John Steinbeck was nearing 60 when he decided to go on a road trip around the country with his poodle. That trip turned into his last major book, Travels with Charley. Fifty years later, we've been revisiting Steinbeck's stops to see how life in America has changed. We ...

In Washington State, on the western edge of the Rocky Mountains, John Steinbeck met a young man passionate about theater and hairdressing — and the kid’s furious father. Steinbeck wrote about the encounter in Travels with Charley. Fifty years later, in Spokane, we meet a proudly gay hairdresser and theater director. And we hear his father's side of the story.

John Steinbeck's last major book, Travels with Charley, recounts his experiences while on a road trip across America with his poodle, Charley. This week we trace his trip to New Orleans, where Steinbeck witnessed angry crowds protesting the desegregation of a public school.

In the fall of 1960, the writer John Steinbeck climbed into a camper truck and set out to explore America. Now producer John Biewen is following in his footsteps, revisiting some key stops on Steinbeck’s route to look at how America has changed. This week: Sag Harbor.