When Paul Thruu left Cape Cod for a series of road trips along the country roads of the southern U.S.

He figured he'd meet a lot of interesting people and enjoy some southern hospitality along the way.

He didn't expect one topic that kept

coming up and that was the Civil War. You know it's as if the Vietnam War never

happened and the Second World War never happened but the Civil War is

overwhelmingly present and I think

it's present because people feel defeated. On today's travel with Rick Steve's

Paul Thoreu explores the deep south and historian Mark Van Els recommends places you can visit in Europe to learn how American Doboys helped end the First World War.

The most important American Battle of All was the Muse Argon offensive which occurred just to the north and west of Verdun.

This is where the American section was during the final so-called grand offensive at the end of the war.

Remembering World War I and wandering the deep south?

It's all just ahead on Travel with Rick Steves. What have you noticed when you visit parts of our country that are far away from where you live?

In just a minute, Paul Tharoo tells us what a year's worth of wandering the country roads of the deep south revealed to him about the USA.

And later in the hour, historian Mark D. Vanelz

returns to travel with Rick Steve's

to share more about the American role in World War I

when the Doboys joined the Allied forces in France back in 1917.

Professor Van Els recommends places we can visit to better understand what they faced during

what was called the Great War.

Let's open the hour with author Paul Thoreau.

He recently published his 10th travel theme book about his road trip discoveries

in the small towns of Dixie.

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