We recently moved to Colorado and purchased about a dozen travel guides to help us get oriented. Oddball Colorado was one we just sort of grabbed in the melee. My wife and I would burst out in spontaneous laughter as we read it. Rather than read it cover to cover, I found myself bouncing around from page to page. Just when I thought I had finished it I would discover another golden nugget I had overlooked. It was a sad day when I realized I had finally finished it!
Now all other travel guides seem inconsequential. Pohlen identifies the natural wonders that really matter (to me!). The cheesy roadside attractions that seemed to capture my father's big station wagon with their tractor beams. Reading the book is like taking a ride with my dad all over again.
Now I've moved onto Oddball Illinois. And I thought nothing could make me want to visit Illinois!