This got me thinking about Steinbeck's Travels with Charley. It is a relatively light read, and is very good. After reading your post I am going to give it another read. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travels_with_CharleyTravels with Charley: In Search of America is a travelogue written by American author John Steinbeck. It depicts a 1960 road trip around the United States made by Steinbeck, in the company of his standard poodle, Charley. Steinbeck wrote that he was moved by a desire to see his country on a personal level, since he made his living writing about it. He wrote of having many questions going into his journey, the main one being, "What are Americans like today?" However, he found that he had concerns about much of the "new America" he witnessed.
Travels with Charlie is a travelogue classic, and flagamuffin recommends the excellent Blue Highways as well.
I am not familiar with Blue Highways, but I will check it out. To the library! (Thank you!)
That's something I'm going to have to read. I'm a huge Steinbeck fan but haven't delved into that book yet. I'll second (third?) the recommendation for Blue Highways, I read it a few months before starting this trip and it helped to shape my attitude and perspective heading into it. Plus it's an enthralling read.