Pies à la road

• Pie-O-Neer Coconut Cream Meringue Pie
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• The Eatery Pecan Pie
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• Rock Creek Lake Fresh Peach Pie
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• Mom’s Raspberry-Rhubarb Pie
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• Sunglow Apple-Lemon Pie
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• Longhorn Restaurant Four-Berry Pie
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Some people travel in search of enlightenment. Others seek cultural enrichment. The wisest set their sights on a great piece of pie.

On the highways and backroads of the West, there are pie stops worth a special trip, places where culinary kings and queens reign over empires of flaky crusts and luscious fillings.

Their kingdoms are modest: eateries strategically positioned near summer travel destinations. But their subjects are loyal, and their treasures mighty.

For those of us consigned to our own realms this summer, six of these expert bakers offer peerless pies to make at home. This is enlightenment and enrichment enough.