Exploring America's Highways: Michigan Trip Trivia, by Michael Heim


Riding shotgun on road trips around Michigan? Be the designated trivia authority with this new book in the Exploring America's Highway series by Michael Heim. Organized by routes along four Interstates and twenty state highways, you won't drive past towns without learning facts about their history, landmarks, and local heroes. Would you really want to pass trough Holland, for example, without knowing it's the one and only place in the world that produces Life Saver candies? Or visit the town of Christmas without learning how it got its holiday name?

This book is not just about tiny hamlets, however. The author kicks off with a fascinating chapter about Detroit that covers the auto industry, geological history, music and sports trivia, and dozens of interesting factoids about prominent citizens. Find out how the Commodores almost called themselves "The Commodes," and why Tom Selleck might have become an architect instead of an actor. There's interesting info about Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, along with the story of why the Vlasic pickle company has a stork for a mascot.

Michigan Trip Trivia is arranged in easy-to-follow, geographically organized sections. An index makes it easy to find specific locations, and maps illustrate state-wide itineraries. The first in a series covering the American Midwest, Michigan Trip Trivia is an engaging road trip companion that brings the highways of "Great Lake State" to life for locals and visitors alike.

Megan Edwards
3/20/05