Backroad Odyssey : Travel, Van Life & Lost Locations
Traveling America's backroads, road trip experts - Noah and Noodles - explore fascinating locations overlooked while traveling.
Living out of a van, they unravel the - often shocking - story behind each neglected story or location.
If you love travel, exploration and unique locations - join us on the road!
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 18 minutes
- Episodes
- 73
- Years Active
- 2024 - 2025
The Birthplace of Iowa - The Fiddler and The Forge
What is the REAL story of Iowa?
Nestled among the limestone bluffs along the Mississippi River, we unearth the curious origin of Iowa as told through the story of its first permanent European settler…
Van Life Diaries - Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Today we visit the North Dakota Badlands where the too often overlooked Theodore Roosevelt National Park lingers in the shadows...
While there, we answer the following questions:
- How did Theodore Roo…
The Battle Above the Clouds - Turmoil in Tennessee
Noodles and I summit Lookout Mountain to explore the monumental conflict that occurred along its slopes.
Why is the subsequently named "Battle Above the Clouds" overlooked?
How is it significant in FU…
The Fremont Troll - Seattle's Mysterious Resident (Revisit)
In the bustling metropolis of Seattle, Washington - a curious resident claims the shadows beneath Aurora Bridge ...
Those who dare to venture into its liar speak of its sheer size, stern gaze and pos…
Van Life Diaries - America's First National Park City
What's a National Park City?
My dog Noodles and I hike the trails of America's FIRST National Park City - Chattanooga, Tennessee - to find out!
The answer might surprise you ...
We'll also answer lis…
The Story of West Virginia - Almost Heaven: Also Mothman
What's the real story of West Virginia?
Why is the state often ignored, stereotyped and forgotten?
In what world do these questions explain the flurry of West Virginia Mothman sightings of the 1960's?…
Van Life Diaries - Blue Ridge Mountains: Beyond the Haze
Today Noodles and I camp in the Haze of the Blue Ridge Mountains to answer the following questions:
What are the blue ridge mountains?
Why are they worth exploring?
Why has this section of the country…
Hemingway's Key West - Behind the Persona
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 s…
Van Life Diaries - The Lost Coast: California's Last Wilderness
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…
Secrets of Plymouth Rock - The Real Story
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 “F…
Van Life Diaries - Skunk Ape Headquarters
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…
The Enchanted Highway - One Man's Dream to Save His Town
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 wh…
Van Life Diaries - Understanding Solar and Lunar Eclipses
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 S…
The Crater of Diamonds - Arkansas' Volcanic Treasure Field
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 pr…
Van Life Diaries - WW2 Finds American Shores
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 sc…
America's Ghost Towns - Why Did They Leave?
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 We…
Van Life Diaries - Into the Redwoods : Realm of Giants
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 N…
Wall Drug - The World's Weirdest Drug Store
What started as a modest drug store now welcomes millions of curious travelers …
Welcome to Wall Drug!
Home to a Robot T-rex, 6,000 cowboy boots, animatronic singers, a working chapel - and of course…
Van Life Diaries - The Manatees of Southern Florida
Southern Florida is home to an aquatic gentle giant: THE MANATEE.
But how much do we really know about this wondering benign behemoth?
Noodles and I dive deep into the warm springs, rivers and tribut…
Sun Records - The Birth of Rock and Roll
Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee claims to be the birthplace of Rock and Roll.
But just what does it mean to be “The Birthplace of Rock and Roll”?
Can we accept such a claim without first diving even…