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Missouri man sees the state, mile by mile
Unfold a road map of Missouri and look at all the highways. Not just the interstates and major roads with numbers, but the little lettered back roads that run like veins across the counties.
John Robinson wants to drive them all.
Robinson's goal is to drive every state-maintained road in Missouri, which accounts for about 32,000 miles. It sounds farfetched until you hear that he already has covered 91 percent of the total and estimates he may make his goal by the summer of 2010.
Robinson has seen a lot of Show-Me scenery. Ask him for his favorite town or stretch of roadway, and he has a hard time naming just one.
"I really like Fillmore — like in Millard," he said. "Grandpa's Bar is across the street from the Fillmore Opry. Next to the Fillmore is Floyd's Antiques. Bethel is nice. It's an old German town that's fallen on hard times. But those homes and buildings were built by German bricklayers and will be there long after we're gone.
"In Vernon County, there's a town named Liberal with two groups that pick up the trash along the roadway. I love the highway department signs that say Liberal VFW Post 2664 and Liberal Future Farmers of America."
His years of inspecting Missouri have resulted in one optimistic note, and one critical observation.
"The Wal-Martization of America, particularly in Missouri, has devastated the downtowns of many of these communities," he said. "But people are coming back, they're figuring out ways to stabilize and actually reverse the downslide of the downtown."
He is critical, however, of the state for allowing Interstate 70 to be lined by scenery-blocking billboards.
"A lot of Americans have one impression of Missouri and that's I-70, and I-70 is one of the ugliest faces there is in the state," he said. "If people went even 20 miles north or south, they'd find things in Missouri that are delightful."
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I've been to Liberal, its only funny because its in the most non-liberal place of the state. Walmart are killers indeed.
