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

We discuss my struggle with ADD.  I don’t share this story lightly - in fact it’s incredibly hard for me - but I hope that, if you’re listening and can relate, you'll benefit.  We’ll also take listener questions - including:  Did the Healing Springs water actually taste good?  What's your studio setup?  Do you have nicknames for Noodles?  Grab a drink and let's hang out!  Noah and N...

Battles rage throughout the 13 American Colonies …  In rural South Carolina - on what is now called Slaughter Field - two British soldiers lie dying from their wounds.  Death is but a certainty …   Ancestors of the Wassamasaw Tribe carry the soldiers to a spring known for it's healing properties.  6 months pass, the soldiers - assumed dead - walk back into the barracks in perfect health.  How...

Today we’ll be discussing three methods I use to find offbeat locations.  No edits. No Script.  We’ll  take listener questions at the end…  p.s. For whatever reason, I’ve never been interested in what’s the popular thing to do - it might be the crowds, the conformity of it all or just a general lack of interest…  But because of this, I’ve always searched for what’s off the beaten path - particular...

The Donner Party gaze upon a path whose crossing grows less likely with each passing day.  Death by cold or slow starvation is now - very much - a looming reality.  Less than three miles from the summit, two frightening options become apparent: Abandon your remaining supplies and brave the grueling 10 day snow-laden trek across the mountains…  OR Choose to retreat and wait out for a clearing in th...

 Feelings of loneliness can surface anywhere - especially when you’re on the road.  Is van life glorified on social media? What do you do when loneliness strikes? Have you ever seen a UFO?! We discuss all of this and more as we unpack what it means to feel lonely while living full time in a van.  No script. No edits. Grab a drink and let’s hang out..  Noah and Noodles here! We want to extend a hea...

Hundreds of thousands traveled the roughly 2,500 miles from Missouri to the pacific coast - chasing fertile soil, better fortune and predictable climate.  Among the thousands to have made this difficult journey westwards, no single group has garnered as much attention, or endured so much, as the roughly 87 people now referred to as the Donner Party …  Upon reaching their destination, 47 of the 87...

No edits. No script.  In "Van Life Diaries", we  discuss experiences on the road, pull clips from previous episodes, talk  struggles, successes and everything in between.  At each conclusion, I answer questions from listeners. Life questions, van questions, nothing is off limits.  I’m going to grab a drink, if you’re in a position to as well grab a cold one and let’s hang out..  Noah and...

A water-logged marsh along highway 37, just west of Vallejo, California contains an object that perplexes, repulses and fascinates passing travelers. How did this get here? The answer might surprise you.  This is the story of The Lone Toilet. 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 sha...

Something sinister happened behind these walls ... I walk past the green shutters and elongated windows of the Jesse James house… If not for the eerie feeling you get when approaching the entrance… it's beautiful. I grasp the handle and open the time tested door.  -  Jesse James survives shootouts, bullet wounds and the ravages of they American Civil War… but his murder, and the shadowy serie...

A vast collection of hand - carved, impossibly detailed, seemingly priceless wooden clocks rest around you.  Never sold or bought, you are told … only collected. Some of them feet taller than yourself.  One question plagues your mind as you observe the intricate patterns carved into the wood.  How did these get here?  Noah and Noodles here! We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to every listener of...