Getting Lost On Purpose: The Art, Science, And Soul of Surrounding

A flat map can’t explain why a roadside rock wall feels like a time machine. That’s where Ronald R. (Reggie) Van Stockum Jr. comes in. He’s a lawyer who practices environmental law, a biologist with a PhD, an author who writes like a traveler-poet, and a musician with a knack for rhythm on the page. Together we follow his Surrounding® philosophy — skip the pre-research, chase the blank spaces on the map, write while the feeling is fresh — and discover how Kentucky reveals itself when you’re willing to get lost on purpose.

We start with the ground truth: Kentucky wasn’t planed by glaciers. It’s an unglaciated landscape where Ordovician and Silurian rocks hold fossils you can spot in highway cuts between Shelbyville and Simpsonville. Reggie breaks down why Indiana’s plains are geologically young, how to read a cuesta at a glance, and where to look for crinoid stems and ancient sea life. The science flows into field craft as we wade into Clear Creek to talk Unionidae—fat muckets, washboards—and how learning species turns a casual paddle into a living museum. Geography becomes biography when Reggie traces the old routes: Old Harrod's Trace through Shelby County, Squire Boone’s detour that sparked Painted Stone, and the many ways patents, deeds, and local historians map stories back onto the land.

Van Stockum's Surrounding® series of books, which he terms "Journey Logs," unlocks that way of seeing. Surrounding® Mammoth Cave celebrates everything you missed on the way to the marquee attraction. Surrounding® The Kentucky River follows the three forks and the towns tucked into them. Surrounding® Fort Knox balloons into a 700-plus-page love letter to overlooked places. We talk about the essays that went viral for shining a kind light on Gravel Switch, Brandenburg, and the “Pillars of Hercules” in Estill County, and we preview his next deep dive: Surrounding® Bardstown by chasing the wild, rugged Salt River drainage across the Eden Shale belt. Along the way, we share why Grove Hill Cemetery functions like a pre-Internet social network, how small venues can hold big music nights, and why meeting local historians can change your route—and your mind.

If you’re hungry for Kentucky travel that’s more than a checklist, this conversation offers a toolkit: read the rocks, follow the drainages, ask better questions, and honor the people who keep the stories. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves back roads, and leave a review with the most surprising place

🎙️ Kentucky Hidden Wonders is presented by ShelbyKY Tourism.

🥃 Plan a visit to Your Bourbon Destination® at www.visitshelbyky.com. Located in the heart of central Kentucky and less than an hour from Louisville and Lexington, ShelbyKY is the perfect Kentucky getaway. Complete with two great distilleries, action-packed outdoor adventures, and the best vacation rentals near Louisville, put ShelbyKY at the top of your list when planning a Kentucky Bourbon Trail® trip, romantic couples retreat, or a whole-family vacation.

🎙️ Kentucky Hidden Wonders is hosted by Janette Marson and Mason Warren and edited by Ethan Fisher.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Shelby County Mission
• 0:41 Meet Reggie: Lawyer, Biologist, Author
• 3:16 Kentucky’s Ancient Geology And Fossils
• 9:06 Field Tips: Bardstown Reef And Freedom Way
• 11:52 Writing Roots And Seeing The Landscape
• 15:19 Freshwater Mussels And Creek Ecology
• 18:28 The Surrounding Series Philosophy
• 24:33 Kentucky River And Experience-First Research
• 29:48 Fort Knox Book And Community Response
• 35:08 Selected Essays And Viral Local History
• 40:03 Craft: Blending Science, Rhythm, And Theater