Friend and author John Drake Robinson stopped by the Readers Corner this week with copies of his newly released book, Coastal Missouri Driving on the Edge of Wild. His previous book was A Road Trip into Americas Hidden Heart - Traveling the Back Roads, Backwoods and Back Yards We have Johns two books in stock, signed by John, and either or both would make great Christmas gifts. Coastal Missouri Driving on the Edge of Wild Water and Wilderness...Robinsons irreverent humor gets a workout in Missouris back country. ...Beauty and Danger Id crossed a threshold, a no mans land scattered with rattlesnakes and rednecks, whirlpools and whiskey stills, deep woods caverns and cracks named after devils, nervous meth cookers and fish that jump up and smack you in the head. The journey was a wild, wooly hoot! A Road Trip into Americas Hidden Heart - Traveling the Back Roads, Backwoods and Back Yards He bought the car a dozen years ago. Together, they traveled every mile of every road on his highway map, a 250,000 mile journey to discover the real America beyond the interstate. Real people. Obscure places. Forgotten facts. His story unfolds in Missouri, but it could be about any state, any traveler who drives into Americas hidden heart. ...irreverent sense of humor. -Tom Uhlenbrock, St. Louis Post Dispatch No one knows Missouris backroads like John Robinson. -Jim McCarty, Rural Missouri Magazine Biography John Robinson comes from a family of teachers. And they taught him to be observant. They just didnt realize what he would end up studying. In a bizarre experiment that lasted 13 years, he drove every mile of every road on his state highway map. In two insightful books, he recorded what he saw. You can follow his journey, and find his favorite spots. But these books are not travel guides. Theyre commentaries on life. He penetrated beyond the edges of civilization, peeked into the real American heartland, and lived to tell about it. His books are on the road adventures blending local characters and mom-and-pop food into an archipelago of tasty stories. He dives deep into the wilderness, where the nearest neighbors are coyotes, and the bullfrogs sound like banjo strings. When an interviewer asked if he ever heard banjo music, John replied, Sure, all the time. And when I do, I grab a big bass fiddle and join in. Through all his travels, John shows a deep respect for history, and for the environment. As a former state director of tourism, he heard the question a lot: How can we balance tourism and the environment? His answer: If we dont preserve our natural heritage, and put back what we take out, these attractions wont be worth visiting. Called the King of the Road by Missouri Life Magazine, John Robinson lives in Columbia, Missouri when he isnt sleeping in his car. His articles and columns are regularly featured in a half dozen magazines.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 21:45:43 +0000
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