Open Roads

Got your fiery hot Cheetos ready? The new In-Fisherman? A pillow for your elbow and a CD of trip tunes?

Summer means Road Trip. Pack the car, check the map, fill the cooler, first to call shotgun probably has the front seat.

My husband always clicks the trip ticker on our odometer to track our mileage. I could care less. I make sure we have something salty and sweet in the car . . . well, besides each other. Beef Jerky and Dark Dove chocolates, how 'bout?

How far do we go before we lose Twin Cities' radio reception? The Twins games can barely be made out by the time we hit Motley. That's okay. Those baseball announcers never call out the score anyway.

We might not say the phrase "finally leaving this cement city!" but by the time we cross the Mississippi at Clearwater, or the rolling hills near Eau Claire, or the spread of Lake Pepin down Highway 61, we're thinking it.

If I could choose another job I would pick Anthony Bourdain's gig on the Travel Channel's "No Reservations." Or this guy's--the Frugal Traveler--at the NY Times. You can follow his travels this summer as he criss-crosses the big U.S. of A. Send him tips now if you've got 'em for Indiana, his next stop. Or throughout the summer when he calls out for your favorite state spots.