Book excerpt: Not 'just another travelog' ' this is a light-hearted blend of observation, anecdote, humor and history, all sympathetically portrayed through the perceptive pen of a guest from Europe. The book was inspired by a USA coast-to-coast expedition from San Francisco to Washington DC to raise funds for charity (ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease, Motor Neurone Disease), undertaken for much of the way in a 30-year-old open top 'classic' car along the historic Route 66. Little escapes review ' from cow-chip throwing to IndyCar racing; from poker running to the deeply ingrained religiosity of bible belt America. The story ranges from the sparkling waters of San Francisco Bay, via Amarillo in the Texas panhandle, to shipwreck in the pounding Atlantic surf off Cape Hatteras. People and places, and triumphs and tragedies of American history, all are there. The distinctive style is the author's own ' although he likes to think it is inspired by the best of Bryson, RL Stevenson and JK Jerome. Enjoy!