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The Impossible Road Trip: An Unforgettable Journey to Past and Present Roadside Attractions in All 50 States

The Impossible Road Trip: An Unforgettable Journey to Past and Present Roadside Attractions in All 50 States

Eric Dregni
$35.00
Publication Date: December 21st, 2021
Publisher:
Motorbooks
ISBN:
9780760370292
Pages:
192
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Description

Filled with color photography, entertaining site descriptions and histories, and five unique infographic map illustrations, The Impossible Road Trip is your ultimate look back at America’s most famous—and quirkiest—roadside attractions, past and present.

The great American road trip is back. With its advantages for your health, budget, and the environment, now is the time to plan the road trip you have always dreamed of taking.

Following in the great tradition of the mid-century golden age of car travel, join the new wave of road warriors with a targeted itinerary chosen from the 150 roadside attractions explored in this colorful guide. From famous to quirky and covering all 50 states, author Eric Dregni gives you an unprecedented look at the breadth of roadside attractions in the US, illustrated in part by the photography of architectural critic and photographer John Margolies (1940–2016). Specially commissioned infographic map illustrations capture the spirit of mid-century automobile travel.

Each site depicted is accompanied by a lively and insightful history and color imagery. From autumnal New England to the gothic South, from the homey Midwest to the great expanses of the Desert Southwest, the dizzying heights of the Rocky Mountains, and the breathtaking Pacific Coast, The Impossible Road Trip encompasses it all:

  • Neon-shrouded motels
  • Mimetic architecture
  • Tourist traps
  • Roadside sculpture
  • And much more

You'll see sites both famous and esoteric, including the Cardiff Giant in Cooperstown, New York; the five-story Haines Shoe House in York, Pennsylvania; Solomon’s Castle in Florida; the world’s largest fish in Hayward, Wisconsin; one of several Paul Bunyan statues; Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank, California; and so many more.

With The Impossible Road Trip in hand, set out to discover the nation’s oft-overlooked nooks and crannies.

About the Author

Eric Dregni is professor of English, journalism, and Italian at Concordia University in St. Paul. His obsessions range from motor scooters, about which he has authored and co-authored five books, to futuristic jet packs to oversized fiberglass town monuments to Zamboni ice resurfacers. He’s turned his fixations into twenty books including Impossible Road Trip, Let’s Go Fishing, Follies of Science: 20th Century Visions of our Fantastic Future, Weird Minnesota, Midwest Marvels, Ads That Put America on Wheels, and Let’s Go Bowling! Dregni worked in Italy for five years as a travel journalist and wrote about the experience in Never Trust a Thin Cook. In the summer, he is dean of the Italian Concordia Language Village, Lago del Bosco, in northern Minnesota, which also became a book:You’re Sending Me Where? He lives in Minneapolis.

Praise for The Impossible Road Trip: An Unforgettable Journey to Past and Present Roadside Attractions in All 50 States

"Reading this book can act like a guide for what to expect to know and understand about each place’s monuments and the significance of why it was discovered, built, and rebuilt in the state it was from.—The Sword

"Reading this book is like climbing in the car with your zany uncle who is taking you on a road trip that you'll never forget. In a world with so many problems, Dregni's travelogue is a welcome respite. A true gem of a book. A treasure you'd be wise to unearth."—Concordia St. Paul Magazine