Reader's Digest has updated its Most Scenic Drives in America guidebook highlighting 120 "spectacular" road trips.

Ever wondered how far south you can drive toward Florida until you run out of Tim Hortons locations?

You can find out in the latest driving guidebooks -- for those more-than-one-tank trips.

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For some people, it seems the availability of Tim Hortons is "one of the questions frequently asked" -- aside from the most direct route to take, says I-75 drive guide entrepreneur Dave Hunter of Mississauga.

He has the answers in his newly updated book -- the 14th edition of Along Interstate 75 -- about travelling the expressway to the sun.

Fill up those Thermoses for that long trek once you head south of Ohio, as beyond Detroit on I-75 there are just eight Tim's outlets -- so far.

The newest are in Ohio at Exit 59 in North Dayton and another opening at Piqua at Exit 82 or 83.

Some of the staff don't really know who Tim Horton was and are "sometimes a bit overwhelmed by the Canadians who come in as if they've just reached a well-stocked life raft in the middle of a stormy ocean," Hunter said. He also includes Starbucks locations.

In three research trips to compile the latest guide, Hunter observed more changes than in any previous year.

In the 1,542 kilometres between Detroit and the Georgia-Florida border, there are 429 new businesses, while 331 have closed and other services have come online.

In fact, he documents all 748 gas stations, 1,531 fast-food outlets and restaurants, and 739 motels and hotels en route, along with new exits, speed limits, favourite police radar zones, history and topography from top to bottom -- and for the return trip from bottom to top.

He also publishes bi-annually Along Florida's Expressways, a guide to where to go and how to get there once you're in the Sunshine State.

"Both guides provide local knowledge, insider information and entertainment for those driving to Florida and within the state," Hunter said.

They sell for $29.95 and are available by phone (1-800-431-1579), bookstores, CAA offices and at www.i75online.com. For information: (905) 274-4356 or e-mail: mile_oak@ compuserve.com.

Dave Hunter tells where to find Tim Hortons' outlets in the U.S. in his updated Along Interstate 75 guidebook.

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Quebecers Stan Posner and Sandra Phillips-Posner publish the Drive I-95 travel guide covering the blacktop from Boston to the Florida border.

Similar to Hunter's book and with his consultation, it has strip maps, trivia and information about all the 422 exits along the 1,742-kilometre route.

It costs $29.95 and is available at bookstores, 1-888-GUIDE95 (1-888-484-3395) and www.drivei95.com.

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Susan Croce Kelly takes us on a trip down Route 66 in her still-available book on the famed roadway.

Planning some day trips throughout the U.S.?

The newly updated Reader's Digest Most Scenic Drives in America highlights 120 "spectacular" road trips.

Packed with maps and photos, the drives are organized by region from east to west. It includes tourist information about state parks, recreational facilities, road conditions, accommodations, wildlife viewing, annual festivals, local customs and tips on side trips.

Learn about the most scenic drives in a tour of a region or a more pleasant route to a familiar destination.

The information-packed guide has 400 pages and sells for $39.95. For more details, go to www.rd.com.

Also from Reader's Digest is the Complete Road Atlas of Canada: Canada's Touring Guide and Travel Companion, originally published in 2002.

It has 254 pages of maps covering Canada from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Each double-page map folds out to show a touring guide about the landscape, history and special places worth a visit.

The Digest's Voices from the Mountains (192 pages, $39.95) contains 40 "true-life stories" and is a tribute to the "world's most spectacular mountains and the adventurers who bravely scaled them."

There's also the Illustrated Guide to Ireland (352 pages, $49.95) that's revised and updated.

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Take that trip down Route 66, the former 3,300-kilometre strip of pavement connecting Chicago with Los Angeles, which made long-distance car travel a reality.

Susan Croce Kelly pays tribute to the route -- now replaced by interstates -- in her book Route 66 from University of Oklahoma Press.

With photos by Quinta Scott, it preserves the memories of the legendary roadway.

Originally published in 1990, it's available online at the discount price of US$13.97 at www.oupress.com.

There's also Scott's book, Along Route 66, for US$8.09 ($4.49 paperback) and Traveling Route 66 by Nick Freech, US$11.96, which "follows the path of the Mother Road, reveals its importance and captures its special magic."