Wind Cave National Park
Tuesday, June 02 2026
Our roving humanities scholar Clay S. Jenkinson is typically dedicated to the truth and nothing but the truth, but his visit to Wind Cave National Park seems to have addled his brain. No other visitor on his recent tour reported meeting Dante and Virgil at the Seventh Circle of the cave.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Drowning the Missouri River โ Lewis and Clark on the Reservoirs!
Monday, September 01 2025
The Missouri was a wild, free-flowing river when Lewis and Clark began their epic western journey in 1804. Today, much of that river is a series of reservoirs.
- Published in Features
Visions of John Wesley Powell and the Great Canyons of the Southwest
Monday, March 17 2025
John Wesley Powell, the extraordinary one-armed Civil War veteran, was the first to explore the canyons of the Colorado Plateau by river. His remarkable story still fascinates and inspires me.
- Published in Features
The Majestic Confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers
Thursday, November 14 2024
John Wesley Powell, Edward Abbey and hiking Canyonlands National Park.
- Published in Features
Autumn and Joy on the Open Road
Monday, October 28 2024
There is nothing quite like the magic of traveling America in the fall.
- Published in Features
Down the Salmon: A River Journal
Tuesday, September 19 2023
Every summer I lead a cultural tour on the Lewis and Clark Trail in Montana and Idaho. Usually, we canoe through the White Cliffs section of the Missouri for a couple of days, regroup, head west, and then climb up to the ancient Lolo Trail. But occasionally we switch things up by floating the Salmon, the โRiver of No Return.โ This was such a summer.
- Published in Features
Reflections on A Colorado River Journey
Sunday, July 02 2023
Conditions are changing so fast in the Colorado River watershed that it is impossible now to keep up. I write this on April 14, 2023. In two successive days since I returned to North Dakota, my news feed has served up stories on Great Salt Lake.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Circumnavigating the Great Salt Lake in a Kayak
Monday, June 26 2023
Days 12 and 13, Tuesday/Wednesday: Salt Lake City
Clay visits Salt Lake City to talk with Scott Baxter a passionate advocate and student of the Great Salt Lake.…
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Farewell to Our Intrepid Guide and a Water in the West Reading List
Friday, June 23 2023
Days 10 and 11, Sunday/Monday: U.S. 89 to Utah 20; Utah 20 to I-15; I-15 to Salt Lake City.
A sad farewell as Frank, our scout and chief raconteur for the last 10 days, heads home to Escalante, Utah, and Clay and Dennis continue north to visit the Great Salt Lake.…
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
A Day on Lake Powell โ A Colorado River Journey
Saturday, June 17 2023
Clay and colleagues spend a glorious day on Lake Powell, a popular recreation destination with over 2,000 miles of shoreline, which hosts over 3 million visitors annually.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road