Backroad Odyssey : Travel Stories, Van Life & Road Trip Oddities

Why should we care about Ernest Hemingway's time in Key West? 

What did this great American novelist REALLY do and accomplish during his brief residency on the island from 1931 to 1939? 

My dog and I spend a week on the island to answer these - and more - questions ... 

Works Cited: 

Great, concise book about Hemingway's time in Key West: 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104236.Hemingway_s_Key_West

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/guide-hemingways-paris-180950079/

https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/hemingway/pauline-pfeiffer#:~:text=Pauline%20Pfeiffer%20was%20a%20journalist,family%20was%20wealthy%20and%20Catholic.

https://www.hemingwayhome.com/his-life

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/july-21/ernest-hemingway-is-born

https://www.ernesthemingwaycollection.com/about-hemingway/ernest-hemingway-in-paris

https://sloppyjoes.com/history/

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hemingway-s-last-penny

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=223742

https://www.hemingwayhome.com/our-cats

https://fla-keys.com/keysvoices/hemingway-days-celebrates-legendary-writers-key-west-life/

https://medium.com/@mentalgarden/ernest-hemingways-peculiar-writing-routine-unlock-your-real-potential-624f92c8758e

https://www.clappisonvet.com/resources/blog/september-2017/the-many-cats-of-ernest-hemingway

https://www.themarkerkeywest.com/blog/discovering-the-legacy-of-hemingways-six-toed-cats-in-key-west/

Noah and Noodles here!

We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to every listener of Backroad Odyssey.

Your support fuels our passion and inspires us to keep sharing stories and discover overlooked locations.

Follow each adventure visually at:

https://www.instagram.com/backroadsodyssey/

A singular stretch of untamed wilderness lines Calirfonia's Northern Coast. 

A landscape so rugged and dramatic that the state's infamous 'route one' avoids it's sheer cliffs and crashing waves.

My dog Noodles and I spend three days along this coast - while there we hear a love story. 

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We answer listener questions at the end, which include: 

• How do you know where you're going next? 
• Does your van get messy?
• Was there anything that surprised you in researching Plymouth Rock? 
• What cryptid are you most scared of? 

Recommendations: 

Black Sands Beach near Shelter Cove: 

https://sheltercovecalifornia.com/the-lost-coast-trail

Beer and Food:

https://www.gyppo.com/

Backpacking for the brave - make sure you reserve in advance: 

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/lost-coast-trail-mattole-to-black-sands-beach

Works Cited: 

https://www.savetheredwoods.org/project/lost-coast-redwoods/

https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=28172

https://www.aspireadventurerunning.com/the-lost-coast-the-ancestral-lands-of-the-sinkyone-people/

https://sheltercovecalifornia.com/the-lost-coast-trail

https://michaelbass.media/THE-LOST-COAST

https://www.visitredwoods.com/listing/shelter-cove-on-the-lost-coast/138/

https://www.visitcalifornia.com/experience/lost-coast/

Noah and Noodles here!

We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to every listener of Backroad Odyssey.

Your support fuels our passion and inspires us to keep sharing stories and discover overlooked locations.

Follow each adventure visually at:

https://www.instagram.com/backroadsodyssey/

What’s the real story and legacy of Plymouth Rock? 

Did the so-called “Pilgrims” REALLY step upon that particular rock that fateful Autumn of 1620? 

Why and how did Plymouth Rock become the defining “Founding of America" Myth?

My dog Noodles and I visit the rock in Plymouth Massachusetts to find out! 

Works Cited: 

https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1wxsdq.7?searchText=plymouth+rock&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dplymouth%2Brock%26so%3Drel&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A613af71a7850d2e61fbd659b9b9eb5f9&seq=6

https://www.jstor.org/stable/41779364?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

They Knew They Were Pilgrims, Plymouth Colony and the Contest for American Liberty by John G Turner 

https://www.history.com/articles/the-real-story-behind-plymouth-rock

https://www.studentsofhistory.com/comparing-jamestown-plymouth-colonies

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Plymouth-Rock-United-States-history

https://www.history.com/articles/william-bradford

https://www.history.com/articles/king-james-bible-most-popular

https://www.history.com/articles/mayflower-compact

https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/lawes-divine-morall-and-martiall/

https://www.neh.gov/blog/plymouth-colony-and-beginnings-liberty-america-qa-neh-public-scholar-john-turner

https://plimoth.org/for-students/homework-help/mayflower-and-mayflower-compact

https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/inline-pdfs/The%20Mayflower%20Compact.pdf

https://www.potawatomi.org/blog/2020/11/25/the-true-dark-history-of-thanksgiving/

Noah and Noodles here!

We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to every listener of Backroad Odyssey.

Your support fuels our passion and inspires us to keep sharing stories and discover overlooked locations.

Follow each adventure visually at:

https://www.instagram.com/backroadsodyssey/

Who is The Skunk Ape?

Noodles and I take the van to visit Skunk Ape Headquarters deep in the Florida Everglades in search of answers.

We’ll also be answering listener question at the end, which include: 

• What do you listen to while driving? 
• Do you ever take showers in your van?
• How long does it take you to visit a location?
• How do you avoid conversation bias on the show? 

Brief Works Cited: 

https://www.skunkape.info/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/trail-floridas-bigfoot-skunk-ape-180949981/

https://keysweekly.com/42/keys-history-stories-of-southernmost-skunk-ape/

Noah and Noodles here!

We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to every listener of Backroad Odyssey.

Your support fuels our passion and inspires us to keep sharing stories and discover overlooked locations.

Follow each adventure visually at:

https://www.instagram.com/backroadsodyssey/

 The sparse fields of North Dakota hold a secret …

Mysterious scrape metal statues populate the wind-swept landscape. 

The reason behind their labored construction and the harrowing story of the man who built them - that’s a story worth telling. 

This is the fable of the Enchanted Highway… 

Works Cited: 

https://www.atlasobscura.com/videos/meet-the-man-who-built-north-dakota-s-enchanted-highway

https://www.ndtourism.com/regent/attractions-entertainment/family-fun/enchanted-highway

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=the+enchanted+highway.com&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/enchanted-highway

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2155

Noah and Noodles here!

We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to every listener of Backroad Odyssey.

Your support fuels our passion and inspires us to keep sharing stories and discover overlooked locations.

Follow each adventure visually at:

https://www.instagram.com/backroadsodyssey/

How much do we REALLY know about eclipses?

My answer one year ago would have been - not much.

-

To amend this, my dog and I witness a total solar eclipse and - nearly a year later - a lunar eclipse in Southern Florida. 

We use each experience to explore the profound cultural, historical and scientific significance of eclipses.

Sit back, relax and join our venture into cosmic happenings well beyond the walls of our small van ...

Listener questions at the end of the episode include: 

• If you found a large diamond in Arkansas - what would you do with the money? 

• Did it take you a long time to understand your van’s electric system? 

• Will your show be coming to YouTube? 

•  Can we get an updated Audiobook recommendation episode?

•  How long in general does it take you to research an episode? 

Works Cited: 

https://www.jstor.org/stable/178278?read-now=1&seq=3#page_scan_tab_contents

https://www.jstor.org/stable/4130201?read-now=1&seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents

https://www.history.com/articles/solar-lunar-eclipses

https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEhistory/LEhistory.html

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/eclipse-maps-halley-18th-century-astronomy

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Johannes-Kepler

https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEcat5/SE1601-1700.html

https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/history/

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20231012-how-solar-eclipses-have-shaped-history

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-ancient-civilizations-reacted-to-eclipses-180983894/

https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/geometry/

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/resources/teachable-moment/the-science-of-solar-eclipses-and-how-to-watch-with-nasa/

https://www.planetary.org/worlds/pale-blue-dot

https://www.astronomy.com/science/a-history-of-solar-eclipses/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTxz_d2q7Js

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idlq8zCrUkY

Noah and Noodles here!

We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to every listener of Backroad Odyssey.

Your support fuels our passion and inspires us to keep sharing stories and discover overlooked locations.

Follow each adventure visually at:

https://www.instagram.com/backroadsodyssey/

Crater of Diamonds State Park  is the only place in the world where the public can search for natural diamonds at their volcanic source. 

The 37 acre eroded volcanic crater sees hopeful prospectors prying through  loose soil - hoping to find more than just dirt

Some do … some do not … 

Regardless, the history of the park is just as fascinating as the diamonds that litter its ground.

My dog Noodles and I visit the field in the hopes of striking it rich!

Works Cited: 

https://www.geology.arkansas.gov/docs/pdf/education/geologic-history-of-arkansas-through-time-and-space-gray-scale.pdf

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-curious-case-of-the-arkansas-diamonds-43575867/

https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/john-wesley-huddleston-4732/

https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/crater-diamonds-state-park/history

https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/articles/discovering-lamproite-crater

https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/crater-diamonds-state-park/digging-for-diamonds

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S0869591111010024#:~:text=Kimberlites%20are%20produced%20in%20the,Kimberlite%20and%20lamproite%20bodies%20have

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hvjuOKKX_I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZhRjh3Vg7w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rdm6VFQArU

Noah and Noodles here!

We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to every listener of Backroad Odyssey.

Your support fuels our passion and inspires us to keep sharing stories and discover overlooked locations.

Follow each adventure visually at:

https://www.instagram.com/backroadsodyssey/

America sleeps far away from the impending conflicts of World War II.

Despite this VAST distance, an anxiety lingers in the mind of American President - Franklin D. Roosevelt  …

My dog Noodles and I scale WWII observation towers along the Delaware coast - and use the story of their construction to illustrate the deep anxieties present in the pre-war American government. 

All this is to say: 

The slow buildup to American involvement in The Second World War; is more interesting and deliberate than assumed.  

Works Cited: 

https://www.jstor.org/stable/27555685?read-now=1&seq=15#page_scan_tab_contents

https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt1xx5pk.8?searchText=world+war+two&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dworld%2Bwar%2Btwo%26so%3Drel&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3Ae8810c8b534d4a6bfb307d1c26a94446&seq=4

https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/s/study-general-board-usnavy-1929-1933.html#:~:text=warships%20should%20be%20built.,during%20an%20eight%20year%20plan.&text=Congress%20was%20not%20ready%20to,plan%20and%20disbanded%20the%20board.

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/message-congress-making-the-civilian-conservation-corps-permanent-agency

https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/civilian-conservation-corps

https://shorebread.com/2013/01/24/the-watch-towers-that-line-the-de-coast-signs-of-world-war-ii/

https://www.jstor.org/stable/27555685

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/selective-service-and-arsenal-of-democracy.htm

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/fireside-chat-13

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/20/fdr-prepares-for-us-role-in-world-war-ii-june-20-1940-650866

https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/churchill/interactive/_html/wc0112.html

https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/story/article/2140942/first-peacetime-draft-enacted-just-before-world-war-ii/

https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/joint-address-to-congress-declaration-of-war-against-japan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoaXGUq-l50

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iuQcxXAdfw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYQQXbnWbz4

https://destateparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/wayside_Tower4_Standing_Guard.pdf

Noah and Noodles here!

We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to every listener of Backroad Odyssey.

Your support fuels our passion and inspires us to keep sharing stories and discover overlooked locations.

Follow each adventure visually at:

https://www.instagram.com/backroadsodyssey/

Abandoned towns are scattered throughout the American Landscape.

These remnants of bygone eras tempt us to speculate about the lives of those that left … 

Why did they leave?

 What makes the American West particularly populated with these so-called “Ghost Towns?”

Noodles and I explore the desolate ghost town of Grafton - just south of Zion National Park - to find out! 

Recommendations: 

Good reference before visiting Grafton, the detour shouldn't take you more than two hours: 

https://graftonheritage.org/history-settlement/

Zion Hikes: 

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/utah/the-zion-narrows-riverside-walk

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/utah/angels-landing-trail

Don't Forget Utah's Mighty 5 (easily doable if you plan!) 

https://www.visitutah.com/places-to-go/parks-outdoors/the-mighty-5

Works Cited: 

https://www.jstor.org/stable/20589495?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/24889487.pdf?refreqid=fastly-default%3A69f9058b1c2537ad4427f269f32fac60&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&initiator=&acceptTC=1

https://www.jstor.org/stable/41784569?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

https://www.jstor.org/stable/44671309?searchText=ghost+towns&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dghost%2Btowns%26so%3Drel&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3Aa083d002fc7d91c16babbaf915c2cd7d&seq=2

https://graftonheritage.org/history-settlement/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/ghost-town

https://travel.usnews.com/gallery/americas-15-coolest-ghost-towns-to-visit?slide=16

https://www.canyoneeringusa.com/zion/hikes/grafton#:~:text=Located%20past%20the%20west%20end,Cassidy%20and%20the%20Sundance%20Kid.%22

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7G2DRrxbtE

https://www.legendsofamerica.com/gt-hiddentales/

Noah and Noodles here!

We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to every listener of Backroad Odyssey.

Your support fuels our passion and inspires us to keep sharing stories and discover overlooked locations.

Follow each adventure visually at:

https://www.instagram.com/backroadsodyssey/

The Redwoods are home to the world’s tallest trees.

WHAT'S the secret to their staggering growth? Why is this unique ecosystem worth visiting? 

Noodles and I hike deep into the Old-Growth Redwoods of Northern California to find out! 

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As always, we'll answer listener question at the end, which include: 

• Have you had any cryptid encounters on the road? 
• Is is hard to drive your van? 
• Any national parks you'd like to go back to? 
• What have the trees been telling you? What's the tree tea? 
• What's the wildest thing you've done for an episode? 

My Recommendations (details in episode): 

Avenue of the Giants: 

https://www.visitredwoods.com/explore-the-redwoods/avenue-of-the-giants/

Trees of Mystery:

https://treesofmystery.net/

The Living Chimney Tree:

https://aveofthegiants.com/attractions/living-chimney-tree-attraction-grill/

Works Cited: 

https://www.jstor.org/stable/40608544?searchText=redwoods&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dredwoods%26so%3Drel&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A63141d001987533dfa9a2e90fec5d121

https://www.nps.gov/redw/faqs.htm

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/tall-trees/2nd-grade/

https://medium.com/@treejer/the-story-of-the-redwood-trees-ac56d4730d9e

https://www.savetheredwoods.org/redwoods/why-redwoods/

https://californiacurated.com/2021/03/04/why-are-californias-redwoods-and-sequoias-so-big/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BVHSUMAWR4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9NDI5H2zZM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW9w6eCQQkU

Noah and Noodles here!

We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to every listener of Backroad Odyssey.

Your support fuels our passion and inspires us to keep sharing stories and discover overlooked locations.

Follow each adventure visually at:

https://www.instagram.com/backroadsodyssey/