See America

Monument Valley

Combined with the surrounding mesas, buttes, and desert environment, Monument Valley Tribal Park truly is one of the natural wonders of the world. Set aside by the Navajo Tribal Council in 1958, the park covers almost 92,000 acres in northern Arizona and southern Utah and lies entirely within the Navajo Nation reservation.

Rock Island

Rock Island is one of those towns that pops up in nostalgic culture over and over, but not a lot of people know where it is or much about it. It's almost mythical in a way, due especially to the Rock Island Line, a real train route, short for the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, memorialized in the folk song of the same name. But Rock Island's story is steeped in real history — especially the actual Rock Island, the largest island on the Mississippi River, for which the town is named.

This week, the island now known as Arsenal Island in Rock Island, Illinois. 

White Pillars

A 100-year old building that stands as a symbol of community. It's the place generations have gone to eat to celebrate life's joys - before prom, on Mother's day, a rehearsal dinner. It's part of the fabric of a town that has witnessed disaster and rebirth. And it's been reinvented for today's refined palate.

This week, the White Pillars restaurant in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Hjemkomst

In the summer of 1971, a Minnesota Junior High School guidance counselor took a severe fall from a friend's roof. While recovering from his injuries, he set out to build a dream. A replica of a ship from his ancestral Viking heritage. One that would sail him all the way to Norway.

This week, the Hjemkomst, the Viking ship that inspired a community.

The World's Largest Truck Stop

During the coronavirus pandemic, heroes of all stripes have emerged to keep our country healthy, fed, and supplied. Doctors, nurses, retail workers, delivery drivers and all sorts of other essential workers deserve our respect and support in this difficult time. Perhaps one of the most overlooked groups of these heroes is truck drivers. Without truck drivers, we wouldn't have most of the essential things we need to live on a daily basis. Travel restrictions, closed restaurants, closed bathrooms, extended hours and all sorts of other factors have made their work all the more challenging during this time. Luckily, they can rely on Truck Stops to keep them fed, showered, and parked for the night.

This week, we're spotlighting one such truck stop. But this is no ordinary gas station. It's the Iowa 80 Truck Stop in Walcott, Iowa — The largest truck stop in the world.

The National Naval Aviation Museum and the Blue Angels

During the twentieth century, few military organizations played a more crucial role than Naval Aviation. In war at sea, eclipsing the battleship as the decisive weapon, aircraft carriers projected their powerful air wings over vast expanses of water, striking with surprise at enemy fleets and land bases, then disappearing with equal swiftness. In times of peace, the carrier and her battle group provided American political leaders a flexible, always ready and potent way to respond to regional crises wherever and whenever vital American interests were threatened. "Where are the carriers?" has been the first question asked by American presidents at the start of every national security crisis since the end of World War II.

Naval Aviation has also been at the cutting edge of aerospace expeditions, from the first successful crossing of the Atlantic by an aircraft, exploration of the Arctic and Antarctic, and journeys of discovery into outer space. The common denominator for those who participated in this exciting history was their training in a sleepy little Southern city on the Gulf of Mexico, the site of the nation's first naval air station.

This week, the National Naval Aviation Museum, home to the Blue Angels, in Pensacola, Florida.

The Copper Mines of Jerome, Arizona

High in the hills overlooking Arizona's Verde Valley, a tiny town filled with history sits, like a mother bird over nesting over her eggs. Except this egg is a billion-dollar deposit of copper. And the mother bird - a brave and raucous mix of miners, smelter workers, freighters, gamblers, bootleggers, saloon keepers, prostitutes and preachers.

This week, the mining town of Jerome, Arizona.

The Mammoth Site

June 1974, Hot Springs, South Dakota. Landowner Phil Anderson is preparing open space on the edge of town for a new housing development.

Heavy equipment operator George Hanson was grading a small hill when his blade struck something that shone white in the sunlight, changing the destiny of the little town for years to come.

This week, the Mammoth Site museum, in Hot Springs, South Dakota.

The SPAM Museum

Pork, Salt, Water, Sugar, Potato Starch, and Sodium Nitrate. 6 simple ingredients, cooked in a can, make up the world's most polarizing meat product. When it first came off the production line in 1937, it won over the hearts of soldiers, world leaders, celebrities, chefs, kids, and parents. Some scorn its very existence, but it's more than likely they never tried it. It was born in a small Minnesota town but is now celebrated in cultures around the world.

This week, the SPAM museum, in Austin, Minnesota.

Eyes on the Sky in Platte River, Nebraska

In the heart of the rolling Great Plains, thousands of one of the largest flying birds on earth rest and feed in the light of the setting sun. They jump into the air, flap their wings, and dance after filling their bellies with corn and insects. Their calls echo across the river plains like bones rattling in the wind. Incredible as this scene is, it's just one stop along an awe-inspiring journey.

This week, the great sandhill crane migration and Nebraska's Sandhill Crane Festival.