Two Lane Gems, Vol. 2

Two Lane Gems, Vol. 2: Bison are Giant and Other Observations from an American Road Trip is a delightful tale of buffalo, waterfalls, and frosty treats. Theresa L. Goodrich and her ever-so-patient husband, Jim, embark on a cross-country adventure through the northwest. Departing from the Chicago-area, the couple heads for the Oregon coast with a loosey-goosey itinerary and a bucket of trail mix.

Their journey began in front of a dumpster, but they quickly made their way to a UNESCO City of Literature. Over the next 35 days they camped in National Parks, State Parks, and RV Parks. They stayed in hotels, motels, a cabin on a lake, and a 1913 Gambrel cottage-style mansion. They followed scenic byways, highways, two-lane roads, the Outlaw Trail, the Oregon Trail, and the Lewis & Clark Trail, hitting the highlights – and the low-lights – of America’s westward expansion. With a thirst for knowledge and frosty treats, they searched for, and found, what makes this country beautiful and unique.

They also:

• drank in a mermaid bar in Montana


• slept with bison – and survived


• met a man named Lizard


• stepped on the center of the universe


• almost stepped on the center of the U.S.A.


• escaped a rattlesnake – twice


• fed horsies


• petted alpacas


• chased an eagle


• did not degrade the surface


• did not kill each other

In this epic, eyes-wide-open love letter to America, little is planned, much is ventured, and everything is gained.