SOS

See this and you know you’re headed into hell. From a dozen states a bucket truck convoy as far as the eye could see.

Nature Rocks the Bootheel

Seven years ago this weekend the Ice Storm of 2009 rolled across northern Arkansas and southern Missouri, thick as Dusty’s beard.

Looney Creek

It’s now a sanctuary for animals, this old church at Looney Creek Cemetery. Erifnus doesn’t mind. Buried here, my great great grandfather was shot by a Union firing squad, along with nine other young men, in a terrifying event that … Read More

Rafting the Mississippi

The days were getting warmer when I got a call from a good friend alerting me that an adventurous soul was about to experience the dream of every American river rat. He’d built a raft, and was looking for crew … Read More

Kingdom Come

It was 10 p.m. when I reached Kingdom City. Fresh water filled a labyrinth of potholes in the parking lot of the Iron Skillet Truck Stop. The depositor, a monstrous thunderstorm, fled the scene, churning east down the highway, framing … Read More

Erifnus Caitnop

So I set out to feel every crack in Missouri’s pavement. As with all stories – and symphonies and carnal acts – it was an uneven ride. Although a dozen friends and a handful of reporters rode with me on … Read More

I drove all the roads

The map called out the names; I traced the stories. Every fold in the Ozarks, every bend in the rivers, every drive down the main drag in 700 towns reminded me that even as my map sets the stage, it … Read More

A Tsunami with Joplin Winds

Scary spectre: “Stronger than Wilma, Katrina, Rita, Andrew. And it could become the strongest hurricane ever on the planet to make landfall when it hits tonight somewhere south of Puerto Vallarta.” Near its path, half a million people live or … Read More

Missouri Travel Crew Wins Emmy

John Drake Robinson with Emmy Award

John Robinson and his car have driven every mile of every road on the Missouri state highway map. He’s written two books about their adventures, and now a web series highlighting their discoveries has won an Emmy. Finding Wild Missouri … Read More

St. Louis: Birthplace of Fast Food

Man of Many Miles

More than any other spot on earth, St. Louis is the birthplace of fast food. In terms of speed and convenience, St. Louis has made the single biggest impact on your gastrointestinal tract since cave people first burned meat, more … Read More