Heading Down the Highway

Andrew Benton will be all set if he has to write a "What I Did on My Summer Vacation" essay. The president of Pepperdine University (Calif.) and current chairman of the American Council on Education is taking a little road trip down historic Route 66 from its start in Chicago, Ill., to its end in Santa Monica, Calif. The ostensible reason for the trip is to connect with small town America and learn what the residents think about the current state of education. But perhaps the trip is really just and excuse to see some classic road side kitsch (Cadillac Ranch, anyone?) and eat some authentic regional cuisine (you could get really good chicken fried steak in Amarillo, Texas, back in 1992)? You can participate vicariously in the nine-day trip through Benton's blog.