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.

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.

• 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).

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 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.

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.