DISPATCHES FROM THE ROAD
At Great Falls, Montana
Tuesday, July 08 2025
I’m spending the 4th of July at the Great Falls of the Missouri River in north-central Montana, where Lewis and Clark visited on the same day in 1805.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Clay’s “Must See” Stops in Great Falls, Montana
Tuesday, July 08 2025
Our Lewis and Clark explorer, Clay Jenkinson, says that Great Falls’ reputation for being one of the less attractive places to visit in Montana is highly unfair. He shares his “must see” stops.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Fear and Loathing at the DOT
Monday, June 23 2025
Registering the new pickup truck. This, too, is America.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at University of Virginia — Video Dispatch
Friday, June 06 2025
On his recent visit to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Clay visited the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers on campus. Dedicated in 2021, the memorial commemorates the estimated 4,000 enslaved people who worked on the University between 1817 and 1865.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
University of Virginia: The Architecture of Education and Democracy — Video Dispatch
Monday, June 02 2025
Thomas Jefferson conceived and designed the University of Virginia as a unique “Academic Village” where students and professors would live and learn together.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Clay Tours Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello Estate — Video Dispatch
Tuesday, May 27 2025
As a kickoff for his 2025 Lewis and Clark trek, Clay visited and toured Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s primary home and plantation in Charlottesville, Virginia.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
The Peaks of Otter — Thomas Jefferson Speculated America’s Tallest Mountains — Video Dispatch
Tuesday, May 27 2025
Clay checks out The Peaks of Otter in the Blue Ridge Mountains, which Thomas Jefferson speculated were the country’s tallest mountains.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
The Spot That Made Thomas Jefferson Swoon: A Visit to Natural Bridge — Video Dispatch
Tuesday, May 20 2025
Clay stopped by Natural Bridge State Park in the Shenandoah Valley. The site so captivated Thomas Jefferson that he purchased it from King of England in 1774.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Visiting Thomas Jefferson’s Private Personal Retreat — Video Dispatch
Tuesday, May 13 2025
Kicking off his 2025 transcontinental Lewis and Clark trek, Clay spends the day at Poplar Forest, the beloved personal retreat of Thomas Jefferson, the mastermind behind the famous Corps of Discovery.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Racing the Southern Interstates Across America
Tuesday, May 06 2025
About three days and 2,870 miles: Clay makes a rapid dash across the continent.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road