A Road Trip into America's Hidden Heart
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A presentation on A Road Trip into America's Hidden Heart presented by John Drake Robinson at 6:00 p.m. at the Garnett Library on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. This event is sponsored by the Ozarks Heritage Research Center and the West Plains Council on the Arts, and is underwritten by Missouri Humanities. Refreshments provided.
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.
John Robinson comes from a family of teachers. And they taught him to be observant. They just didn’t 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 three insightful books, he recorded what he saw. Together, John and his car, Erifnus Caitnop, traveled throughout Missouri, a 250,000-mile journey to discover the real America beyond the interstate. Real people. Obscure places. Forgotten stories. His journey unfolds in Missouri, but it could be about any state, any traveler who drives into America’s hidden heart.
John's 300+ articles have appeared in many magazines–including Missouri Life, Rural Missouri and Show Me Missouri Magazine. His newest book, Souls Along the Road, continues the “road trip” revelations of his earlier works: A Road Trip Into America's Hidden Heart, and Coastal Missouri. He won an Emmy Award for the series, Finding Wild Missouri, produced by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
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.
John Robinson comes from a family of teachers. And they taught him to be observant. They just didn’t 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 three insightful books, he recorded what he saw. Together, John and his car, Erifnus Caitnop, traveled throughout Missouri, a 250,000-mile journey to discover the real America beyond the interstate. Real people. Obscure places. Forgotten stories. His journey unfolds in Missouri, but it could be about any state, any traveler who drives into America’s hidden heart.
John's 300+ articles have appeared in many magazines–including Missouri Life, Rural Missouri and Show Me Missouri Magazine. His newest book, Souls Along the Road, continues the “road trip” revelations of his earlier works: A Road Trip Into America's Hidden Heart, and Coastal Missouri. He won an Emmy Award for the series, Finding Wild Missouri, produced by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
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Where is it happening?
304 W. Trish Knight, West Plains, MO, United States, Missouri 65775
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherOzarks Heritage Research Center
