Mark Twain, Fabius and Troublesome Creek

If you travel at all around Mark Twain’s boyhood stomping grounds, you’ll likely cross the Fabius River. There are three branches, paralleling Troublesome Creek as they all wind their way to the Mississippi. The Fabius rivers are named not for … Read More

Comeback

Thanks to conservation efforts, prairies and buffalo in Missouri are making a comeback. Bison travel together and don’t feel compelled to text, which is refreshing. Dunn Ranch Prairie reintroduced buffalo to Harrison County back in 2011…now herds are thriving here … Read More

Ticket to Ride

Racking up more miles on her odometer than the distance to the moon, my 1999 Pontiac Sunfire became Trigger and Lassie and Old Faithful all rolled into one. Her sleek lines suggest roadster, and she handles through twists and turns … Read More

Ride to the Devil

The Great Flood of 1993 pushed the Grand River into the streets and homes of Pattonsburg and residents moved up the hill to form a new Pattonsburg. They left behind beautiful buildings like the old Methodist Church. When Ang Lee … Read More

When the Big Wave Washes Us Away

It was a windy day, like today. As I sit in my sun room and watch gale force winds sweep dead leaves from the trees, I think back to another wind that took a close friend. The grand roster of … Read More

Run Aground

Nearing the end of a grueling day at sea, I crawled into a lifeboat to rest, and must’ve lost consciousness, fell asleep near some treacherous shoals. When I awoke, the ocean had flung the boat onto shore. Oh well, they … Read More

Our Neighbors

We docked near an ocean beach doubling as a nursery. The eggs hatch at night and the turtlings crawl to the sea under cover of darkness. Our guests saw three turtlings early one sunrise, making a daylight run for the … Read More

Storm Front

A violent squall closed in fast, racing us to Everglades Cut.  This was three weeks before the two young men were lost at sea. But it was a similar storm, intense, thrashing. We donned our Mae West life jackets in … Read More

Deep Sixed

Danger lurks everywhere in Paradise. If the ocean doesn’t surprise you, your vessel might.