Program 643: Pandemic Road Trip; Corona Wanderlust; American Surprises

Esteemed travel writer Paul Theroux recounts his cross-country adventure driving from Cape Cod to southern California amid a pandemic, and Don George of National Geographic Traveler describes how he's dealt with wanderlust while staying close to home. Then Laurence Brown of YouTube series Lost in the Pond shares a few of the surprises he's found since moving to America from England.

• Paul Theroux, author of "Under the Wave at Waimea" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
• Don George, editor at large for National Geographic Traveler
• Laurence Brown, host of the "Lost in the Pond" You Tube series
• Gene Openshaw, co-author with Rick of "Europe's Top 100 Masterpieces" (Avalon Travel)

• Paul Theroux describes his November 2020 roadtrip from Massachusetts to Southern California to the New York Times.
• Paul's destination was to deliver his writing archives to the Huntington Library in San Marino, California.
• Paul's Travel with Rick Steves interview about his latest book, "Under the Wave at Waimea," is featured on program #640, from June 2021.
• Don George has collected essays he's written during the pandemic in his e-book, "Wanderlust in the Time of Coronavirus." Don also hosts tours for National Geographic Expeditions and for GeoEx.
• Laurence Brown is host of the "Lost in the Pond" video series on YouTube, where he contrasts life in the US from what he knew growing up in England. He posts frequently to Twitter @LostInThePondUS.
• Laurence tells Rick more about his "Lost in the Pond" YouTube channel on his earlier appearance on Travel with Rick Steves program #635 from April 2021.
• Gene Openshaw co-authored Rick's latest art book, "Europe's Top 100 Masterpieces: Art for the Traveler."

Road Food Haiku

Lone brown calf among
a pasture of white cattle.
Happy lil' burgers.
— Marjorie Hundtoft, Portland, Oregon

Lunch in Inola.
Graham's makes the best hamburgers.
Oklahoma Dive.
— Alaina and Cathy Orban, Claremore, Oklahoma

Biscuits and sausage
and Grandma Kusske's cookies
are the best road food
— Neil Ruddy, Carlisle, Iowa