A Road Trip into America's Hidden Heart

John Robinson, a former Missouri director of tourism, puts a different spin on the traditional road trip. Over 13 years, he drove every mile of every road on the Missouri state highway map. With an irreverent sense of humor--Robinson compares his unconventional journey to mowing a 68,000-square-mile lawn—he and his car (his only constant companion on this odyssey) discover the real America beyond the interstate. Real people. Obscure places. Forgotten facts. Whether he's uncovering tombstone histories or sitting down to a blue plate lunch, Robinson relays his encounters in a relaxed storytelling style. He's spent much longer—his whole life—studying Missouri customs, culture and history, weaving them into stories that probably won't show up in a high school history test. Robinson has authored several books on his Missouri travels, which are available in the Richard Bookstore inside the Center for Missouri Studies and online: shop.shsmo.org.