Via Podcast
Whether you’re just beginning to explore the Western United States or you’ve been living here since the day you were born, the Via Podcast will introduce you to new and unique adventures that will change your perspective. Hosts Mitti Hicks and Michelle Donati bring their travel expertise to interviews with some of the West’s most fascinating experts, residents, and adventurers. In each episode, you will discover deep conversations in the hopes of igniting a new interest—foraging anyone?—or planting the seeds of a new-to-you road trip. You might even learn something about a place you’ve explored dozens of times before.
Episodes
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...
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 ...
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 necessari...
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 lin...
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 lette...
Brie for breakfast? Yes, please! Nibble fromage from dawn to dusk on the West Coast’s Cheese Trail. We’ll cuddle baby goats, sample hand-stretched Oaxacan-style cheese, and unwrap Monterey Jack’s unscrupulous origins on the region’s tastiest route.
Along the “whey,” the trail’s founder, Vivien Straus, will share her family’s deep dairy roots, the joys of cheese-fueled road trips, and why the West Coast churns out the country’s mos...
Hold on to your hats! From Beyoncé’s "Cowboy Carter" to rising rodeo stars, Black cowboy culture is having a major moment—and we’re saddling up for a closer look. Along the way, we’ll stop to line dance to Kendrick Lamar at L.A.’s star-studded Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, clown around at the lively Arizona Black Rodeo, and chill out at the Compton Cowboys' ranch.
Our guest, photographer Ivan McClellan, has spent nearly a decade...
Get ready to drool: Dungeness crab rolls, sumac-spiced chicken, coconut bread pudding—and those are just the appetizers. In this episode, Chef Preeti Mistry, host of the James Beard Award–winning podcast Loading Dock Talks, dishes on what makes the San Francisco Bay Area the most exciting, flavor-packed, and deliciously diverse food scene in the country.
Together, we dig into the Bay’s secret sauce: unparalleled produce, deep immi...
The truth is out West! We’re hopping on the ET Highway and venturing to the most notorious alien hot spots, including Roswell’s infamous crash site, Area 51’s eerie perimeter, and a mysterious desert watchtower.
Join us as journalist Laura Krantz, host of the podcast Wild Thing, beams up to share stories from the front lines of UFO reporting—from strange sightings and quirky festivals to a mailbox where people leave letters to ext...
A secret field that summons lightning. A massive spiral that disappears into a salt lake. A celestial observatory carved into a volcano. Meet the wild—and sometimes explosive—world of land art, where artists craft masterpieces with dynamite and bulldozers.
In our Season 2 premiere, guest Dylan Thuras, cofounder of Atlas Obscura, takes us off road and into the minds of the artists who literally reshaped parts of the Southwest. These...
Surprise: The Via Podcast is back with one last episode for the season. Join hosts Michelle Donati and Mitti Hicks as they reflect on what they discovered about the American West, from Mormon crickets on the Loneliest Road in America to foraging in their own backyards to a one-armed lawyer whose spirit may or may not be hanging around a ghost town to this day.
Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group.
On the season finale of the Via Podcast, hosts Michelle Donati and Mitti Hicks head into the high deserts of California and Nevada to visit ghost towns. They learn what it's like to actually live in one—where there may or may not be a resident spirit—and where to go to see the most preserved mining towns in the West.
Guest Brent Underwood, owner and resident of Cerro Gordo near Death Valley, California, shares what it's like to mak...
Next up on the Via Podcast, hosts Michelle Donati and Mitti Hicks grab a sweater and head out into the forest for a leaf-peeping adventure. They discover a few great spots to view fall colors, and learn why immersing themselves in a forest is good for the soul.
Guest Lauren Oakes, a forest and climate scientist, shares her best-loved spots in the West to see the leaves change, and encourages us all to find a deeper connection with ...
On the latest episode of the Via Podcast, hosts Michelle Donati and Mitti Hicks hop on a train and discover why a slower pace of travel has big benefits, from sights not seen by car or air to the freedom to roam while the landscapes change around you.
Guest Laura Kiniry, a travel writer and train-riding expert, reveals her favorite rail adventures through the towering mountains of Glacier National Park, the stunning sights of the P...
The Via Podcast is back, and in this episode hosts Michelle Donati and Mitti Hicks discover where to find the freshest and tastiest local foods around the West, from crisp apples on Hood River's Fruit Loop to salty oysters from the Puget Sound.
Guest Giselle Kennedy Lord, co-author of The Ark of Taste, takes us on a culinary discovery of the West, and reveals the importance of eating local, supporting Indigenous cultures through fo...
On this episode of the Via Podcast, hosts Michelle Donati and Mitti Hicks learn behind-the-scenes stories and insider scoop on Yosemite National Park, from the history of the creation of the park to where to uncover the entirety of the park's archives.
Guest Lillian Cunningham, host of the Washington Post podcast Field Trip, takes you behind the curtain and explores how the park was created and what continues to sustain it hundreds...
The Via Podcast returns with modern cowboy storyteller Will Grant, who reveals why hosts Michelle Donati and Mitti Hicks are “dudes” and so much more.
Listen as Grant uncovers the authentic West—and also defines what that even means—as we trot on horseback through Utah’s west desert amid wild horses and experience the Navajo Nation in Arizona with a Diné guide. Grant also tells us why Sheridan, Wyoming, is the ultimate “cow town” a...
On the latest episode of the Via Podcast, hosts Michelle Donati and Mitti Hicks explore a few of the incredible natural wonders located throughout the West—a dogsled excursion to view the northern lights in remote Alaska is just the tip of the awe-inspiring iceberg.
Guest Lulu Miller, host of the podcasts Radiolab and Terrestrials, takes you on a journey to discover the science behind these natural creations and reveals her own adv...
Next up on the Via Podcast, hosts Michelle Donati and Mitti Hicks take a road trip to discover offbeat roadside attractions around the West, from homes made deep within giant desert rocks to fire-breathing castles and so much more.
Guest Dylan Thuras, of Atlas Obscura fame, shares the cool places to uncover if you wander off-the-beaten path just a little bit, and reveals how roadside attractions can rekindle a sense of wonder in tr...
On the next episode of the Via Podcast, hosts Michelle Donati and Mitti Hicks get up close and personal with a few cuddly critters—and a few not-so-cuddly—on a virtual visit to ethical animal sanctuaries.
Guest Alison Hermance chats about how to interact with animals ethically, and with their best interest in mind, whether at a sanctuary or in the wild, and shares cool facts about the abundance of fascinating creatures in the West.
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