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
Delightful Ignorance: Jefferson and the American West
Monday, May 12 2025
Clay begins his 2025 Lewis and Clark transcontinental journey in the land of Thomas Jefferson, the patron saint of the famous 1804-1806 expedition.
- Published in Features
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
A Word About Dictionaries
Sunday, April 20 2025
A short dissertation on my infatuation with dictionaries.
- Published in Books
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
On the Trail of Lewis and Clark — Video Dispatch
Tuesday, February 18 2025
Clay details plans for his upcoming cross-country journey following Lewis and Clark’s celebrated 1805 -1806 expedition across the continent.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road, Video Dispatches, Videos
Happy Birthday Meriwether Lewis
Tuesday, August 20 2024
August 18 was Meriwether Lewis’ 250th birthday. Clay reflects on the short life of this protégée to President Jefferson and one of the nation’s most well-known explorers.
- Published in Features
Clay Visits Pompeys Pillar National Monument — Video Dispatch
Tuesday, July 23 2024
Clay visits Pompeys Pillar National Monument along the Yellowstone River east of Billings, Montana.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Back Home and Planning Phase Two of the Great John Steinbeck Tour of America
Tuesday, June 11 2024
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.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
The Age of Exploration Meets the Era of Disillusionment
Thursday, May 16 2024
I have been reading Hampton Sides’ excellent new study of Captain James Cook’s third voyage (1776-1779), The Wide, Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact, and The Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook.
- Published in Books