Hogs
on 66: Best Feed and Hangouts for Road Trips on Route 66 ,
by Michael Wallis & Marian Clark
I have never owned a motorcycle, and although
I hate to admit it, I've never even driven one. In fact, I doubt
that I could tell a Fat Boy Softail Classic from a VRSCR Street
Rod, although I would probably recognize that each is a powerful
Harley Davidson motorcycle if I saw them go by me on the highway.
There is something about the gravelly roar of a Hog that is
unmistakable. All of which I mention as a preamble to why Hogs
on 66: Best Feed and Hangouts for Road Trips on Route 66
by Michael Wallis and Marian Clark is a great resource and enjoyable
read, even for those uninitiated into Harley culture. In addition
to some darn good tales and loads of tips about places to eat,
there are dozens of excellent recipes in this book, each one
with a Route 66 connection.
Wallis and Clark do an admirable
job of presenting Hog mystique to the rest of us by sharing
plenty of anecdotes from their journeys along the "Mother
Road." One story that stands out is the time Wallis and
some French riders delighted a couple of young boys by asking
for their autographs because they lived in Odell, a town made
famous by having Route 66 pass through it. I won't soon forget
how to play the enchanting game of "butt darts,"
and the story about how a town mobilized to search for a set
of false teeth will definitely linger in memory.
While the stories are vivid,
the real meat of the book is the information about road services
and diners along the entire Route 66 highway. Thanks to the
authors' amazing attention to detail, travelers could easily
navigate the route with just this guide alone and never run
out of interesting places to check out. Especially helpful
are descriptions of eating establishments that might seem
decidedly unappealing at first glance but which serve some
of the most remarkable road grub in the country. I have always
liked to judge restaurants on the basis of their pork spareribs,
and this book has given me a tantalizing new destination for
barbecue: the Café on the Route in Baxter Springs,
Kansas. The recipes, which are all inspired by people and
places along Route 66, are seductive, too. Roabie Johnson's
Wild and Scenic Dutch Oven Cowboy Spuds and City Slicker Chicken
sound like winners, and what could be more all-American than
making apple pie and hard sauce using the same recipe as infamous
outlaw Pretty Boy Floyd?
"I have always thought
it was good to get lost when traveling the old road,"
writes author Michael Wallis. "It can be worrisome, but
it can also lead to unexpected pleasures. Cruising Route 66
should be a scavenger hunt. Just remember that the treasure
the road has to offer is not always gold or silver. Sometimes
it is better." His words sum up my own philosophy of
road tripping perfectly, and the whole book reads like just
the kind of moseying journey of discovery the authors endorse.
It's a winner.
Mark
Sedenquist
12/4/05
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