Local musician Jim McGowan returns with his guitar to play for Dave and Dick on the Roadhosue.

Jay Walljasper is a writer, speaker, and authority on vital communities. He shares stories and strategies that inspire people to make changes in their lives, hometowns and the world. Jay conducted two workshops here in December on how to make Grand Marais and Cook County more walkable.

Local adventurer and former WTIP host Buck Benson returns to the Roadhouse to talk about his latest biking trip to Nepal. He's giving a full presentation on it at North House Folk School on Thursday, January 5, at 7pm. 

Dave & Dick welcomed Sherrie Lindskog to Studio A for delightful piano music, Christmas carols, and laughter. Merry Christmas!

The National Ice Core Laboratory near Denver is...sorry...a really cool place. It's the repository for miles of ice that contains information about the planet's past and the history of its climate. Dick chatted with Richard Nunn, assistant curator of the lab, about what they do there, why it's important, and the special challenges involved with storing and studying ice. You can learn lots more about the lab at their website.

Every year, students taking the U of MN intro to engineering class are charged with designing a robot that does something 'useful.' Dave chatted with Prof. William Durfee, director of engineering design education, about the project and the creative & fun ideas students came up with. You can see this and past year's robots here. 

Gene LaFond & Amy Grillo have been writing and performing together since 2012. They made their way up the shore recently to join Dick and Dave for their first Roadhouse appearance. Listen for both originals and covers, as well as beautiful harmonies. You can learn more about them here. 

The iconic giant sequoias are under stress from years of drought and climate change. Wendy Baxter of the Dawson Lab at the University of California, Berkeley, is a scientist studying these trees to find out what's happening and what might be done to save them. The program is called Leaf to Landscape, and Dick talked with her recently. You can check out her website to learn more.

The Plucked Up String Band made a return appearance on The Roadhouse. The band is, from left: Will Moore, upright bass; Elliot Noyce, mandolin; Matt Nesheim, guitar; Amanda Hand, vocals; and Bill Hansen, dobro. You can learn more about the band and their schedule on their Facebook page.

Bob King, creator of the Astro Bob blog in the Duluth News-Tribune, has written a great new book about how to find planets, constellations, satellites, and more, without a telescope. It's called "Night Sky with the Naked Eye." Bob talked with Dave recently about the book, who it's for, and what it teaches. And get set for the Geminid meteor shower, Dec. 13 & 14.