Backyard Road Trips

Do remember back to the first season of the BYRT podcast? Way back in 2020 when Jim and Zack discussed their quirky holiday traditions? Of course you remember since you're a BYRT podcast completist. Just to jog your memory, the duo rapped about all the quirky weird stuff that they do to celebrate the holidays from Thanksgiving through New Year's. Five years later, they see how life changes traditi...

Zack, Jim and Drew chat with a very special guest, Valentinos Filippou. Valentinos is from the island country of Cypress and shares with us how to get to the heart of the country. He works to promote Cypress tourism. More than that Valentinos is also the founder of The Online Greek Tutor, an online approach to learning the Greek language. Additionally, he speaks to us about his family beekeeping b...

You actually made it onto the airplane—and then one of the kids threw up! This show is all about travel mishaps—those times when something goes awry. It's not serious stuff, just mishaps, like when Zack's son fell down a few stairs in the Seattle airport, not the whole way. Jim and Zack are joined by Tim Lawless and Jim's wife, Katie Wheeler. Tim shares why he and Jim are officially banned from Ca...

Special guest, Tim Lawless and BYRT co-host, Jim share all about their recent trip hiking Mount Katahdin, Maine's highest point. They detail their journey, from the drive to camping to packing. Zack interviews these two about their life-changing hike. For a photo journey of the Katahdin trip, check out this  article on Backyard Road Trips . 

Jim and Zack reflect on a season of hiking, detailing their western Connecticut journey from this past summer. They also reflect on a season of drinking craft beer, including some of the least impressive beers that they've had. Jim previews his life-changing hike to the top of Maine's Mt. Katahdin, which will be further explained in a future episode. 

Time to get out your brown paper bags because we're having a malt liquor taste test. With three varieties to sample, Jim and Zack take a sip of three 40's. Find the winner between Colt 45, Steel Reserve and St. Ide's. Any guesses? 

Jim and Zack discuss their quintessential autumn playlists. From songs about the season to songs that just scream "fall", these selections conjure up memories of crunching leaves with a slight chill in the air. These tracks will take you from the warmth of September to the spookiness of Halloween through the dreary but bountiful late November.  Check out Zack's Autumn Spotify Playlist Check out Ji...

Zack and Jim are glad to welcome acclaimed keynote speaker and author, Chris Dyer, onto the podcast. He delves into the dynamics of remote work and the importance of cultivating a strong company culture. Chris shares his company's transition to a fully remote model in 2009 due to the recession, emphasizing the need for a balanced satisfaction among clients, employees, and stakeholders. He identifi...

The whole crew is here on this one- Zack, Jim, Andy, Andrew and Danny, all discussing their recent travels. Jim's hiking trips, Zack's family vacations, Andy's trip to see the eclipse totality and Andrew's Vermont vacation. Looking for north east travel ideas? Give a listen! 

It's time to reflect on the past with Zack, Jim, Andy, Andrew, Danny and Jackie. The gang's all here for this one! No, not the dinosaur past but the recent past and how things have changed. Seat belt laws, smoking sections, sunscreen, drinking water, and 4H Camp stories. Listen up, you've Dirked! 

The boys are back drinking.... soda. Do you remember Season 2, when we investigated if soda is a dirty word ? Three years later we're digging up this topic once again. Instead of sticking to the big soda guys (Coca Cola, I'm looking at you) we're drinking periphery soda brands- Fresca, Moxie, Jones, well you'll have to listen to find out whatever else. Joining Zack and Jim are Andrew Burnett of Dr...

Ah! The flowers are in bloom and it must be spring. For our spring episode, we're lucky to have Andy Heist with us in studio. After begging him for many years to come on Backyard Road Trips, he finally graced us with his presence. In addition to Andy, Zack's son Danny, his wife Jackie and his mom, Linda stop by to say hello. The group talk about all fun things coming up this spring including a new...

Zack and Jim have one thing to talk about, and that is Philadelphia. Zack recently got back from an outing to the City of Brotherly Love and shares with us the whole itinerary. From breweries to historic places, museums to Philly food, they talk about the best that the city has to offer. Along with travel tidbits of what to do in the present day, the duo share hilarious memories from Philly visits...

Today we sit down with Ken Lamothe, Radio DJ/C-movie actor/slow pitch softball legend and Zack's dad to talk about his very favorite backyard road trips. The conversation touches on all of the most important topics; craft beer, vacations, ear piercings and backyard floods. Jim, Zack and Ken all discuss what surprising locations have made the best road trip destinations and how to enjoy the culture...

Jim and Zack bring in some hired help for this taste test; Danny and Ken- with three generations of Lamothes in all. They sit around and drink... milk substitutes. Tell the cows to stay in the barn because they sample Oat, Almond, and Soy. Which fake milk do you think came out on top? 

Leading off for Season 5 is a special two part combined episode, a before and after guide to New York City. In the first half of the episode Jim asks Zack about his upcoming overnight to New York City. For the first time and after much pleading by his oldest for years, Zack is bringing the family to the Big Apple. He gives a rundown of what they plan to see. For the second half, Jim and Zack get b...

Author and educator, Ian Cheney joins Zack and Jim to showcase their new podcast project, Red and White at Silver. As graduates of the Norwich Free Academy (CT) Class of 2001, the three are in the midst of recording this new podcast. As a preview, Ian, Zack and Jim describe what the new podcast is all about. They also share their own experiences as students at Norwich Free Academy, what makes the...

Annually Jim and Zack taste fall beers for this podcast. It dawned on them that they have never held an actual Oktoberfest-only beer taste test. Atoning for their past sins, this was remedied with a taste test with everything under the Oktoberfest umbrella. These include the namesake Oktoberfest beers, Fest Biers and Marzens. In sampling, the pair talk about the differentiation of styles, rank wha...

Our friend Tim posed an episode idea for us, "What makes a backyard road trip enjoyable?" Zack misinterpreted and he really wanted us to discuss actual backyards. Anyhoo, Zack and Jim discuss what makes a backyard road trip enjoyable. The duo come to an agreement about some risk vs reward balance. They analyze what goes into a backyard road trip- how far is the location? parking? kid accessibility...

Wipe away your negative "conn"otations of Connecticut, we're talking about all the positives of this small state. We've changed the name of the Nutmeg State and changed it to "Pronecticut" (get it, like the opposite of Con-necticut is Pro-necticut?). Redwoods, land locked sand dunes, and tobacco sheds- all found in this great state as well as historic preservation, wild parrots, and lobster rolls....

Zack, Jim and special guest, Danny, talk all about a recent trip to Seattle. They discuss which places that should be on your travel bucket list. Danny gives a kid perspective of the Seattle trip including plane travel, the Space Needle and going to a Seattle Mariners game. They also discuss interior Washington with forays into North Cascades National Park and Leavenworth. While talking about trav...

We're talking summer travel, in particular trips to Prince Edward Island, the Portland area in Maine, Vermont and Saratoga Springs. Katie Wheeler, Jim's wife, joins us to discuss her recent visit to PEI seeking out all things Anne of Green Gables. Zack shares with the group his visits to Portland and Saratoga Springs. Zack's son, Danny adds his two cents about his travel this summer. All of this i...

Let's rev up that Husqvarna because it's time for a blind taste test of lawnmower beers. So what beers exactly? Not cheap a la Natural Light but certainly not craft. Jim and Zack try to find the best value beer. Jackie helps the boys by masterminding the operation aka pouring the beers in unmarked cups. Listen to see how poorly Zack and Jim guessed.    Zack Jim Actual Miller Lite Foster Miller Lit...

Jim and Zack catch up on their recent travels. Zack recently wrote a few articles about lighthouses on the Backyard Road Trips website. The pair discuss the lighthouse road trips- favorite lighthouses, and how the the articles were researched and written. As an aside, they also talk about Jim's issues with the Massachusetts RMV. Zack also explains the newest monthly BYRT posts which highlight one...

Adam "Barbarossa" Coletti is back for round two! Adam, or for this episode "Barbarossa" digs deep into his life as a biker and shares stories of his time on two wheels. He tells us about entry into his motorcycle club, club rituals, and how to get patched. Zack and Jim bring the heat as they grill Adam on club guidelines as well as do's and don't's.