by Sally Hammond

The dirty baseball cap he wore had a pin in it - 'Grumpy Old Fart' it announced.

But his version was different. "My Native American name is Silver Fox," he told us with pride, as we fossicked amongst the junk and memorabilia in his unassuming 'antiques and jewellery' shop.

We were in Cassoday, Kansas, about as near to the centre of the United States of America as you could possibly get. Heart of the Heartland. 'Silver Fox' was eager to show us the silver fox hat he had made himself and patiently posed in it so that we could photograph him.

Cassoday has a population of 94, according to the tourist pamphlet, but most seemed absent that day. A yellow schoolbus, the morning run already over, was parked beside the deserted one-pump garage. There was a public phone box, a bed and breakfast, cafe, a few houses and beyond that sweeping plains of prairie grass. I doubt that this place is on the main route to anywhere and most visitors to the US will never get to meet Silver Fox, or, indeed, see either of his hats.

Yet those who jet into LAX or New York, and cocoon themselves in glass and chrome, bulleting through the air or down six-lane Interstate Highways, captive to itineraries they never planned, miss a great deal. There is a whole, huge country here - much of it best discovered on four wheels and two feet. America has a mighty network of air and coach lines and they are exceptional value and models of efficiency, but the flexibility you need to really get to know a place, to wander its back roads, to chat with the Silver Foxes of the small towns, cannot be easily found by using them.

Best to hire a car (even buy one if you are staying for a while) and travel at your own pace, stopping where you wish, eating food at the local cafes and barbecue joints, and booking in each night at one of the ridiculously priced budget motel chains. That way you will get a feel for real America. Down-home, small-town America. And to get to the very heart of what this great country is all about, you have to - of course - get to the Heartland.

Various states claim from time to time to be part of this region. Some guidebooks include Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin, others stick with the central five - Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. However you measure it, these states are a must to include on any driving holiday. But it is easy to dismiss them when planning a trip. They are flat and boring, you imagine; hot, dusty and with nothing to see kilometre after endless kilometre, you believe; and it comes as a shock to realise that many of our preconceived ideas are based on what we know of the interior of our own hot continent.

The fact is this: warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico keeps summer temperatures high but humid in the heartland states, yet in winter the temperature can fall dramatically and a white Christmas is more than possible. In autumn, because few evergreen trees grow in these areas, the countryside is ablaze with colour to the horizon.

I talked to Stan, who runs the Prairie Star Guest Ranch, near Cassoday, where guests can sleep in cottages, ride horses and round up cattle if they are energetic, or snooze on the cool verandahs if they are not. At night he might organise a cook-out featuring prime Kansas beef, maybe slathered in hot-as-you-like barbecue sauce made not so far away in the historic Lunt house in Fort Scott, and sloshed down with good cold beer.

"In springtime," says Stan, "these prairies are colour - all colour - with wildflowers." He's not a botanist. Every flower I showed him was dismissed with "Jest a weed!" But he loves the prairie in flower.

Each Heartland state has something different to offer. Nebraska has Lincoln, with its stately Capitol building and magical Folsom's Children's Zoo, and an easy drive away is Omaha on the Missouri with the world's largest indoor tropical jungle. But dress lightly, for here, in an afternoon, you can walk from Africa to Asia to South America through steamy rainforest. "We prefer to call them man-made, rather than artificial," say the staff when asked about the amazingly realistic vines swinging from the huge trees supporting the roof. But the reptiles, birds and wild animals are real enough and they stare fearlessly at you, no doubt wondering why you have invaded their territory.

Iowa has much to offer too. If you want a truly delightful drive through real farming country take a detour through the Loess (pronounced LUSS) Hills, formed thousands of years ago when glacial dust or loess was blown to form dunes and drifts up to 200 feet high. Today they are farmed, settled, planted with orchards and home to native animals such as coyote, deer and raccoon. There are 350 kilometres of clearly sign-posted Scenic Byway throughout this area, many small towns, craft shops, and fruit stalls to stop at, and bed and breakfasts to spend the night.

Missouri offers much for driving tourists too. This is a state full of lakes and, although most are man-made, there are hundreds of small fishing spots or, for the bird-enthusiast, places to stop off and observe wild-fowl. For those with dinner on their mind, this is the area where you can hunt as well, and Springfield boasts the world's biggest sporting goods store catering to the sports-person's every possible need or whim. Up to three million shoppers visit Bass Pro every year. When you go, get acquainted with Ethel, an obese bass believed to tip the scales at over nine kilogrammes, and resident in a special pool with a couple of other portly fishes.

When the day is done, Branson, 70 kilometres away, the States' hottest new entertainment centre will be alive and 'Wah-HOOing' with country music to set you dancing through the night. This tiny town, population under 4000, seats 46,000 each night. That's more than Broadway! And Branson expects to keep packing them in by an additional 10,000 or more every year for many more to come. Huge auditoriums owned by the likes of Tony (Tie a Yellow Ribbon) Orlando, Jim Stafford and a dozen others keep pulling the tour coaches down the winding Ozarks roads in search of good family-style toe-tapping music.

Yet this area is possibly the only part of the Heartland where you do find buses and coaches. The roads generally are refreshingly free of congestion and the roadsides are unlittered due to the fact that almost every kilometre is accounted for and cleaned up by some business or community group. 'Adopt-a-Highway' signs, blue in some states, brown in others, advertise which group is responsible for upkeep, and each takes great pride in keeping their stretch beautiful.

Oklahoma is the state where Australians possibly will feel most at home. The countryside is similar and on the farms instead of large red barns with strange roofs and double storey white-washed frame houses found further north, you will see modest brick bungalows with a tin shed instead. The greatest difference is the sight of oilwells steadily pumping up and down, pecking away in the middle of fields of grazing cows or bales of hay.

If you can, spend half a day or so at Woolaroc (the name is a contraction of Wood, Lake and Rock) wildlife preserve and museum, between Bartlesville and Oklahoma City. Here you will find bison grazing, maybe within metres of your car, and when you see their bulk and hear that they can outrun most other animals over a half kilometre, you will understand (and obey) the rule of staying firmly inside your car.

The Heartland of USA has so much to offer - beautiful scenery, good food, attractions and entertainment for every age-group - but by travelling independently you will discover something even more precious. You will meet the people who have made these places what they are. You will experience their open generosity and friendship. And when they drawl "How're y'all?" you'll feel that they really care about you too.

These people - they are, after all, the real heart of USA.

Factfile:

The American Automobile Association (AAA) has offices in most larger US cities, reciprocal agreements with all Australian automobile clubs and societies, and will provide similar breakdown service and trip-planning assistance as you can expect here.

Most Heartland roads are very well surfaced and maintained. Some country roads may lack 'shoulders' so take care when using these.

The US has a simple system of highway numbering which helps if you lose your sense of direction temporarily - even numbered roads usually run east-west, and odd-numbered run north-south.

It is also important to observe the rules of the road. The AAA has a book 'Digest of Motor Laws' for members which gives detailed information for all states. Some of the major ones of importance for drivers in the Heartland states are:-

Blood alcohol reading (called Chemical Test Laws) apply to all states and operating a vehicle implies compliance with a test if you are stopped. The legal limit is .10%.

Use of seatbelts by the driver and front seat passenger is mandatory in all states. 

School buses loading or unloading require drivers either behind or approaching to stop until the bus resumes its journey. This is law in all states.

Speed checks apply in all states and most use a variety of means:- aerial, radar, stopwatch, pace, electrical - and signs may or may not be posted.

Speed limits vary too, so check the signs. If travelling long distances, consider hiring or buying a car with cruise control to lessen the need to continually check speed.