Bexar0718

We explored the stark beautiful Artist's Palette on a stunning evening. Dusk was early. We exited the park under the glow of an amazing sunset. We drove two hours to Las Vegas in the dark and arrived in Las Vegas to drive "The Strip."

In Part 2 of our day at Death Valley National Park, we begin by descending from Dante's View at about 5400ft to Badwater Basin at -282ft. After walking Badwater Basin at a balmy 78F, we drive over to the odd formations at the Devil's Golf Course. Finally, we drive the Artist's Palette scenic road.

A beautiful fall morning in Las Vegas! We leave early so that we maximize our day in the sunshine. It gets dark at 4:30pm in Death Valley in late November. We travel 2 hrs westward, through the mountains west of Las Vegas, then cross the Mohave, through Pahrump, across the California line, and into Death Valley NP. Our first sight to see is Dante's View, a MUST see in the national park because the view is spectacular and it gives you an overview, literally, of the whole park.

On a two week long adventure out West, we make our first stop on a West Coast beach. My children seeing the Pacific Ocean for the first time at San Simeon State Park.

Join us while we explore the Loneliest Road of central Nevada (US 50) between Austin and Ely. We enjoy the solitude and wide expanse of nothingness, where 80 miles is the shortest distance between towns. We see the sage and juniper slopes of the Toiyabe Range, the ancient petroglyphs of the Hickison Summit, the Old West town of Eureka, the wooded slopes of Pinto Canyon, and the quaint village of Ely. We end this part of our journey at the blustery Ward Mountain Campground, of the Humboldt National Forest. Music Attributions: Intro: Just Piano 2, by NERDYChick1217, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) Artist: https://freesound.org/people/NERDYChick1217/sounds/427405/ Song 1: Piano Moment, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/piano-moment Song2: Happiness, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/happiness Song 3: Slow Motion, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/slow-motion Song 4: Back on the Wagon, Music by John Bartmann https://johnbartmann.com New license-free music packs every month. Sign up https://johnbartmann.com/sign-up https://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/western-skies/back-on-the-wagon Song 5: Cute, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/cute Song 6: Piano Moment, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/piano-moment

If you love geography, this video is for you! On a return trip from California during the summer 2021, I couldn't resist finding the tristate point of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, and also the NW corner of the entire state of Texas. Both benchmarks are within 2.2 miles of each other and are easily accessible. The treeless plains of the former Dust Bowl area have a special beauty. There is nothing but grass, open space, fresh air, sunshine, and perhaps a few antelope and prairie dogs. Out on the plains at a place called "Texhomex," the imaginary lines on the map converge on the ground and the map comes alive. I am a geography "supernerd," therefore my mind is always thinking of new geographical oddities and facts. Google Earth is practically an addiction for me! Texas is an enormous state. One day, I decided to figure out what point in Texas I could stand, and yet be the furthest point from my home in San Antonio. My first thought was somewhere in the El Paso area (514mi), but I was surprised to find that was not the furthest point. The NW Corner of the panhandle was the spot at 544 miles as the crow flies (this is the same distance between the cities of Washington and Atlanta). If anyone is interested in links to this historical and geographical information, here are some links: https://archive.amerisurv.com/PDF/TheAmericanSurveyor_Roeder-TX-NMLine_December2006.pdf https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/how-a-bad-survey-and-powerful-connections-added-1000-square-miles-to-texas-lands/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rita_Blanca_National_Grassland https://www.history.com/topics/abolitionist-movement/missouri-compromise https://mapcarta.com/N1677675299 http://www.simpsonfamilyokc.com/oktript.htm https://www.usends.com/tx-northwest.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_412_in_Oklahoma Music Attributions: Song 1: Happy Rock, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/happy-rock Song 2: Full of Energy, by code-box, is licensed under a Creative Commons 0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...). Artist: https://freesound.org/people/code_box/sounds/520192/ Song 3: Energy, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/energy

This is a compilation of my photos and videos of my exploration of the historic Braddock's Road in the Maryland Panhandle, Pennsylvania, and parts of West Virginia. First, you can see traces of the old British military road on Big Savage Mt, in Maryland, in two different seasons. Then, I stop at various sites along the trail. It ends in Braddock, PA, where the infamous Battle of the Monongahela took place. Latitude and Longitude Coordinates of the sites: West slope of Big Savage Mountain: 39°39'59.70"N, 78°58'11.86"W East slope of Big Savage Mountain: 39°39'56.00"N, 78°58'3.47"W Little Meadows Road Trace: 39°41'44.89"N, 79° 5'56.44"W Key's Gap: 39°15'41.84"N, 77°45'45.49"W Fort Cumberland/Wills Creek: 39°38'51.83"N, 78°45'57.68"W Blocher Rd Christmas Tree Farm: 39°40'50.73"N, 79° 1'31.15"W Negro Mt. Road Trace: 39°41'38.69"N, 79°14'2.81"W Monongahela Crossing site (7-Eleven Parking Lot - Duquesne, PA): 40°22'58.60"N, 79°51'25.01"W Overlooking Braddock, PA - 40°23'44.46"N, 79°52'22.65"W Music Attributions: Birth of a Hero, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/birth-of-a-hero

Traveling between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, I decided to stop at Carson's Pass and hike a short bit of the Pacific Crest Trail. We veered to the right and exited the trail up to the alpine zone above the pass. It was a beautiful scene. Having just traveled from sea level, we found it hard to breathe, even though it was only 8800ft.

The northernmost point in Maine is located where the northeast running straight-line border with Quebec intersects the St. Francis river at the town of Pohenegamook, Quebec. Across the line in Maine is just wilderness, called the North Maine Woods, however there is a US Customs station called Estcourt Station. There are a few houses on the US side.

The northernmost point in Maine is located where the northeast running straight-line border with Quebec intersects the St. Francis river at the town of Pohenegamook, Quebec. Across the line in Maine is just wilderness, called the North Maine Woods, however there is a US Customs station called Estcourt Station. There are a few houses on the US side.

We had a fun hike to the Pacific Ocean in Redwood National Park/Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park between Eureka and Crescent City, CA. In order to get to this location, we had to drive eight miles down a one-lane, unpaved road through the coastal forest. We had just completed a hike through Fern Canyon and afterwards tried to cut to the beach from the canyon's outlet, which was impossible due to bogs and marshes. After turning back from our muddy ordeal in the forest, we took a leisurely walk from the Gold Bluffs Beach parking lot to the beach, although the beach was quite wide (200 yards to be exact) and quite a workout to get across it. The ocean is quite rough and cold here, so no swimming, but a gorgeous scene, with fog coming of the ocean and climbing the tree-covered bluffs behind us.

We departed Crescent City, CA on June 5, 2021 and drove northeastward into Oregon to catch interstate 5 to head southward back into California. I chose this route because I wanted to see Mt Shasta and we had a hotel reservation in Sacramento that evening. The video starts at the highest point on interstate 5, which is really not high by interstate standards, which was Siskiyou Summit 4310ft, five miles north of the California line in Oregon. Coming down the south side of the pass was dramatic because this was when Mt Shasta came into view. In my opinion, the Cascade Range with snow-covered volcanic peaks, represent the most beautiful of scenery in the United States. The Cascades are majestic and spectacular. The Siskiyou Mountains and Scott Mts are subranges within the greater Klamath Mountains. The Cascade are a separate range altogether and are formed by other forces.

The Boundary Act of 1850 finalized the shape of Texas as we know it today. The area of interest in this video is the 25 miles of Texas/New Mexico line traced down the channel of the Rio Grande River, from 32 degrees north southward to the place where the Mexican Border intersects the river today. This small section of stream, which forms the extreme western tip of Texas, changed course over many decades. By the 20th Century, the people of the area had forgotten where the river had been, which led to a major dispute between the two states. The Supreme Court decided a surveyor would calculate where the 1850 channel of the river had been. The surveyor completed his work in 1930, setting 105 concrete monuments to mark this unusual state line in the El Paso area. The state line winds through fields and buildings with no clear pattern. In May 2021, my children and I stopped to take a look. In 65 minutes, we explored the area, crossing the line 7 times. This included a small detour to see the Mexican Border. See references below: https://amerisurv.com/2019/02/10/unsung-hero-the-texas-new-mexico-border/ https://www.tsl.texas.gov/treasures/earlystate/boundary.html https://www.tsl.texas.gov/treasures/earlystate/boundary-01.html https://www.drtinfo.org/education/republic-of-texas-2/boundaries-of-the-republic-of-texas

Unexpected beautiful moment in the Great Plains northwest of Amarillo, TX on our way home from California.

Filmed 06/07 to 06/08/2021: Since watching several Youtube videos about the Loneliest Road (US 50), I decided to make it part of our return route from California to Texas. Central Nevada is considered one of the most sparsely populated areas of the contiguous United States. Interstate 80 is to the north and carries most of the east/west traffic across the state. It was an important thoroughfare, however, ring the "Old West" period of the 1800's. The 1900mi Pony Express from St.Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento was short-lived endeavor, but it followed US 50 approximately through Nevada. One can imagine the horseman with a cloud of dust behind him, galloping across the sage-covered flats between mountain ranges. In this first video, we travel the first 173 miles from Carson City to Austin, with an overnight break in Fallon. Thanks for watching my video. Please subscribe to my channel and be sure to hit the "like" button. Music Attributions: Intro Song: Just Piano 2, by NERDYChick1217, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) Artist: https://freesound.org/people/NERDYChick1217/sounds/427405/ Song 1: Inspire, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/inspire Song 2: Going Higher, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/going-higher Song 3: Full of Energy, by code-box, is licensed under a Creative Commons 0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...). Artist: https://freesound.org/people/code_box/sounds/520192/ Song 4: Dreams, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/electronica Song 5: Ukulele, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/ukulele

Filmed 05/30/2021 – Today would be the longest distance traveled in one day during our 15-day adventure to the West Coast and the Intermountain West. We left Las Cruces, NM at 7:50am and arrived at our hotel in Ontario, CA at 8:08pm (both Pacific time), for a grueling 12hr. 18min drive across the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts. With only one lunch break/hike in central Arizona, we made only necessary stops for gas and bathroom. The video starts as we cross the Colorado River on IH 10 and enter California. Heading westbound into southern California, you first pass through the most desolate part of the Sonoran Desert. Saguaro cacti does not grow on the CA side because it is too dry. Saguaros need the summer monsoons of Arizona to live, that’s why the last saguaro is just 5 miles shy of the CA border. Once we start to descend into the Coachella Valley, the change in topography and scenery gets very interesting. First, we drop to -50ft at Indio, then climb up into San Gongonio Pass just NW of Palm Springs. San Gorgonio Pass reaches a maximum height of only 2600ft along the Ih10 corridor, but the mountains on both sides are dramatically steep. Passing through this narrow corridor is exciting, to say the least. The blazing hot Sonoran Desert transforms into a temperate Mediterranean climate within a few short miles. Suddenly, the population increases and you enter the massive conglomeration of cities that continue nearly 100 miles without ceasing, all the way to the Pacific Ocean Music Attributions: Song 1: Little Latin Jazz Intro, by oymaldanado, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Artist: https://freesound.org/people/oymaldonado/sounds/453396/ Song 2: Energy, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/energy Song 3: The Jazz Piano, by Benjamin Tissot (also know as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/the-jazz-piano

The upper Nueces River in southwest Texas has crystal clear water and there are many amazing places to swim. "The Quince," (KEEN-say) means "fifteen" in Spanish, is a deep hole in the bank of the river. It is 15 feet deep. It is more than a two hour drive for us from San Antonio, but it is well worth it. I met the owner of the land, Mr. San Miguel, and he indicated he charges $5.00 per person to swim on the weekends. Children 10 and under are free. Someone else told me he does not charge on weekdays at all. Music Attributions: Song 1: Hey, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/hey-happy-cheerful?sort=p.download&order=DESC Song 2: Ukulele, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/ukulele Song 3: Cute, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/cute

After a Memorial Day traffic jam on the 101 in Los Angeles, we exit the city and drive along the coast to Santa Barbara. From there, we drive over San Marcos Pass in the Santa Ynez Mountains. The mountains make a clear division between the dry scrubby chaparral of southern California and the rolling oak savannah of the central California foothills. The weather is clear and sunny inland and overcast at the coastline. The quick transitions from clear skies to cloudy skies and back again is remarkable to us. We arrive at our campsite near Cambria by early evening. Music Attributions: Song 1: Energy, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/energy Song 2: Slow Motion, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/slow-motion Song 3: Happiness, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/happiness Song 4: Cute, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/cute

Fast paced highway driving into downtown Los Angeles on IH 10, then up 101 to Hollywood. My kids are really interested in seeing the Hollywood sign. We drive Sunset and Hollywood Blvds then head over to Beverly Hills with windows down, taking in the southern California sunshine. From Beverly Hills, we continue west on Wiltshire Blvd until we hit coastal highway, CA 1, at the Pacific Ocean at Santa Monica. Music Attributions: Song1: Happy Rock, by Benjamin Tissot (also know as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/happy-rock Song 2: The Jazz Piano, by Benjamin Tissot (also know as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/the-jazz-piano Song 3: Ukulele, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/ukulele

Filmed 5/31/2021-6/10/2021 - On a 15-day adventure to California and the Inner Mountain West, my four children and I were immersed the environment around us by sleeping in a tent seven out of fourteen nights on the road. Driving 5,244 miles (from San Antonio, TX to Crescent City, CA and back), traversing nine states, and visiting 28 out of 58 California counties, we witnessed America's natural beauty at its finest. From the foggy Central Coast to the dry, sandstone cliffs of the Utah canyonlands, it was an adventure to remember. The footage in this video is limited to the time spend in and around campsite, not the travel in between. Five of the campsites were California State Parks, one was a Utah State Park, and the other was a Humboldt National Forest campground. Music Attributions: Song 1: Sunny, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/sunny Song 2: Cute, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/cute Song 3: Retro Soul, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/retro-soul Song 4: Memories, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/memories Song 5: Ukulele, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/ukulele Song 6: Slow Motion, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/slow-motion Song 7: A New Beginning, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/a-new-beginning

Filmed 05/23-5/25/2019: Camping and hiking in David Mts near in Ft. Davis, TX, viewing mysterious Marfa lights, and swimming in the world's largest spring-fed swimming pool at Balmorhea State Park.

Filmed 6/7/2021 - At Sand Harbor, Nevada, we spent some time at the beach and swam in Lake Tahoe. We, being at the northeast end of the lake, and with strong gusty southwesterly winds, there were ocean-like waves in this location. The water was cold, but not as cold as I expected it to be this early in the season. Beautiful scenery!

Filmed 6/1/2021 - Slow motion video of my children taunting Pacific Ocean waves at Garrapata State Park in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Music credit: Birth of a Hero, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/birth-of-a-hero

Along the northern California coast is a noticeable bulge that protrudes out into the ocean. This area is known as the "Lost Coast" because the rugged King Range plunges into the Pacific Ocean rendering it nearly inaccessible. Mountains drop directly into the sea, causing some portions of beach to be submerged at high tide. Punta Gorda, the southern cape, and Cape Mendocino, the northern one, form the two points of the bulge in the coastline. Exhausted from driving the slow and curvy county road from the Redwood Zone at Weott, through the mountains, we reach the Mattole River Valley at Honeydew, CA. We drive the lighthouse road to Punta Gorda and climbed a spectacular jeep road high above the ocean. Then, we followed the Mattole Road along the beach to Cape Mendocino, the westernmost point in California. Just off the cape is a giant sea stack called Sugarloaf Island, which reaches height of 323 ft above the waves. Along the way, we stopped at a scenic spot, called Devils Gate, along the beach and found some beautiful pebbles of various shapes and colors. There are sea otters and a seal in view at 6:07-6:31. Just offshore was a remarkable rock which looked just like a ship, which is appropriately called Steamboat Rock. I actually thought it was a ship when driving past it because it was so perfectly shaped (7:14-7:21). A remarkable area I'm glad I visited. I want to go back, but next time to do some backpacking on the lost coast. It would be great to have a drone and film some aerial shots! Music Attributions: Song 1: Full of Energy, by code-box, is licensed under a Creative Commons 0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...). Artist: https://freesound.org/people/code_box/sounds/520192/ Song 2: Evolution, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/evolution-epic-nature Song 3: Ukulele, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/ukulele Song 4: Slow Motion, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/slow-motion Song 5: Creative Minds, by Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound). Artist: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/creative-minds

Filmed 11/24/2020 - Departed Flagstaff AZ in the morning and drove due east to Albuquerque. Stopped at the Petrified Forest National park on the way, took a hike, and followed a scenic drive to the north side of the park. Followed IH 40 into Albuquerque from the west.