Via Podcast

Best of Season 2: Ghosts, UFOs, and Rodeos

Missed a stop? We’ve got you. This season’s recap rewinds our best moments. Join hosts Mitti and Michelle as they recall tales of haunted nights aboard the Queen Mary, close encounters near Area 51, a record-breaking birder who can hoot like an owl, the rhinestone sparkle of Portland’s 8 Seconds Rodeo, and the cuddly joys of goat yoga. Along the way, they share listener shout-outs, unexpected lessons, and a few dream guests they’re already plotting for season three. (Kendrick Lamar, call us.) Best-of hits:  * Spooky stays debate: Michelle vows never to sleep in a former hospital; Mitti would (barely) choose staying in an ex-morgue over risking Scary Mary’s chilling grip in Skagway, Alaska. * Alien encounters: From the UFO episode, Laura Krantz’s creepy run-in at Area 51’s gate and the mysterious Black Mailbox letters. * Chef Preeti Mistry’s real talk: Rethinking food as personal storytelling; plus a dash of spicy Top Chef tea. * Bird-nerd joy: Noah Strycker’s pitch-perfect pygmy-owl call and beginner-friendly ID tips. * Black rodeo boom: Ivan McClellan’s Eight Seconds—packed arenas and high-style Western flair. Mitti’s already planning her outfit for the next one. * Cheese Trail nibbles: Goat cuddles, Cougar Gold in a can, and Monterey Jack’s unscrupulous origin story. * Upcoming travels: Michelle’s saying yes to oddball stops (barefoot hike near Flagstaff, Arizona) and plotting a trip to Belize or Portugal; Mitti’s off to Jordan and a Rocky Mountaineer rail trip. * Listener love: Michelle’s dad’s texts, DMs from fans, and special mailbag moments. Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group [https://mwg.aaa.com/].

Haunted Hotels You Can Visit — and the Ghosts Who Never Checked Out

We visit haunted hotels you can actually book—from the Stanley Hotel (inspiration for The Shining) to Glacier National Park's Belton Chalet—with the hosts of National Park After Dark. Our guests, Danielle LaRock and Cassie Yahnian, share chilling tales of historic lodging near our country’s most majestic parks. Join us (if you dare) to meet the West’s creepiest overnight guests, including Scary Mary and her terrifying grip as well as a helpful suitcase-packing specter.  Danielle and Cassie also provide practical advice for ghost-curious travelers, explain why the pleasures of staying in these classic sites can offset their supernatural challenges, and why you might not want to sleep—or even shower!—alone in some of them. Whether you’re plotting your next national park road trip or just love a spooky story, this episode is for you. Spine-tingling highlights: * The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado: Find out why the Stanley’s vibes feel “spooky but wholesome”—and what really happened in room 217. * Golden North Hotel, Skagway, Alaska: Gold Rush–era landmark where “Scary Mary” still stares out the window. * Red Onion Saloon, Skagway, Alaska: Former brothel where a “doll & tube” system signaled which workers were available. * Belton Chalet, West Glacier, Montana: Meet giggling child ghosts and the lodge’s resident spectral prankster, “Belton Bob.” * Granite Park Chalet, Glacier NP, Montana: Backcountry stone chalet tied to the 1967 “Night of the Grizzlies” and the 2003 Trapper Fire. * Crescent Hotel, Eureka Springs, Arkansas: Former hospital now frequently cited as one of America’s most haunted hotels. * Plus, listeners’ paranormal encounters at Fort Bragg’s Gray Whale Inn, aboard the Queen Mary, and at a casino in Nevada. * And tips on how to visit haunted places with respect (say hello, set boundaries, and don’t agitate). Guests With campfire-storytelling flair, Danielle LaRock and Cassie Yahnian share meticulously researched survival tales, morbid histories, and paranormal lore meant to inspire—not discourage—exploration. The best-friends-turned-cohosts of the popular podcast National Park After Dark [https://www.npadpodcast.com/] believe that learning the history of a place—no matter how gruesome—will deepen your experience there. The pair first met while working at an animal hospital, bonded on long hikes, and now road-test historic lodges, haunted hotspots, and national park legends. To help their listeners put the show’s motto, “enjoy the view, but watch your back,” into practice, the two also organize wilderness first aid courses and international group adventures.  Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group [https://mwg.aaa.com/].

Adventures with the World’s Best Birder: In Your Backyard and Beyond

Noah Strycker is the Indiana Jones of birding, willing to brave jungle heat and Arctic cold just to spot that rare bunting, owl, or hawk. In 2015, in a quest that spanned 41 countries and all seven continents, he set a world record by finding more than 6,000 different kinds of birds—more than half the bird species on Earth—in a single year. But, as Noah explains in this episode, searching out our feathered friends doesn’t necessarily require epic treks across the globe. Sometimes birding is as simple as keeping your eye on a backyard feeder or taking a mindful walk in the woods. It can also be a great part of any road trip in the West, from the canyons of Arizona to the Bering Strait. Noah regales aspiring birders Mitti and Michelle with tales of his own greatest birding adventures and offers tips for anyone who wants to embark on one of their own. Destinations we visit: * Madera Canyon, Arizona * Point Reyes, California * Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, California * Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon * Nome, Alaska * St. Lawrence Island, Alaska * Colombia * Guyana  Birds we observe: * American robin * Bald eagle * Barred owl * Choco toucan * Great horned owl * Harpy eagle * Northern pygmy owl * Ptarmigan * Puffin * Red-tailed hawk * Ringed kingfisher * Sandhill crane * Snow goose * White-throated sparrow * Yellow warbler Guest: Noah Strycker is a writer and photographer based in Eugene, Oregon. He has written several bestselling books, including Birding Without Borders: An Obsession, a Quest, and the Biggest Year in the World and The Thing With Feathers: The Surprising Lives of Birds and What They Reveal About Being Human. He is also the associate editor of Birding magazine. He’s been called a “Travel Pioneer” by the BBC and “Birdman of Razzmatazz” by Newsweek. Noah has an especially soft spot for penguins, which he's observed and researched on nearly 50 expeditions to Antarctica. Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group [https://mwg.aaa.com/].

Dive Into Hawaii Surf Culture: Catch a Wave Where Legends Roamed

Drop in to the world of Hawaiian surf culture—its deep roots in island history, why it’s the perfect place for beginners to learn, and how women are reclaiming their places on the waves. Tourists visiting Hawaii from the mainland might look out from the beach at the surfers riding the waves, and think it’s all just part of the tropical scenery. But to native-born Hawaiians, those surfers signify a whole lot more. They’re living links to the history of the islands. They’re echoes of an era when Hawaiian royalty had their own private breaks off the same beach. They remind them of when Duke Kahanamoku rode a single wave for more than a mile on Oahu's south shore. And even of a time when Hawaiians first arrived in the islands after sailing from Tahiti. That’s how deep its roots are. Join us as we explore those roots with Mindy Pennybacker, author of Surfing Sisterhood Hawaii: Wahine Reclaiming the Waves. We talk about the history and culture of surfing in Hawaii, but also her own evolution from bookworm to seasoned surfer, the best places for beginners to learn, and why she thinks surfing in California is inferior. (The short version: Cold water, kelp, and great white sharks.) Guest: Fourth-generation Hawaiian Mindy Pennybacker is a distinguished journalist, author, and lifelong surfer. A former surfing columnist for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, she has also contributed to The Atlantic, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Pennybacker is the author of Surfing Sisterhood Hawaii: Wahine Reclaiming the Waves and Do One Green Thing: Saving the Earth Through Simple, Everyday Choices. She holds degrees from Stanford University and UC Davis School of Law and attended the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. As a youngster, she was the only girl in the competitive Tonggs Surf Gang. Mindy lives in Honolulu. Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group [https://mwg.aaa.com/].

Join a Literary Joyride: 2 Writers, Beloved Bookstores, and Jack London’s Ghost

Hit the road—and the stacks—with literary powerhouses Tommy Orange (Wandering Stars and Pulitzer Prize finalist There There) and Kaveh Akbar (National Book Award finalist Martyr!). The two best friends pulled over during their joint book tour to share their favorite indie bookshops, rising Western writers, and unconventional creative sanctuaries, including a Los Angeles spa where Kaveh’s imagination flows.  Part literary love letter, part buddy comedy, this episode is jam-packed with engrossing settings and memorable characters, including Tommy’s unsung (but still heroic) hometown of Oakland, California; Seattle’s charming poetry bookstore, where Kaveh tied the knot; and Jack London’s not-so-friendly ghost.  Bookstores we’ll browse in this episode: - Marcus Books, Oakland, California (Tommy’s favorite bookstore in Oakland) - Open Books, Seattle, Washington (poetry-only bookstore where Kaveh got married) - Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, Washington (a massive bookstore where Kaveh had a public reading the night before his wedding) - Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe and Phoenix, Arizona (host Michelle’s favorite local bookstore) - Powell’s Books, Portland, Oregon - Sausalito Books by the Bay, Sausalito, California - Underground Books, Sacramento, California Books Tommy Orange and Kaveh Akbar recommend: - The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin - Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir by Deborah A. Miranda  - We Survived the Night by Julian Brave NoiseCat - A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and The Circle by Dave Eggers  Guests: Tommy Orange [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2156371/tommy-orange/] writes fiction that hits “like a thunderclap.” An enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Oklahoma, he was born and raised in Oakland, California, and his urban Indigenous identity pulses through his work. His debut novel, There There [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/563403/there-there-by-tommy-orange/], became an instant classic for its unflinching, kaleidoscopic portrayal of contemporary American Indian life, earning it a spot as a Pulitzer Prize finalist and winning the American Book Award. His much-anticipated second novel, Wandering Stars [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/656310/wandering-stars-by-tommy-orange/], expands the story of There There’s characters and traces the impact of U.S. violence on Native lives across generations. Tommy is known for his lyrical style, sharp cultural insight, and generous heart—on and off the page. He currently lives with his wife and two sons in Oakland, where he’s working on new projects that further challenge and broaden the literary landscape. Kaveh Akbar [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2287573/kaveh-akbar/] is a literary alchemist who conjures poetry that’s equal parts mystic, ecstatic, and searingly honest. Born in Tehran and raised in the American Midwest, he’s the author of two acclaimed poetry collections—Calling a Wolf a Wolf [https://www.alicejamesbooks.org/bookstore/calling-a-wolf-a-wolf] and Pilgrim Bell [https://www.graywolfpress.org/books/pilgrim-bell]—and editor of The Penguin Book of Spiritual Verse: 110 Poets on the Divine [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/736035/the-penguin-book-of-spiritual-verse-by-edited-with-an-introduction-by-kaveh-akbar/]. Kaveh’s words have lit up the pages of the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Paris Review, and The Best American Poetry. He’s known for asking the big questions—about addiction, grace, and what it means to be fully alive. His debut novel, Martyr! [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/734476/martyr-by-kaveh-akbar/], a finalist for the National Book Award, is a propulsive, wildly original story about art, faith, and the ghosts who follow us. He lives with his spouse in Iowa City, and is the Director of the English and Creative Writing Major at the prestigious University of Iowa. Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group [https://mwg.aaa.com/].