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
Leaving Home
Monday, April 28 2025
Spring is here. It’s time to pack the bags, load the truck, and get on the trail of Lewis and Clark.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
While Passing Through a Small South Dakota Town
Monday, April 21 2025
This will sound like a parable, and it may be. But I’m going to describe it exactly as it happened.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Join Clay at Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest Home and Help Kick Off LTA’s 2025 Lewis and Clark Adventure
Tuesday, April 15 2025
Clay will lecture at 2:00 p.m., May 6, 2025 on Thomas Jefferson’s vision for Lewis and Clark’s “Corps of Discovery.”
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
My New American Friend From Ghana
Monday, April 07 2025
On a recent Uber drive to the Bismarck airport, Clay met Isaac, a North Dakota emigre from Ghana and a proud, brand-new U.S. citizen.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Clay Announces Cultural Tour of John Steinbeck’s California
Tuesday, March 25 2025
An exciting new addition to Clay’s slate of LTA Cultural Tours for 2025! We’re headed to Steinbeck Country — California's Central Coast. On this tour we’ll visit Monterey, Pacific Grove, Carmel, and just across the Santa Lucia mountains, the author’s hometown of Salinas. These California landscapes stayed close to Steinbeck’s heart throughout his life and shaped the Nobel Prize-winning author’s indelible literary legacy.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
My Melting Hour at San Juan Hill
Monday, March 17 2025
A not-so-rough rider, Clay gave a historical presentation as Teddy Roosevelt during a recent visit to Santiago, Cuba.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Catching the Tune in Havana
Wednesday, March 05 2025
Now on a cultural tour of Cuba, outside a street-side cafe in Havana, Clay and his guests stumble into a magical, transcendent moment.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road