Two great inventions make my penchant for travel much more bearable: the wheel-so that I don’t have to walk-, and audio books- so that I’m educated and entertained as I drive. I had never used audio books, and truthfully didn’t even like the idea of them for anyone other than the sight-impaired. Last summer I decided to take a driving vacation alone, and visit a few sites of Civil War battles.

I have enjoyed reading about the US Civil War, but have never visited any actual battlegrounds. My sister suggested that I take along a few audio books to relieve the tedium of driving. I visited the local public library, and was amazed at the selection that was offered. To my surprise-and immense pleasure- I found audio books about the battles at Chickamauga Creek, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg, which were all sites on my vacation list.

The audio books made the time fly, and refreshed my memory of the sights that that I was about to see. I also took We Were Soldiers Once and Young, the definitive description of the fighting in the Ia Drang valley in Viet Nam. It lasted for well over half of the long drive from Gettysburg, PA, to my home in Louisiana. I will never take a driving vacation again without audio books. They have become one of the developments of the 20th century which has made my life better.