It seemed like a good idea at the time. In fact, it was a great idea until it turned into a dumpster fire of a trip.

To be fair, Barnard and Audie are intelligent, mid-30-ish guys who have never pursued a goal requiring more than a few hours or days. They’ve never grabbed hold of a lifelong dream. Any adventure they experienced before this story was in their heads through imagination, reading comics, watching movies or TV, or just joking around about how somebody should make a movie about some great idea. Some would say they wasted the first fifteen years out of high school on pointless pursuits. However, all the groceries Barnard stocked or bagged helped him build up a few resources, such as huge collections of Star Wars and Star Trek action figures still in the box. Audie, being on his sixth change of major toward a two-year degree will surely get it right soon. They are poised on the precipice of greatness if only they will take a leap of faith.

They’re smart guys with smartphones and smart-alecky attitudes who rarely make solid decisions the first go-round. Barnard’s sudden and intense inspiration to video and write about cool but unknown travel spots across the state of Texas will be no different. From kicker bars to the Alamo and the Mexican border, their dumpster fire gets lit the first night on the road. Toss in a couple of nefarious rednecks and a pair of highly entitled debutantes, and it becomes a hilarious bonfire of calamity. And the burning question: Can a Smart Car really nestle into the bed of a pickup truck?

It's an energetic ride across the great state of Texas, to say the least. Author Mark Mills takes his leading characters to the brink of disaster several times and Barnard and Audie somehow find a way out. From the first night of their weeklong adventure, Donnie and Sid are on them like poop on a boot, more interested in roping them into mischief than herding cattle. It all propels Audie and Barnard into perilous, high-stakes pursuits as they fight for their lives.

Like a tumbleweed secretly carrying dynamite and leaping across the desert, a pair of beautiful young women tumble across their path. Can a friendship withstand the trials of the open road and the allure of unexpected, albeit unlikely romance?

This story promises to tug at your heartstrings and tickle your funny bone in equal measures. Lauded by readers as a delightful romp, it’s a testament to the enduring power of friendship and the unexpected paths that lead to love. Penned by Mark Mills, the imaginative mind behind the “Scepter of the Gods” series, this novel is a treasure trove of laughter, life lessons, and the kind of clean fun that’s as rare as a bluebonnet in December. Dive into this book and discover a world where every mile is a memory and every chuckle is a chapter in the adventure of a lifetime.