LTA’S 2024 TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY ROAD TRIP
Beginning this spring, Clay is following John Steinbeck’s 10,000-mile trek around the USA (and making a few fascinating detours of his own). Traveling in a 23-foot Airstream, Clay’s expedition is a central part of LTA’s big initiative to take the pulse of America as it approaches its 250th birthday. You can follow Clay’s Steinbeck-related adventures in the stories and videos linked below and on the LTA Facebook site. Also, subscribe to our newsletter.
Map of Steinbeck’s 1960 journey around the USA on display at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, Calif.
Uniquely American Concord, Massachusetts — Video Dispatch
Monday, August 19 2024
Clay spent a morning in Concord, Massachusetts, while traveling through New England this spring. Located northeast of Boston, Concord has deep roots in American history and culture.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Thoughts on Airstream Life — Living in Miniature
Monday, August 19 2024
Clay shares his thoughts on life on the road and living in a 184 square-foot portable home.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Salinas, California: Home to the Famous Author and the National Steinbeck Center
Tuesday, August 13 2024
Clay arrives in Salinas and Monterey, California, the home turf of a young John Steinbeck.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
The Last Stoplight on the Interstate Highway System — Video Dispatch
Tuesday, August 06 2024
The last stoplight on the entire interstate highway system was located in Wallace, Idaho. When the elegant latticework of the I-90 viaduct was completed in 1991, Wallace held a funeral for the last stoplight, now safely protected in the Wallace Mining Museum.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Clay Visits Thoreau’s Walden Cabin — Video Dispatch
Saturday, July 27 2024
As he travels through New England, Clay stops at Walden Pond outside of Concord, Massachusetts, to visit the original site of the 10 by 15 foot cabin immortalized in Henry David Thoreau’s American classic Walden.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Falling In Love With Montana All Over Again
Saturday, July 27 2024
John Steinbeck loved Montana — actually, he fell in love with it. So far as we know, he had never been there before 1960. His travels across the country had all been at lower latitudes.
- Published in Features
Aboard the Long Island Ferry — Video Dispatch
Thursday, July 25 2024
On a beautiful spring day, Clay and his Airstream board the ferry from Long Island to New London, Connecticut, launching his trek, tracing John Steinbeck’s 10,000-mile Travels with Charley journey.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
John Steinbeck’s Evening With a Father and Son in Idaho
Sunday, July 21 2024
John Steinbeck stumbles into an uneasy father-son relationship during a quiet stopover near Coeur d’Alene.
- Published in Features
Steinbeck, Charley, a Stop in Yellowstone, and the Call of the Wild
Friday, July 19 2024
Steinbeck and his dog Charley have an eventful visit at Yellowstone National Park.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Clay Visits Glendive, Montana’s Dinosaur and Fossil Museum
Tuesday, July 16 2024
Clay visits the Glendive Dinosaur and Fossil Museum which presents its exhibits in the context of biblical history.
- Published in Features