Splittin' The Mitten: Get Your Kicks on Michigan's Route-66: Full color edition

Featuring more than 250 color photographs, this book takes the reader for a nostalgic drive along Michigan's very own Route 66, a little-known 273-mile hidden gem that splits "The Mitten" down the middle. (A black-and-white version is also available on Amazon.) Nothing embodies the American love affair with the open road like Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles. Lesser known but just as inviting in its own way is Michigan's state highway M-66, stretching from Sturgis on the Indiana border to "Charlevoix the Beautiful" on Lake Michigan. It’s the only state road to run nearly the full length of the Lower Peninsula, offering a peaceful sojourn you can't find on the main highways. A drive along M-66 reveals quaint small towns; venerable Main Streets; majestic old houses on tree-lined avenues; forests and rivers; crop land with picturesque barns and silos; “Centennial Farms” that have been in the same family more than 100 years; tidy Amish homesteads; local diners and ice cream stands; interesting yard art; and old-fashioned roadside parks replete with a hand-operated water pump. M-66 is also notable for what you don’t see. The closest thing to an urban area is Battle Creek, population 52,000, and there are only two Wal-Marts on the entire 273 miles. Researched and written by Michiganders John and Becky Schlatter, "Splittin' the Mitten" showcases the many facets of Michigan’s heartland.