In Roads: Driving America’s Great Highways, Larry McMurtry crisscrosses our nation’s scenic highways, reminiscing along the way about the places he’s seen, the people he’s met, and sharing stunning landscapes from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Coast.

This memoir was written over a period of time and published in 2001. In most cases McMurtry flew to his destination, rented a car, then drove back to his native Archer City, Texas. He preferred driving north to south toward warmer weather, and east to west toward the big skies. Based on sites he visits, he talks about history, plus interesting stories about writers and the books they have written. On his various routes he mentions familiar names of true characters such as Kit Carson, Jim Bridger, George Custer, William Frederick Cody (Buffalo Bill), Charles Goodnight, Crazy Horse, Red Cloud, and one of my favorites, Quanah Parker. McMurtry talks of various Native tribes and their conquests and demise. Along his travels he notes the places where the characters in his many books either resided or did their deeds.

Being a Washingtonian, I enjoyed the section in Eastern Washington where McMurtry describes the diverse landscapes. He follows the paths that Lewis and Clark walked, rode, or floated. McMurtry claims Highway 2 has everything—the wildest vistas, the greatest skies, prolific history, the mountain men, famous and infamous Native Americans.

Volunteering with the American Red Cross for twenty years, I’ve driven on many of the highways McMurtry mentions in Louisiana, Texas, Missouri, Nevada, California, and Tennessee. The differences between our destinations, however, is that McMurtry traveled to see the sites, but my trips were to deal with disasters. I wish I’d had the leisure to delve into the history that McMurtry shares in this delightful book.

Travelers and history buffs will enjoy Roads: Driving America’s Great Highways. It’s a fascinating read as well as enlightening, both in American history and in McMurtry’s personal history.