Cahokia Mounds
When Dave Smith, 59, was a boy, he used to sled down the backside of 10-story-tall Monks Mound. The same Monks Mound, from which 1,000 years ago a Native American chief ruled a six-square-mile community of … Read more
Twain’s Evolution
Posts in Twain’s Evolution
A Twain hat becomes a trip essential
Food cooler for the van, check. Extra batteries for cameras, check. Twain hat for head, check. Well, okay, a Twain hat isn’t normally regarded as essential for a three-month trip, but I’m a hat guy. My … Read more
How it all began: From motorcycle fantasy to road-trip reality
Here’s how this trip began: Mark Twain and I—he with narrowed blue-green eyes, exploding shock of red hair and white flannel suit, I with black, smoke-lens sunglasses, black helmet and black leather jacket—decided to go, as … Read more
Mark Twain meets the Internet
Mark Twain, please meet the Internet. Mark Twain, Internet; Internet, Mark Twain. I wonder a lot about what our lost literary greats would do if ever confronted by this fine web of technology. The people who … Read more
Who is the American?
“Are you an American?” Mark Twain once wrote in his notebook: “No, I am not an American, I am the American.” Twain was willing to compare Americans—however arrogant or ignorant—to smug, cultured Europeans and to declare Americans … Read more
