them, often stopping for hours in small towns.
When my dad got tired of driving, he would pull into the nearest factory and ask for a tour. Many didn't have "official" tours, but they always found someone to haul us around. I learned a great deal about how things are made! Too bad real factory tours have pretty much disappeared.
