Via Podcast

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–nominated 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 immigrant roots, and chefs who blend it all into unforgettable meals. Never one to mince words, Preeti also slices into so-called “California cuisine” and shares their behind-the-scenes take on Top Chef hosts Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio. Come for the food, stay for the juicy stories—just don’t forget to bring your appetite.

Bay Area bites you’ll crave after this episode:

- Truffle garlic noodles at Gigi’s

- Mac 'n' cheese and fried chicken at Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement

- Falafel and the Pali Cali (sumac-braised chicken) at Reem’s California

- Al pastor tacos at Taqueria Cancun

- Porcini truffle ravioli at Bi-Rite Market

- Dungeness crab rolls, Mission District burritos, and more

Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group.

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 extraterrestrials. Maybe you’ll even decide for yourself: Is Earth a tourist stop for spaceships? 

UFO hot spots you’ll encounter in this episode:

- UFO Watchtower (near Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado)

- Roswell, New Mexico

- Area 51, Nevada

- Extraterrestrial Highway (aka State Route 375), Nevada

- Little A’Le’Inn, ET Highway, Nevada

- E.T. Fresh Jerky, ET Highway, Nevada

- Alien Research Center, ET Highway, Nevada

- The Black Mailbox, ET Highway, Nevada

Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group.

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 works aren’t meant to be easy to reach—or to explain—but they just might change how you see the world.

Land art you’ll visit in this episode:
- Double Negative and City by Michael Heizer (Garden Valley, Nevada)
- Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson (Great Salt Lake, Utah)
- Sun Tunnels by Nancy Holt (Great Basin Desert, Utah)
- Lightning Field by Walter De Maria (Catron County, New Mexico)
- Roden Crater by James Turrell (Painted Desert, Arizona)

Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group.

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 make a home in a former mining town, and why it's important to visit and maintain these snapshots of Western life.

Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group.

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 the forests around us.

Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group.

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 Pacific Northwest, and a long stretch of Coastal California.

Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group.

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 food, and seeking out your "next best bite."

Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group.

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 of years later.

Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group.

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” and what to expect if you vacation at a dude ranch.

Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group.

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 adventures in search of them.

Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group.

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 travelers of all ages.

Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group.