Customer Reviews

Out West: A Journey through Lewis and Clark's America

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Ever since I read a few books about Lewis & Clark, I've been planning (in my head) a journey out west. This story captures the essence of how I envision my trip. Road rules, no highways, mom & pop restaurants, making new friends along the way.

I found this book very well written, fun, and engaging. I was able to feel what I think L&C and Mr. Duncan all felt. The excitement of a new journey, the weariness of such a long trip, and the saddness once the trip ended. I hope I can one-day follow in their footsteps.

I read this book over a decade ago and it stills makes me chuckle. It taught me a lot about Lewis and Clark's Mississippi voyage and kept me laughing along the way. I'd recommend this book to anyone who's craving a relaxed, intelligent, historical read.

This is fascinating reading for all who dream of following in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark and "discovering" those parts of the country that we know only in our imaginations. Especially interesting for us "born & bred" Easterners.

I was excited to find this book, as it married the historical aspect of L&C's voyage with a fresh update of the route by a contemporary adventurer. This obsession with Lewis & Clark seems to border on the fanatical for some people, but Dayton Duncan really conveys the import of their journey and makes us feel the excitement and occasional trepidation those earlier trailblazers must have felt. I do enjoy his tone. Although the book is gently funny, it is not curmudgeonly or laugh-out-loud funny. I guess Mr. Duncan is just about the same kind of traveler I am - respectful as a guest on someone else's home turf, but always ready to appreciate the humor in any given situation.

Yes, the book is somewhat dated. However, it feels like Dayton Duncan needed that time to fully savor the experience. This is a classic, in the same way Travels With Charley is a classic. Anyway, time does not move as fast in small-town America. A lovely book!

Duncan did what many L&C enthusiasts dream of doing: headed out from St. Louis in an old VW van and retraced as much of the Lewis & Clark trail as humanly possible, taking all summer to do it. Along the way, he dispenses well-chosen bits of history and L&C journal entries, but most of the narrative focuses on his adventures along the trail and the people he meets there. The best sections of Out West tell about ordinary folks: bootmakers, cowboys, Native American park rangers, and local history enthusiasts of every stripe. I especially loved the section where Duncan went on a mountainous ride through the Bitterroots, saw the sunset, and weathered the embarrassment of a runaway horse named Sugar Lips.

Out West has two downsides. One is simply its age. A good portion of the journey takes place in the farm belt, where many of the people were suffering through the severe contraction of the agricultural sector that was such a big issue in the 1980s. This has now played itself out, so the focus on the farm crisis dates the book a bit. The other is the cynicism that often creeps into even the best travelogues.

Fortunately, Duncan doesn't spend too much time being grumpy. Most of Out West is written with good humor and sensitivity. My favorite portion was the deeply insightful passage that he writes about Lewis & Clark's rush from the Clearwater to the Cascades.

I read this book over a decade ago and it stills makes me chuckle. It taught me a lot about Lewis and Clark's Mississippi voyage and kept me laughing along the way. I'd recommend this book to anyone who's craving a relaxed, intelligent, historical read. Enjoy!