Cross Country: Fifteen Years and 90,000 Miles on the Roads and Interstates of America with Lewis and Clark

Robert Sullivan retraces the Lewis and Clark expedition through multiple road trips across America, following their path from the East Coast to the Pacific Ocean. His travels span fifteen years as he drives the interstates and backroads that roughly parallel the explorers' historic route. Sullivan intertwines observations of modern American life with historical accounts from Lewis and Clark's journals. He visits sites from the original expedition, speaks with local residents and historians, and documents the changes to the landscape over two centuries. The narrative moves between Sullivan's experiences on the road and his research into the Corps of Discovery's journey. His wife and children join him for portions of the trips, adding a family dimension to his solo travel segments. The book examines the relationship between past and present in American culture, considering how the frontier spirit and quest for discovery continue to influence national identity. Through parallel journeys separated by centuries, Sullivan explores themes of exploration, progress, and the evolution of the American landscape.

Readers found Sullivan's blend of historical research and modern-day road trip experiences uneven and sometimes tedious. Many noted his digressions and tangents made the narrative hard to follow. Liked: - Deep historical knowledge about Lewis and Clark - Observations about American road culture - Humor in descriptions of roadside attractions - Details about lesser-known historical sites Disliked: - Frequent unrelated tangents - Lack of clear narrative structure - Too much focus on minutiae like gas stations and motels - Minimal actual connection to Lewis and Clark's journey From reader reviews: "Gets lost in trivial details while missing opportunities to draw meaningful parallels" - Goodreads reviewer "More about Sullivan's random musings than Lewis and Clark" - Amazon review "Interesting facts buried under meandering prose" - LibraryThing user Ratings: Goodreads: 3.1/5 (224 ratings) Amazon: 3.2/5 (28 reviews) LibraryThing: 3.0/5 (12 ratings)

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🌟 Sullivan made the cross-country journey from Oregon to New York an astounding 27 times while researching and writing this book. 🗺️ The author meticulously retraced portions of Lewis and Clark's historic expedition while simultaneously exploring modern American road culture, often stopping at quirky roadside attractions and truck stops. 🚗 During his travels, Sullivan discovered that I-80, one of America's major cross-country routes, closely follows ancient Native American trails that were later used by pioneers. 📝 The book weaves together three distinct narratives: the Lewis and Clark expedition, Sullivan's contemporary road trips, and his family's experiences during their own cross-country moves. 🌎 Sullivan calculated that the total distance covered in all his cross-country journeys for this book equals more than three trips around the Earth's equator.