Road Fever (ISBN 0394758374)

Amazon.com Review:
If you define "adventure travel" as anything that's more fun to read about than to live through, then Tim Cahill's Road Fever is the adventure of a lifetime. Along with professional long-distance driver Garry Sowerby, Cahill drove 15,000 miles from the southernmost tip of Tierra del Fuego to the northernmost terminus of the Dalton Highway in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, from one end of the world to another, in a record-breaking 23 1/2 days. Just like the authors' camper-shelled GMC Sierra truck, the narrative bounces along at a relentless pace. Along the way Cahill and Sowerby cope with mood swings, engine trouble, Andean cliffs, obstinate bureaucracies, slick highways, armed and uncomprehending soldiery (not to mention the challenges of securing O.P.M., or Other People's Money--the sine qua non of adventure, Cahill observes). Author of such off-the-wall travelogues as Pass the Butterworms and Jaguars Ripped My Flesh, Cahill is equipped with the correct amalgam of chutzpah and dementia to survive what can only be called "The Road Trip From Hell." Readers, however, will thoroughly enjoy themselves.

a great read for anyone who loves the art of travel:
Of course, Cahill's art of travel is far different than most of ours, but any one who loves adventure will eat up this book. While the journey takes place in the late 80's, the day-to-day stories he tells are essentially timeless. There were parts of this book in which I was unable to contain my bursts of laughter, and other parts that were much more reflective. It's easy to get a human sense of what these two men experienced during such a short trip. Cahill interspersed hysterical personal perspective with a bit of historical perspective as well, making the book more meaningful than just a story about a road trip. It's a fast read, one I had a hard time putting down, one I am sad to have finished, only because I enjoyed it so!

One of my favorite books:
Granted, I bought the book, years ago, because the cover looked like it would be a fun book. How true! A terrific ride...with tension and giggles throughout! (And a trip I'm GLAD I was only living vicariously!) One of the few books I've reread...a couple of time, in fact.

A road trip through South and Central America:
Cahill has a talent with words. Who else can write a book about a 23-day trip along the Pan-American highway, make it interesting, witty and educational without excessive prose? Although this trip was taken in 1987 it's still a good read. Some of the political issues boiling in the 1980s still simmer today in some of the countries. The first half of the book is just about the planning aspect of the trip. There's plenty of behind-the-scenes information he writes about, like collecting donations and sponsors, ie the "dirty secrets of adventure travel." The focus of this book is the time spent in South and Central America on the Pan-American Highway. Argentinia and Peru get about 30 pages, Colombia about 20, and other countries even less. Costa Rica is lavished with great praise, Nicaragua gets shafted. Some things don't change. He devotes a mere 30 pages for Mexico, US and Canada; the trip truly ends with a press conference in Dallas. Cahill writes with enough compassion, historical perspective and canny business sense. My only complaint, should there be any, is why drive through some of the most beautiful stretches of South America in record time?! This was one of Cahill's first books. I still think it's his best. That's why it's in reprint.

Serious Road Tripping:
As someone who's driven between Minnesota and Fairbanks, Alaska 3 times, I'm someone who understands road trips pretty well. From my perspective, this book was an absolute blast. The coverage of their preparation for the trip and the adventures they had along the way are phenomenal. An awesome read. It's the type of book you'll find yourself bringing up with friends, as I still do years after reading it myself.

Mostly boring with a few laughs:
I expected a lot out of this book, and maybe that is why I was slightly dissapointed. I didn't think this was a bad book per se, but it was a little painful toward the end for me b/c it felt like the same thing over and over. I have been to a few of the countries they drove through, so it was nice to read about their adventures and feel a been there done that feeling. It is not as funny for me as it was for the others. I can't say this is one I would urge a friend to read.