Adventures Along Illinois Waterways

About the Book

Like its predecessor, Life & Lore Along Illinois Waterways, Adventures Along Illinois Waterways is a series of essays and interviews showcasing many of the historical events that took place along Illinois waterways over the past 300 years, the lives of some of the fascinating people who have left their mark on Illinois history, plus some very entertaining tall tales. In this volume, a substantial effort has been made to accurately portray the Native Americans of Illinois’ 18th and 19th centuries. A bonus feature of Adventures Along Illinois Waterways is a series of profiles exploring twelve of Illinois’ best bets for fishing, hunting, hiking, canoeing, and even spelunking (caving). No matter what part of the state you live in, there’s a site featured that is within a day’s drive of your home.

About the Author

Born in Los Angeles, California in 1958, Michael David Raya rode the famous Santa Fe Super Chief east to Peoria, Illinois with his great grandfather at the ripe old age of four weeks.  There, he was raised by his grandparents who themselves had grown up in the busy, Illinois River port during the early 20th century—a time when riverboats still ran up and down the waterway and commercial fishing was in its heyday.  

A love for the great outdoors was instilled in Michael early on as his grandfather taught him to fish the Illinois River and area lakes.  The fishing trips became more frequent during Michael’s four-years at Peoria High School, especially after he purchased his first automobile, a 1965 Dodge Dart.

After high school, Michael attended Illinois Central College in East Peoria, Illinois.  During this period, he began freelance writing for various environmental organizations.  Although his major was business management, he spent his free time soaking up the information contained in the school library’s wildlife biology section.  He spent his summers canoeing Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area and hiking the trails of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

In late 1984, Michael began a career in powerlifting.  Now, in his 17th year, he has won 65 awards including the titles of 1989-90-91 Illinois State Deadlifting Champion, 1991-92 U.S.P.F. Illinois State Powerlifting Champion, and 1992 N.A.S.A. National Deadlifting Champion.  He has authored Effective Weight Training for the New Millennium and The Modern-day Karate Reference Manual.

Between 1991 and 1995, Michael owned and operated Raya’s Power & Fitness Center and Raya’s Marketing, both in Pekin, Illinois, along with The Hair Affair & Tan-X in Lacon, Illinois.  At Raya’s Marketing, he was able to continue his work as a freelance writer/graphic designer, creating multi-media marketing campaigns for a wide variety of industries and non-profit organizations.

In mid-1995, Michael opted to work in marketing exclusively.  As a freelance writer, he wrote business profiles for weekly newspapers in small towns across central Illinois.  He also wrote feature stories for Adventure Sports Outdoors, a monthly hunting and fishing magazine distributed throughout the state.  Eventually, he was asked to serve as the magazine’s editor and graphic designer.  During this time, he also wrote Letters From the Front:  Three Years in the Civil War, a look at the great War Between the States through the letters of his great, great, great, great uncle, 1st Sergeant Chester W. Shaw of the 101st Illinois Infantry Volunteers.

During his association with Adventure Sports Outdoors, Michael met many of the people featured in his book Life & Lore Along Illinois Waterways.  His writing style for Life & Lore Along Illinois Waterways was based upon the participatory journalism of George Plimpton—the one writer Michael admires most.  He echoes Senator Robert F. Kennedy’s remark:  “Some men want to be President, but I’d rather be George Plimpton.”