I'm willing to bet that most of you who have traveled Highway 19 into or out of Northfield have noticed The Bull. How could you miss it? It is proudly mounted in front of what I assume is a farm--a shiny, oversized beast made of something artificial like fiberglass.

Don, as I like to call him, is in fact an inspiration to me: I've had a longstanding dream to take an extended road trip, touring the country to photograph the thousands of incredibly huge fake animals just like Don.

This desire to see as many parts of the country as possible led me to read Larry McMurtry's new book Roads. Each chapter takes him down a different major highway or freeway in the US. This seemed like a fun way to learn more about little-known areas of our country, but in truth I had to bang my head against the wall to convince myself it was worth finishing.

This was the first of McMurtry's books I'd ever read ­ the others, bestsellers such as Lonesome Dove and Terms of Endearment are on my waiting list. I assume fiction, then, must be his strong point.

Roads began well enough ­ at first it was interesting to read about the fabulous pie at such-and-such roadside diner, and the extensive coverage of a Los Angeles traffic jam brought California right to my living room. These are things many travel writers don't mention too often, and the effect was a sort of shrinking of America as he pointed out similarities he found, whether on the West Coast, East Coast, or smack dab in the Midwest. But eventually the description of every semi-truck-clogged, potholed road in Pennsylvania grew dull.

McMurtry aptly proved that he is a man with extra time on his hands and not enough useful or fascinating information to fill a Post-It. Much of the book consisted of his descriptions and reactions to the sky and various billboards for tourist attractions.

Most of all, he extensively pointed out how much he wanted to be back home in Archer City, Texas. By the end I felt as if I was riding with a fussy child who read too many boring details in the encyclopedia. In the future, I suggest that McMurtry sticks to dreaming up stories about how he would prefer America's highways to be, and you stick to reading what he creates rather than observes.