Jaunted

Among the more lighthearted observations: When it comes to roadside diners, the ones with the best food are the ones that hang the most calendars on the walls. If there are no calendars on the wall, the food will be no better than that of a highway rest area. A place with five calendars on the wall, however, is the best of the best, a secret to be guarded, lest the restaurant become franchised.

I also love the way Heat-Moon recreates the dialogue he hears on the trip. In one restaurant, he wants to know if his breakfast will come with grits, toast, and preserves, so he asks Brenda, the waitress. Her answer: "Does if you ast fort." For some reason that line has stuck in my head for years. Does if you ast fort. Every writer should aspire to create dialogue like that.

Anyway, the CNN.com feature is cool, with beautiful photos of some of the places mentioned in his book, like a dilapidated barn outside Bell City, Louisiana; Claude Tyler's Barber Shop in Dime Box, Texas; and an abandoned schoolhouse or church near Kremlin, Montana. Kind of makes me want to take a road trip of my own.

Related Stories:
· Back Road Adventurer on America's Blue Highways [CNN.com]
· Literary Travel [Jaunted]