>> funding for this program is provided by subaru. >> at subaru, we build vehicles like the rugged outback, with symmetrical all-wheel drive standard and plenty of cargo space for those who pack even more adventure into life. subaru, a proud sponsor of "globe trekker." [captioning made possible by friends of nci]

>> i'm kicking off the biggest travel adventure in "globe trekker" history. we've traveled to every corner of the world, but for the first time, we've planned a single epic journey that takes us from one end of the u.s. to the other, and then we keep going, all across the globe till we get to the other side. this is round the world, episode one, and my leg of the journey is a road trip through america's heartland. this is route 66 and beyond. the first leg of our round-the- world journey starts in north america, heading from east to west, all across the united states.

from the historic riverport of lynchburg, virginia, i take a scenic drive south along the blue ridge parkway to north carolina, then turn west to tennessee and the famed cities of nashville and memphis. driving north through arkansas and the choctaw nation, i pick up the historic route 66 in oklahoma and start a road trip that takes me west via oklahoma city, albuquerque, new mexico, and finally, to the edge of a 50,000-year-old meteorite crater in arizona. it's hard to imagine it now, but quiet little lynchburg, virginia, on the banks of the james river, was once a major riverport that exploded in the 18th century thanks to

an invention of a unique boat that changed america forever. >> easy as pie. >> thank you. this is where my america road trip begins. yes, here on a river. long before cars and trains and covered wagons, it was boats and river traffic that propelled early america forward. isn't that right, chip? >> yes, ma'am, absolutely. >> start your engines. >> all right. drop those poles in, guys. >> can i help? >> sure. grab that pole right there. >> ok. >> you might as well get used to it. >> all righty. this special boat is called a bateau, which is french for boat, and it has a patented flat design. the bateau was a largely forgotten part of american history until enthusiasts like chip coleman and his crew began building authentic reproductions and putting them on the river.

chip, did you build this boat? >> we did. actually, me and dustin did, and we cut our own trees down and milled them into logs and... >> what were the main things that were transported on these bateaux? >> tobacco was probably the biggest export, and during the time that they used bateaux and went downriver on the bateaux, and they would put them on ships and go across to england or wherever they needed the tobacco. previously, all they had were indian routes and indian roads that really weren't good enough to haul anything, and they were hauling one barrel of tobacco, as opposed to a bateau that could carry 12. >> so what is that thing you're holding? >> this is called a sweep. you want to give it a try? >> yeah, i would. >> all right, go ahead. you just kind of-- you want to bring it down out of the water. >> out of the water. >> yeah, and then come on across, and then make a sweeping motion. >> make a sweeping motion. >> basically. you got it.

>> bateau boats can now be rented for fun along the james river, but if you're traveling on a long journey, it may not be a practical choice. i like this 18th-century mode of transport. >> it's not too bad. >> it's very relaxing. how long does it take to get to the blue ridge parkway from here? >> we can get you there in about a couple of days. maybe 2 or 3 days. >> oh, really? i think i might need to speed it up a bit. from the river, i hop in a car and head up into the blue ridge parkway, a historic scenic drive that stretches 469 miles along the spine of the blue ridge mountains from virginia to north carolina. my road trip will take me from lynchburg all the way down to pisgah national forest.

the blue ridge parkway is one of the oldest and most popular designated scenic drives in the united states, which means that no commercial businesses can be built up along this drive. so it's incredible. you're just seeing green and green and more green and not a single billboard or business anywhere. it's spectacular. when i'm done driving for the day, i choose a detour just over the north carolina border. i've just crossed the state line from virginia into north carolina, and i've pulled off the parkway, and i think i'm gonna spend the night here in sparta, north carolina. i wonder what the locals do on a saturday night in sparta. the tight-knit mountain communities in this region are famed for their love of traditional music and dancing,

and it's not hard to find a place to experience it. >> good job, everybody. >> agnes and henry joines have run the alleghany jubilee for 18 years. so what goes on here every saturday night? >> basically what you see now is what we do on saturday nights and tuesday night. >> i love your chair. it's a throne. you're the queen. >> yes, and i'm also mayor pro tem here in town. >> oh, my goodness. >> so can i present you with a key to the city? ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

[man yells, indistinct] >> let's go. >> i'm claude bird. i'm from thurman, wilkes county, and i'm the caller from alleghany jubilee. my favorite dance is georgy-alabam. you take your right hand, swing your partner, come back around, meet their partner with the left hand, then you move on. >> oh, hello. what am i doing? oh, we're going that way? this way? like that? >> i think it's one of the best place that you can come to. we meet nice people here, and you don't worry about bunch of drunks. >> i've learned the flatfoot, the two-step, the tennessee waltz, and i think there are, like, 10 more dances. whoo. >> you did great. thank you. >> thank you. i'm sitting. she's still dancing. she's 92.

[cheering] on the road again, i find my way back to the blue ridge parkway and wind my way south. there's plenty of interesting stops, but the one i'm drawn to is found in lush transylvania county, which boasts a collection of 250 waterfalls. so many people said to me, "when you're on the blue ridge parkway near asheville, look for the detour for sliding rock, and you got to do it. it's so much fun and super refreshing,

especially on a sunny day." and even though it's not sunny, there are a lot of other people doing it, and it just looks like one of those things that can't be missed. [screams] i'm leaving the mountains of

north carolina and heading to the southern plains of nashville, tennessee. this is my first stop in tennessee. nashville's just a few miles over there, and this is the beautifully preserved plantation called the hermitage, which was home to the seventh president of the united states of america--andrew jackson. i'm meeting up with james yasko, the director of education of this historic presidential home. >> he was the first common man's president. you think about the first 6 presidents, they were virginia gentlemen or adamses from massachusetts. so jackson was, sort of, the first kind of self-made man. he was a war hero, winning the battle of new orleans at the end of the war of 1812. he was a national rock star. that's what propelled him to national fame was the victory over the british in new orleans. >> because he was a war hero.

>> he was. the first war hero really since george washington. >> uh-huh. so he was that sort of iconic american who'd pulled himself up by the boot straps and made himself. >> absolutely right. he identified with ordinary citizens, promised to represent them, which totally changed the way people thought about the president. he paid off the national debt. the only time in our country's history we've ever been in the black was in 1835 when jackson's policies paid it off. >> wow. like so many historical figures, jackson was a complicated character. the man of the people was also a wealthy slave owner. so how many enslaved peoples would have lived here? >> at the time of his death, there was about 150, which would have put him in the top tier of slave owners as far as the number of people who were enslaved. >> uh-huh. so these outlines here, were those where the slave quarters were? >> these were the--and the shape and size, so... >> so how many enslaved peoples would have lived in a space like that?

>> honestly, anywhere from 8 to 12. >> how was he as a slave owner? >> we hesitate to say he was a good slave owner. we know that they were allowed to have some money, you know, keep families together. if they grow their own crops, he'll sell them and give them money, you know, that they earned. he's still a slave owner. >> because the land of jackson's well-preserved plantation has never been developed, it's a dream for archaeologists, who've been excavating here for over 40 years. >> this is a snapshot of that middle period between the revolution and the civil war. >> perhaps the most interesting slave artifact is this rare example of an intact slave cabin. >> this is alfred's cabin. >> alfred. >> alfred was born into slavery here at the hermitage. >> uh-huh. >> took care of jackson's wagons and horses, and after the civil war, when slaves were emancipated, alfred stayed on here as a paid employee. when this became a museum, alfred

was one of our very first tour guides. >> seriously? >> alfred, to me, represents the entire spectrum of slavery. >> in what way? >> from being born into slavery here on the plantation, living through the civil war, post-civil war and then sort of gainful employment for the first time in his life. >> alfred lived into his 90s, and by his request, was buried next to andrew jackson in the family graveyard. a poignant example of the kinds of contradictions that come from this president's life. only a few miles down the road, but a world apart, is downtown nashville, a small southern city with a big reputation as the glitzy capital of the country music recording industry and home to its greatest stars. for over 15 years, out-of-towners like me

have tried to catch a glimpse into the country showbiz world by taking a nashtrash tour, owned and operated by 2 real-life sisters. >> ♪ oh nashtrash tours'll take you on a ride, uh-huh seein' all the sights with a few surprise besides, uh-huh the judge'll give you the dish on stars like reba and trish nothing's sacred when we're digging up the dirt they hide, uh-huh it's... ♪ >> they look a little freaked out. >> i know. what is your name, ma'am? >> justine. >> well, welcome, justine. do you like country music? >> i do. i do like country music. >> when in rome, you just get on the bandwagon and roll with it, baby. >> sheri and brenda's 2-hour guided tour focuses on history. >> yeah, country music history up the ying-yang layer. >> up the ying yang. >> ying yang. >> this includes everything from celebrity hangouts... >> burt and tammy began their affair. they had their very first date in

the stock-yard restaurant. >> and the honky-tonk row, where wannabes dream of being discovered. >> did y'all see tootsies orchid lounge? get a load of tootsies orchid lounge. it's in the "guinness book of world records" under the most famous honky-tonk in the whole damn world. did you know that a young, unknown singer/songwriter, willie nelson, was sitting up at the bar at tootsies about a hundred years ago, starts to get an idea for a song. he writes it down on the matchbook cover, and that idea turned into the song... >> ♪ crazy >> ok, kids, this is music row. we're in music row. we're in the row right now. >> this is where the stars are made, the deals are signed, and the money rolls in. >> we live here. we still get excited by it. that's the god's honest truth. >> kids, rca victor, studio b, right there. >> that little building is the most famous recording studio in the whole world. elvis presley recorded over 200 songs in that stupid little building right back there. >> we're not lying, people. 200 songs. "are you lonesome tonight?" "blue christmas." and a 198 others.

[laughter] >> the country music hall of fame is a fan's paradise of special exhibitions featuring country's biggest names, past and present. i'm going awol from the pink bus for an opportunity to meet up with a real-life singing-songwriting country star--pam tillis. >> ♪ i'm it country star pam tillis ♪ [scats] country's rocking now, girlfriend. you got to get with it. >> oh, my gosh. that's so-- >> it's not all fiddles and steels anymore, i hate to break it to you. i got to tell you, i love this town. tin-pan south. i have so much emotion, so much feeling for what happens here. the poetry and the magic that's created every single day. in nashville, we got a saying-- "it all starts with the song." it's putting into words what everybody is thinking and feeling, but they don't have the wherewithal or the platform or the talent to put it. so you

got to hold the mirror up. that's what we do. we're the mirror for the culture. >> now i head west to the mississippi river and the thriving riverport founded in 1819 that is the city of memphis. hello. >> hello. >> where do i put this? >> right there. >> memphis has this great system of trolleys. they'll take you anywhere downtown for a dollar. one tram stop on the downtown line will take you back in time to a historic location that has transformed the vestiges of a darker era into something positive. dr. martin luther king jr.

was assassinated on april 4th, 1968, right here in memphis at the lorraine hotel. they preserved the facade of the hotel and built the national civil rights museum around it. the mission of the museum, which opened in 1991, is to chronicle key episodes of the american civil rights movement and the legacy of the movement with exhibitions and educational programs. examples include a recreation of rosa parks' montgomery bus of 1955. the original greensboro, south carolina, woolworth's lunch counter with a depiction of the 4 african-american college students who launched the first sit-in when they were refused service. and the original motel rooms where martin luther king jr. stayed, left intact, the day he was assassinated. the era of the civil rights movement was well documented by journalists, but one

photographer had especially privileged access to dr. king-- the late ernest withers. i meet up with the head of the family foundation that manages withers' legacy--his daughter rosalind withers. so was your father here the day that dr. martin luther king jr. was assassinated? >> when he got here, it was a crowd. he was able to get through the crowd because people knew him as a photographer, and he did capture moments after the assassination, but the moment of the assassination he did not get. >> did he take a photograph of dr. king's body? >> he was the one that was allowed to take the first photograph after he was shot. he has extensive coverage in all of the categories of lifestyle, civil rights, music, sports.

this is my favorite image. this is the image that i feel that really capsulates the impact of the civil rights movement. >> what was the thinking, do you think, of...? >> separation. complete segregation. i mean, you're here, you're there. i mean, i have so many of dad's images that shows white water fountains. whites only. it was throughout all of the south and very, very strong in memphis. >> i recognize some of these photographs, but i didn't know anything about your father. >> that is true, and a lot of that had to do with the fact that he was a black man doing photography, and his work has been plastered on "life" and "time" magazine. many times, he actually took a roll of film and sent it to these magazines, and he didn't get credit. even here locally, they didn't give him credit. he had 3 cameras. he was known for carrying 3 cameras around his neck. so he

would send a roll to the white press, the black press, and then he'd keep a roll. so we have record of everything that he recorded, and even though others may take claim to his images, we know that they're his images. [indistinct chatter] >> i'm at the world championship barbecue cooking contest. it's been going, in memphis, for 35 years. people in the south,theyy seriously, and in memphis, they take it really seriously. this annual contest has many categories which are judged and awarded trophies throughout the week. but you can also judge for yourself, as the barbecue teams who camp out on site cooking 24 hours a day, open their barbecue stands to the public as well. there seems to be a slight

obsession with pork. >> memphis ribs are different. the meat pulls away from the bone nice and clean. we like our ribs to be a lot more tender than they do over there. >> these are our memphis famous ribs. we've been in the top ten. took first place in ribs. 17 years of hard work. we want to get the grand championship down here. >> i was wondering if i could see your ribs. >> this is hobson cherry, the senior pitmaster at the shed. >> how you doing, justine? >> i'm good. nice to meet you. >> all right. how you doing? >> good. oh. >> you're in the sun. there we go. >> mmm, that smells good. >> this is where it happens. 'cause you get the whole thing just to fall apart like that in here--mmm. >> ooh, it's hot. >> some sauce on it...

>> cool it off. cool it off. >> cool it off a little bit. yeah. >> oh, that was bold. >> that was awesome. >> mmm. if i were a judge, i'd give you gold marks, 10 points, i don't know. what do you get when you win? >> it's 10 points, and you just made our day. >> that's right. yeah, for the judging out here, i mean, it's pretty hardcore. like, if you don't get all 10s, like, perfect, then you don't win. so, yes, you saying we get 10s makes my day. >> mmm, that is so good, but there are 246 stands that are competing, so i think i need to try a few more before i pass judgment. [p.a. announcer, indistinct] when in memphis, all roads lead to graceland. even though elvis

presley died in 1977, his home continues to be a very popular tourist destination and a shrine to the late, great king of rock 'n' roll. the king may be long gone, but his spirit lives on in graceland, which has over a half a million visitors a year, making it second only to the white house as the most visited residence in the u.s.a. see where elvis relaxed, cooked his meals, ate his meals. only the upstairs, where elvis died, is off limits. then you can head out to the pool area, where you can visit the king himself. the latest addition to graceland is elvis' car museum, which features 33 of his favorite vehicles, including the iconic pink cadillac he purchased in 1955

and gave to his mother. also on display are both of his private airplanes, personally decorated by the king himself. the peabody hotel is a legendary downtown memphis landmark famed for its 1869 architecture, old-time elegance, and a quirky tradition that start as a prank in the 1930s and has become a true phenomenon. some people come to memphis for elvis. others come to see the peabody ducks. the ducks' routine runs like clockwork. at 10 a.m. every day, they descend from their roof palace in an elevator and parade through the lobby to the marble fountain where they swim all day.

at 5 p.m., they are marched back upstairs to their home, all aided by their full-time duckmaster. these north-american mallards really do have the best job in the world. [quacking] they only work 3 months in their entire lives, then they settle into retirement, and during their 3-month tour of duty, they live in a luxury rooftop palace, which has some of the best views of memphis. this is beale street. this is where all the blues legends either played or were discovered, and people still flock to beale street to experience living music history. legendary beale street dates back to the 1840s, when river traders from the nearby mississippi set up shops here.

soon, the thriving riverfront area attracted traveling black musicians from all over the south, and by the early 1900s, its reputation as a hotspot for black music was sealed. the tourist-oriented nightclubs are fun, but if you're looking to delve a little deeper into the heart of the blues, try wild bills. >> ♪ you need to get you some business and leave mine alone ♪ >> talk about, clay. >> ♪ you need to get you some business and leave mine alone >> yeah >> all you nosy neighbors... ♪ >> this little north memphis dive attracts all kinds of blues lovers and is the perfecplace for me to find some blues experts and ask,

what is the blues? >> well, if you're playing the blues the way i like to play it, it reaches the people. it make you feel--it's a feeling. >> the blues could be happy blues or... ♪ i made a lot of money today you know. ♪ and i'm happy ♪ ♪ i need a man who knows what to do i need a man who knows what to do move it to the left move it to the right d do it... ♪ >> really, the thing what gives you the blues is when your woman leaves you. >> when your woman leaves you. >> when your wan leave y. that's what make you really, really think. you think about, "how i love her." >> and how you miss her. >> yeah, how i miss her. >> how you want her back. >> yeah, how i want her back, but i don't know if i'm nna get her back. >> howre you gonna get her back? >> i got to keep on traveling.

>> the next morning, i cross the mississippi, drive through arkansas and into oklahoma. i'm heading to the capital of the choctaw nation to join in a 3-mile-long memorial walk to commemorate a very dark chapter in history--the trail of tears. in the 1830s, the choctaw were one of 5 native-american tribes who were brutally relocated from their homelands by the american government and relocated to, what was then, wide-open oklahoma territory. why are you doing this walk? >> just to honor our ancestors in the memory of what they went through to get us here. >> so are you choctaw? >> yes, ma'am. >> yeah. there are a lot of people on the walk who look native american, and then there