Advertisement Sure, looking at the price of gas makes you a little sick. True, you have stuff to do at home. No doubt, you can barely afford it … but can you afford not to go?
Now imagine a yearlong vacation. The price of gas will still make you ill. Traffic won’t be any better. And instead of doing stuff at home, you’re taking home with you. In the new book “Queen of the Road” by Doreen Orion (c.2008, Broadway Books $13.95, 272 pages), you’ll read a true story about a trip of a lifetime.
For most of her life, Orion was pampered. As the self-proclaimed Princess from the Island of Long, she cherished shoes, shopping and clothes. She worked from home — mostly from her bed — and was proud that she rarely ventured outside.
Orion’s husband, Tim, is a psychiatrist with a client list that was exhausting. To unwind, he loved to do small around-the-house projects and explore the outdoors, but he always harbored a secret dream.
Tim wanted to take a long, extended trip on a bus. Not on a Greyhound-type bus or one of those organized trips. He wanted his own bus. A customized, tricked-out, 340-square-foot bus with mini-kitchen, teensy bedroom and tiny closets.
Closets that were way too small for a princess’ normal wardrobe.
Knowing that the trip had become important to Tim, and surprising them both, Doreen agreed to board the bus for a year. The couple, their standard poodle, and two cats set off from Boulder, Colo., to parts uncharted.
They got stuck in the mud in Arkansas and almost snowed in in New England. They battled mountains in Nevada and regretfully missed Christmastime decorating in Key West. They stayed at a nudist park in California and saw eagles on a stunning Alaskan hike. For one year, through 47 states, they explored the U.S.
What they found will make you smile.
There’s just one thing better than going on vacation, and that’s taking a great book with you to enjoy. If you haven’t decided what to take, let me make it easy for you. You can’t go wrong with this book.
Reading “Queen of the Road” is just like welcoming a friend back from a fabulous vacation: you can’t wait to get comfortable and hear the inevitable stories from the road, and Orion has plenty. This book will make you snicker, you’ll see yourself and several friends in these pages, you’ll laugh aloud, you’ll say “awwww,” and you’ll want to buy a bus and take a trip of your own.
Whether you’re taking a vacation away this year or enjoying a “staycation” at home, this is a great book to grab.
Terri Schlichenmeyer lives in the La Crosse area and reviews books as The Bookworm. Send her
messages via etcetera@lacrossetribune.com.
