Highways Tell Stories.

A highway’s back may be black, brown or tan, red, white or blue. We name them after saints and music and Mother. A highway’s makeup may be heavily applied and easy to see, or it may be worn thin. Her … Read More

Pit Stop in the Past

We took the exit. As we got closer to the sign, we could see it clearly: Sorry. No gas here today.

The Marshfield Tornado

One catastrophic event affected 16-year-old John Boone so deeply he recounted the vivid story in nearly every concert until he died. Around suppertime on Sunday, April 18, 1880, a tornado with winds topping 200 miles per hour leveled much of … Read More

Nourishment

“If anything is good for pounding humility into you permanently, it’s the restaurant business.” –quote from Anthony Bourdain posted on the playful–and appetizing–FB page for Pho Keene Great, a delightful new cuisine Vietnamienne restaurant in Keene, NH.

Ava is a palindrome. It looks the same coming from any direction. The water tower sits atop a hill off the center of town, shouting “Ava Bears” from its steel sides. This garden spot in the middle of the Mark … Read More

Putting Your Best Foot Forward

Along Highway 13, I found The Shrine of Our Lady of the Two Ugly Utility Poles Standing Side by Side in Our Front Yard. That’s my name for it anyway. It’s the world’s best attempt to divert your attention from … Read More

Race Car Circus on I-70

Sunday night. 7:40 pm. I-70 eastbound. Darkness had set in as we approached the Boonville exits. Two giant 18-wheelers grew rapidly in my rearview mirror. They looked like prairie cruise ships, each outlined in ten thousand tiny amber lighbulbs. Even … Read More

Tornado Season

Tucked in the rolling hills of Missouri’s smallest county, a sign recalls a vibrant little town.

Devils and Elbows

I found a hideaway. When I rolled to its door, a thundershower was beating down on the low slung structure made mostly of logs with mud chinks, its back wall standing just a couple of feet above the swollen Big … Read More

If E Could Talk

I climbed up and took a nap beneath the T on this sign, sharing space with the ghosts of travelers who stopped here long ago to add a sticky chapter to their Route 66 journey. Locals too. And Spring breakers … Read More