63

Went ashore. Jumped on a ’63 Schwinn Continental and rode toward the sunset, at turns laughing or lamenting my first 63 years…came back with a bucket list for my next 63, if nothing goes awry…

Behind the Scenes at the Emmys

It was a grand night. Our crew sat at one of the hundred tables in the Emmy Awards Gala in KC, apprehensive about winning an Emmy. Two hours into the program, I felt queasy, so I sprinted a hundred yards … Read More

It Was a Good Weekend

After speaking to the Missouri Press Association Convention last month, I let my hair down at Columbia’s Roots & Blues festival, before hopping in Erifnus, my car, for a whirlwind trip to Kansas City. There, our film crew won an … Read More

Finding Wild Missouri Gets Emmy Nomination

“Mighty Confluence” has been nominated for an Emmy. It’s the first of a series of short films following Erifnus and me as we drive every mile of every road on the Missouri state highway map. The nominated episode, one of … 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

Home

We had a busy day. Missouri Transit delivered my grand kids in time for us to scamper across the bridge to eat breakfast at Tremain’s. We watched passengers arrive on an Ozark Airlines DC-3, then retraced our route, past the … Read More

Yule Tied Hideout

The trout got plenty of attention. They always do on the first day of March. It happened suddenly. In the predawn, an armada of hip waders invaded their winter waterland. Pretty gifts dropped from the sky, tasty looking flies that … Read More

I Can’t Get These Names to Stick

Graveyard for Naughty English Teachers

Some roads evoke emotion, like the Trail of Tears through Belleview, Boss and Bixby. And some roads evoke wonder, like the Scenic Byway along Crowley’s Ridge. Traveling every Missouri road, I gave some personal nicknames to a few pathways. Winding … Read More

My Favorite Road

Water Tower, Radio Tower, Tower of Power

One of the most legendary highways on Earth unfolds over 300 Missouri miles, and bears a name that’s the highest tribute ever bestowed a route: the Mother Road. But it’s a mother with multiple personalities. Before it bore children west, … Read More

Bringing the Backroads to the Classroom

Just spoke to 70 fourth graders. Captured their attention with my prairie chicken dance. We talked about finding wild Missouri.  Their eyes got even wider when I told them about joining a producer from Saturday Night Live to raft the … Read More