DISPATCHES FROM THE ROAD

My Romance With the Little Missouri River

I have a special claim on the Little Missouri — or rather it has had a special claim on me. If I had to spend eternity in a single landscape, it would be about 10 miles north of Marmarth, North Dakota, where the Little Missouri just begins to carve up the viewshed.
Tagged under: , , ,

Back Home and Planning Phase Two of the Great John Steinbeck Tour of America

Well, I’m home now for a few weeks, writing up my travels and planning Phase Two of the great John Steinbeck Travels with Charley tour of America, which begins in the second week of July. 
Tagged under: , , ,

Tortilla Flat: Steinbeck’s Early Years

Steinbeck struggles against poverty, but the publication of Tortilla Flat changes everything.
Tagged under: , , ,

Clay drops in at Sagamore Hill, Theodore Roosevelt’s Beloved Home on Long Island — Video Dispatch

Clay visits Sagamore Hill, Theodore Roosevelt’s home on Long Island.
Tagged under: , , , ,

Two Views of the Nightmare Road to Athens, Ohio

Was it Google Maps that led me astray? Last week, on the way to Athens, Ohio, I took a wrong turn.
Tagged under: , , , ,
A Distant View of the Falls of Niagara by American artist, John Vanderlyn, 1804.

Pondering Thomas Jefferson at Niagara Falls

Thomas Jefferson said it is worth a trip across the Atlantic to see Niagara Falls. Although he never got there.
Tagged under: , , , , ,

Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders at Montauk Point, New York — Video Dispatch

When Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders returned from their heroics in Cuba in August 1898, they were quarantined at Montauk Point at the tip of Long Island.
Tagged under: , , , ,

The Romance of America’s Greatest Game: An Emotional Visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame

I don’t know what I expected when I drove my Airstream into Cooperstown, New York to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame. It was an emotional day.
Tagged under: , , , ,
Clay's personal cartographic detail of his Steinbeck journey through New England the last two weeks.

Clay’s Personal Cartographic Detail of the Steinbeck Journey Through New England

Clay’s personal cartographic detail of his Steinbeck journey through New England the last two weeks. Over the next few months, Clay is shadowing Steinbeck’s 10,000-mile trek around the USA (and making a few detours of his own).…
Tagged under: , , ,

A Visit With Author Jay Parini of Middlebury, Vermont

Sitting in the Airstream, Rocinante. I had a delightful interview with Steinbeck biographer Jay Parini of Middlebury College in Vermont.
Tagged under: , , , ,