Ever ponder the origins of that distant mesa? Curious about those snowy mountains, those flinty hills, the flatness of Central Indiana? Perhaps you're bored to death by the lack of scenery?

Consider taking a roadside geology book on your next trip. These books contain an array of maps, easy to follow mileage logs, basic geologic primers, and photographs that can bring a landscape -- even a "boring" one -- to life: cornfields become shark infested seas, lifeless brown deserts become breezy tropical islands, and dinosaurs roam in the next road cut.