Of the thousands of drive-in theater screens that dotted the countryside, few remain. Many are ghost screens, forever blank. But now and then…
Winter Camping Alone
If you wanted to hide from creditors or a hit man, Lake Wappapello would do nicely. Isolated in rugged hills, wholly surrounded by the thick woods of Mark Twain National Forest, the lake stands apart from the crowd. Driving to … Read More
Wilderness
Downriver, I found a suitable gravel bar where I beached my canoe and set up camp deep in the Irish Wilderness. I sat alone by the campfire and thought about the strange evolution of this area: wilderness, then settled and … Read More
But the greatest of these…
Painted olive green, Hartville’s water tower earns style points as it sticks out from the old red brick buildings like a garnish on the swizzle stick in a giant bloody Mary. I know that image isn’t the town’s intent. But, … Read More
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 Twain Forest missed a … Read More
Grundy County Horsepower. Chicken Power, Too
Turds dot the roads like a giant linear checkers game. Up the road, a hundred buggies parked outside the local produce market. A giant four-horse draft team passed me, its wagoneer headed to plow a field. We waved at one … Read More
207 years ago today, the Earth shook New Madrid.
In the History of Southeast Missouri, eyewitness Godfrey LeSieur gives this account of the New Madrid Earthquake: “The first shock was about 2 o’clock a. m., on the night of December 16, 1811, and was very hard, shaking down log … Read More
My Favorite Road
“What’s your favorite road?” I get that question a lot. It’s natural, since folks know I’ve driven every mile on the map. They’re curious. What’s my favorite restaurant? Favorite bed and breakfast? Favorite state park? At a chamber banquet in … Read More
