Ride along with author Tom Cotter and photographer Michael Alan Ross as they pilot their Ford Bronco/Airstream Basecamp combination 8,881 miles along the lower 48’s back roads and byways.

Tom Cotter has spent decades ferreting out lost “barn find” collector cars. The process has made him an ardent road tripper, logging thousands of miles every year on America’s back roads. Previous journeys have traced Route 66 in his 1939 Ford Woody wagon and followed the Lincoln highway coast to coast behind the wheel of a 1926 Model T. 

Cotter’s journeys led him to wonder: What could be the most epic American road trip? The answer: Key West, Florida, to Deadhorse, Alaska, its thousands of miles recounted in America’s Greatest Road Trip. Cotter and Ross drove across the country, through British Columbia and the Yukon, and finally through Alaska to the literal end of the road. Ross documented their road time in thousands of photographs.

Along the way, the pair met fellow road trippers, adventurers, small-town Americans, world travelers, and rolled through an ever-changing geography from the Gulf of Mexico to the Mississippi Delta to the Great Plains and Mountain states through the Northwest Passage and finally several hundred miles of Alaska’s challenging ALCAN Highway.

Cotter’s observations of Two-Lane America are complemented by Ross’s beautiful photography capturing both the sweep and the detail of life off the beaten path.

Join them on their once-in-a-lifetime journey—you’ll be glad you came along for the ride.

Tom Cotter had long been involved in nearly every facet of the automotive and racing industries before writing his first book. From mechanic and auto salesman to heading the public relations department at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Cotter formed his own racing and automotive PR and marketing agency, Cotter Group. The agency represented some of the largest clients in NASCAR, IndyCar/CART, drag racing, and road racing. He has written biographies of the legendary Holman-Moody race team, Tommy Ivo and Dean Jeffries, but is best known for his series of barn find books, such as Cobra in the Barn, 50 Shades of Rust and Barn Find Road Trip. Cotter appears in the Barn Find Hunter video series, which is distributed by Hagerty Insurance. He teaches public relations at Belmont Abbey College, sits on the advisory board of McPherson College’s Auto Restoration program, and is a member of the Road Racing Driver’s Club (RRDC.) He lives in Davidson, North Carolina.

Michael Alan Ross’ photography is featured in advertising and editorial work for magazines and is part of corporate photography collections in the United States and Europe. Michael’s vast knowledge of automotive design and his ability to create a visually stimulating image combined with his masterful composition is key to his tremendous success. 

Michael's prestigious client list illustrates the caliber of his work: automotive manufacturers Porsche, Porsche Design, Polestar, Audi, and Jaguar; The Hagerty Group; and magazines such as Christophorus, Road & Track, EVO, Porsche Panorama Magazine, Excellence Magazine, 000 Magazine, Hot Rod, and Rodder’s Journal.

Michael recently finished his sixth book with author Tom Cotter, all published by Motorbooks (Quarto Publishing). Their titles include Rockin’ Garages, Barn Find Road Trip, Route 66 Barn Find Road Trip, Motor City Barn Finds, and Ford Model T Coast to Coast.   

Their collaboration and friendship has afforded Michael a new level of appreciation for the open road and the great "finds" off the beaten path. 

Michael has painstakingly and meticulously documented their adventures from rock-star interviews to eluding junk yard dogs and everything in between.

As Tom Cotter proclaims, “nobody sweats the details like MAR.”

In reply, Michael quips, "no matter what happens, a good cup of coffee and a good sense of humor are the main ingredients for success!"