Morning rush hour murders your nerves. Worse for turtles. I saw one the other day, stranded on the center line of a busy expressway. He was upside down, legs fully extended, grasping at the sky. His chances for survival were … Read More
A Roll of the Dice
Leaving Tuscumbia is still an adventure on the back roads. No less than five swinging bridges aid in connecting Miller County. Four can support your car, if you’re brave. The fifth supports your drinking habit. I knew about the good … Read More
Feel the Burn
The first known grist mill along Camden County’s Little Niangua River was burned to the ground by unknown assailants in the middle of the night. It was 1864, and the mill family barely escaped alive. Today, nothing remains of Burnt … Read More
The Pits and the Pinnacles
I drove a couple of miles north to a geologic marvel, a naturally sculpted breathtaker called the Pinnacles Youth Park. Like the name suggests, the featured attractions are the Pinnacles themselves, 80-foot limestone towers carved by water and wind, pointing … Read More
Run the Cat Roads
Before there was a lottery, and people had to grab cash the old-fashioned way, Bonnie & Clyde knew about Dearborn, Missouri. Dearborn is popular now because of America’s latest Powerball winner. But until recently, when the equivalent of one half … Read More
You’re Fired
The one on the left smoked corn cob pipes from Washington, Missouri. The one on the right would be 135 years old tomorrow. Give ’em Hell, Harry.
Retirement Reversal
He said, John, in your life, there won’t be 10 people who you can really count on. That may be true for most of us. But he was a teacher. And one of his most important lessons wasn’t something from … Read More
Ride with the Devil
In new Pattonsburg’s Old Memories Café I found the best blue plate special this side of the senior center. In that café I found something else: murals commemorating Ride with the Devil, painted by Elanor McMahall. The murals are vivid … Read More
Deep Alone
Forecast promised rain. In fact, first wave of storms had just passed. Radar said next band of rain wouldn’t hit for an hour. So I headed for the trail. 10 am. Nobody. I had the trail to myself. The trees … Read More
Shaken, Not Stirred
The Undercliff Grill & Bar is cool and inviting, in its campy cave chic. The locals keep coming back for the food. I know why. The French onion soup comes protected by a helmet of Gruyère cheese that could stand … Read More