There's something really nice about Zach apologizing for going off topic and Mike immediately just reassuring his friend that it's okay. It's the best kind of friendships when you can tell other people it's okay to talk about other stuff on top of what's already being discussed.
i mean, the whole essence of these campfire story videos is that they're just talking about stuff casual conversations are full of tangents and diversions and asides
@@nobuyukishou. She is not. She makes it clear she is a new gf-turned-wife. Which seems to fit, since the was a time when Zach kinda sounded... "not so hot" in the videos. They leaned a bit on the darker side for a while, and I assumed something had happened. But, naturally I (meaning all of us viewers as well) am happy that he seems genuinely in good spirits nowadays. The video is called "Mrs. Hazard", iirc
@@nobuyukishou. No she's not, a new girlfriend haha. In Zach's video he's very specific about that. Crazily enough they met through RUclips and twitter though! Was a long distance relationship for awhile
Drove from California to my base in VA in my truck. Did the whole thing in three days. Cheaper than flying and has great views, all it cost me was my truck. Proceeded to drive across the country 8 more times because I still hate flying and am an idiot. Never stop in Albuquerque
I went to the grand canyon for my 11th birthday and, as an 11 year old, it was a pretty miserable experience. Nobody was happy to be there. It was very obvious that it was just something on Dad's bucket list and nobody else cared.
Chiming in on Zach's train talk: The Amtrak California Zephyr actually does start in Chicago; to start in New York you'd need to take a different train, either the Lake Shore Limited that takes the faster route through Albany and along the Great Lakes shores or the Cardinal that dips down through Washington DC and through the Appalachians via West Virginia and Indianapolis. The Zephyr itself starts out dull on the first day, crossing the "flyover states", but the real ride starts at breakfast as you leave Denver and cross the Rocky Mountains through the Moffat Tunnel through Salt Lake City and Reno, then over the Sierra Nevadas at Donner Pass to Sacramento ending in Oakland with a bus connection to San Francisco. If you want the real Grand Circle Tour, get the Coast Starlight from Oakland up to either Portland or Seattle, then the Empire Builder (it starts in two sections, one each from Portland or Seattle, that combine in Spokane) over Stevens Pass through Montana and back to Chicago. And I can confirm that everything Zach is saying about the awesomeness of train travel is true. Even in the cheap Coach seats, they are massive and plush with charging plugs everywhere, most trains are being refurbished with onboard wifi. The only downside to going long distance is that Coach passengers aren't allowed to use the Dining Car anymore; in the old days Coach could eat in the Dining Car if they paid while for Sleeper passengers it was complementary, but now it's Sleepers only. So you have to rely on microwave meals from the Cafe Lounge, which vary from okay to inedible (the mac n cheese seems good, but avoid the burgers). Or, for a bit more, you can get either a Roomette (basically a closet big enough for two seats with a bed that folds out of the ceiling) or a Bedroom (which has an en-suite toilet-shower cubicle) that grants you access to fresh cooked meals in the Dining Car and an actual flat place to sleep with bedsheets and pillow. Tl;dr: Amtrak is awesome actually, everyone should do it at least once, preferably more than once. The only bad thing I can say about it is that you won't get anywhere fast. It's usually not their fault; the railroad tracks are owned by the corporate freight railroads; Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, BNSF, etc., and they are more concerned about moving miles and miles of freight. Technically by law they're supposed to give the passenger trains priority, but through a combination of corporate greed and precision scheduled railroading (which is neither precise nor scheduled and barely counts as railroading), Amtrak trains can be stuck waiting for freights to pass for quite awhile. The last time I took Amtrak my train was 2 hours late. Granted, they try their best; once I'd gotten on board they hustled to make up lost time and we arrived at my destination almost on time. And Amtrak's staff will do everything in their power to ensure passenger safety and comfort; one incident I heard of, the Sunset Limited was forced to leave LA without a chef, so at dinnertime the train stopped at this nowhere town in Arizona and called up the biggest order their Pizza Hut had ever seen to ensure that everyone on board got fed, all while flying a new chef out to Flagstaff to meet the train in time for breakfast.
That's really neat! The bank/town hall in my town was almost robbed by Bonnie and Clyde, but something was going down where all the money wasn't in there. So, instead, they just stole pocket money off of a guard that was there. (I think. It's been a second since I've heard the story, but that's the jist of it)
As someone who lived in Western Colorado, in the medium size town of Rifle, i can agree that there isn’t shit until you PASS Denver. Flat colorado is basically Kansas. This is coming from someone who was raised in Kansas
I went to Goodsprings on a Vegas trip last year around July/August. The bathroom is definitely all graffitied up. They've also changed where they have the Bonnie & Clyde car to some other casino.
I lived in Boulder City for a few years, its a great little town in a state thats gone to complete shit, and i dont mean from Vegas and gambling. New Vegas absolutely NAILED the area. The view of the Lucky 38 is famously a real thing, and first time i saw the real Needle on our move i got chills. 188, Nellis, Lake Mead its all so damn good.
West Virginia gets sh!t on constantly but it is some of the most beautiful nature in Appalachia. It's worth visiting because those areas could use the tourism.
I had to drive through West Virginia here recently, and I realized that some of the little unincorporated places are ideal places for me to retire to. Just out, relatively middle of nowhere, 5 Mi to the interstate, an hour from a big city.
Zach mentioning the Japanese trains immediately reminded me of the 7 Stars of Kyushu luxury train. Roughly $7,000 USD and it's a LOTTERY to even get in the door for a 4 day trip. I wanna get in that so bad lol
If you win it it’s gotta be hella worth it At the same time I can’t imagine making your whole vacation be built on going to Japan and spending the two weeks there on a 4 day train that’s essentially a lottery and core part of your trip
@@livingreverie5951 Yeah you spend the other days on luxury busses and ferries lol. I imagine it takes a minute between winning that lottery and when that train takes off for that trip
6:58 Oh man, you guys freaking out about 34 miles (54km) without settlements reminds me how unpopulated Australia is. There's a stretch along the Eyre highway where there's no towns for 450 miles (720 kilometres). Only roadhouses, but even then some of those are nearly 100 miles apart. (170ish kilometres). Hell, there's a part called '90 Mile Straight' which, you guessed it, goes straight on for 90 miles (146 kilometres). My grandpa has a photo of him and my great grandpa posing next to the sign.
I remember Yahtzee (Zero Punctuation/Fully Ramblomatic) said British/American tourists being stranded in the middle of the outback is a semi-regular occurrence. He said they really thought they could _drive_ to Alice Springs with minimal preparation lol
Hey local Montana dweller here, if you guys want to come out to Montana again I know a great place to go that is only like 1 hour outside of Yellowstone Park and the good thing is that the cabins out there are decently priced for rent
As someone who had the privilege to go to Japan and take commuters and the shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka. He's right, it's so damn convenient and cost effective to take for transportation.
Always fun to listen to another Campfire Stories and about places so close to home for me! Spent half my life in Vegas and am currently living in Southeastern Utah! Those Buttes that were shown around the 10:00 minute mark? I'm literally less than thirty miles away from those! The boys are right, people come from all over the damn world to see what Utah's got. To quote Ross Scott, "You really can't argue with a giant rock." But yeah, if anyone reading this is ever in the Wayne county area in Utah, just know that's my backyard.
The problem with high speed rail in America is that any time someone comes up with a halfway decent plan to make it work, car manufacturers sabotage it.
This is really funny. I was looking at taking the heartland flyer which is an Amtrak train. It’s about a four hour trip from Dallas to OKC if you drive but it’s about six hours if you take the train this is convinced me to do that
another really fun thing with the solar collection plants that Helios was based off of, if you drive by when its windy and dusty you can actually see the full cone of light from the mirrors and the individual shafts near the outer edges
@malbornmabll9782 Ivanpah Solar Power Facility which hellos one was based off of kills about 6 thousand birds a year which is still a really small amount
Road trips are SO fun and cool. I really don’t know why more people don’t get out and see the beauty that awaits far from home. It just so happens, that my father and I have only never been to the northeestern or southwestern states, as the contiguous (lower) 48 go. However, in my teens back in the late ’90s I did go on a trip to Colorado, which eventually also includes a minor stop, but one in which I technically set foot on _terra firma_ , in Wyoming, which makes it the furthest west I have been in the US. We plan to visit the northwestern states next year and southwrstern in ’26, God willing.
Having grown up in Nevada, it’s really interesting to find out that the sights I’m so accustomed to are actually something special for others, and likewise the first time I went to Washington and saw actual forests and rivers I was completely baffled. Really helps you to realize just how small your perspective of the world really is.
Loved the pinewood derby in Boy Scouts. They were so much fun. I’d make my car alongside my grandpa. He’d help me shape it, paint it, I even won first place a few times. Had them on display in my room for years.
If you guys come back to Montana, you should go to Glacier National park. Vets get in for free too. Edit: Zach, you can get flights to Glacier Park International Airport (airport thats in Kalispell). Every time the army has me do some training thats long distance, I fly out of GSP, then to Seattle, and then to wherever else I need to go. Vice versa when coming back. It makes traveling so much easier.
The main thing I remember from going to the grand canyon was my brother passing out while we were waiting for food at a restaurant around there. I honestly found the local (South Western) ghost stories more interesting and I used to have a book full of them.
Having done a trip around the southwest in the summer of 2023, I can agree it is gorgeous as all heck. We did a stint in Denver, Colorado, one in Estes Park, Colorado outside the Rocky Mountains National Park, and a final one in Bishop, California outside the Inyo National Forest after the initial plans changed when we found out that the cabin we had rented up in the mountains were flooded out and had no power, and finally came home via Williams, Arizona and the Grand Canyon. Was a wonderful time, and I really love how beautiful the southwest US is.
About the pinewood derby, I worked with my grandpa and thought the same thing and me being a bit of a blabermouth ended up getting quoted on the sidebar of the local newspaper for it.
one thing I'm glad my dad did when I was a kid was take me coast to coast, twice in both Canada and the U.S. because no matter how stale home got as I got older I knew there were better places out there
Worked with a guy from Nebraska who told me my favorite Nebraska joke: Custer's at the Little Bighorn, and his scouts come to report. The squad leader salutes and says, "General Custer...we have good news and bad news." Custer takes a breath and says, "Alright....what's the bad news?" "Well sir, it appears we're surrounded and heavily outnumbered. I can't help feeling like we'll all be dead by daybreak." Custer stares at him for a moment, then says, "Okay...so what's the good news then?" The scout gives a wry smile, and tells him, "Well, sir, at least we won't have to march across Nebraska again!"
note of advice, if you plan on taking Amtrak longer than a day, get a sleeper car not a coach car. You have no room in a coach card to really sleep or lay down. It’s about as good sometimes worse, depending on the age of the car, then flying
If the US had a High Speed Train with a regular speed of 320 km/h (top speed of the Shinkansen) it would take around 14 hours to get from the east to the west coast (roughly 4500 km) on a non stop ride. It is quite competitive to Airplanes (also you don't need TSA for taking a train). The USA does actually have trains which can reach 350km/h called the "Acela II - Avelia Liberty". But since the infrastructure is in such a bad shape it is only allowed to run at 257 km/h max. For comparision: the fastest train in the world ist the "Shanghai Maglev" and runs at 460 km/h.
Also, the vast majority of train track in the USA is owned by freight companies. This means that passenger service can and will experience delays due to freight trains being shuffled ahead of them on the tracks.
We will have a train equivalent to tsa simply because some conspiracy brain will attack it. Plus rail started between miami, tampa, atlanta, dc, and New York would be way more used
If only It was a real thing. Imagine going coast to coast, north to south on a train. Racing over the greatplains, going through the Appalacians and the rockies, crossing the Mississipi. That would be a roadtrip all of its own.
Mountains cause a bit of a problem for a line like that. America has a lot of mountain ranges which that train would either have to go straight through, requiring massive drilling projects, or go over the top of, largely defeating the purpose of a high speed rail line. In short, it would be a massive expense for very minimal gain. As for the TSA, there is no way that would remain the case. Once a sufficient number of people started to take trains over planes, the government would get upset about not being able to harass people for no reason and would just make the TSA work at train stations as well
oh man: the route from Texarkana, into Arkansas, to the state line with Tennessee, then into Missouri's little toe. That entire stretch for me is a giant blur for me after Texarkana, its like "Oh boy I hope you like flat, near barren ground and dead grass"
I took a cross country road trip to Nevada after I quit my job and graduated college. Driving through the desert is both surreal and beautiful, especially since I've lived my whole life in the forest. I want to go back one day.
When you showed red rock canyon off in the video I thought to myself “Something is off” and then I remembered why someone told me the Great Khan packed up and left red rock canyon.
30:50 best part about living in vegas is knowing Zach is absolutely correct. One of my favorite things about vegas is theres a place that sells old military equipment, and its right next to Circus Circus.
As someone who lives in Nebraska, right next to Offut Air Force Base and Stratcom, we generally joke that our area of Nebraska is the "civilized" portion while things get really boring west of us.
mike actually did a good call with the f150, though tbh van living is easier, but in recent yrs most places now either ban vans/mini vans or some one will call the law to check it it if its been parked for 4hrs, especially if its visibly a stealth camper.
@@flamingrubys11 which one? Live out of a truck or report a suspiciously parked van? 1) most places charge too much for rent, an housing prices aren't great either, especially since most people today are barely scrapping by. 2) an for the van part... I have no clue, then again too many people assume it's a pedo van an just annoy the shit out of you, which is understandable... except people have a tendency to over police things that thy really shouldn't unless you are actively trespassing.
I was suppose to go to Vegas this Oct 18-21 and wanted to go visit Goodsprings, but the rest of my friend group ended up not having the money to book a flight and a place to stay (we've been planning this since last year) and it wasn't until last week that I finally got a response about why we haven't gotten together to book the flight.
Gotta admit, it was a little bit wild hearing Mike describing Brian Head and the surrounding area because that's where I'm from. Having one of my favorite youtubers describing what is practically in my backyard is pretty cool.
Ah, the pinewood derby, our area incorporated a rule because of me. All competitors derby cars MUST be under the max weight limit, I had drilled a hole in mine and filled it with lead, was wicked fast. The DQ'd me after they found out, but I still got most creative design for it.
As someone who grew up in Utah and continues to see these beautiful sites, nothing is better than hearing someone else talk about how beautiful they find all these "normal" to me vistas
As a goodsprings visitor, I love how much the staff are cool with the fans, even having the snowglobes ohhhhh man I think it's so easy to get placed in media and move on, but living by the town Man of Steel happened in, it's always fun when people lean into it.
Thanks for the video Mike. I'm personally looking at doing a road trip to south east Colorado from Nashville and plan on using a 8ft truck bed to sleep in. Love the vids, keep up the FANTASTIC work.
I've been trying to escape Nebraska for years. The real spooky places are all the tree groves planted everywhere as wind breaks. There's things in there and they WILL follow you.
I do miss living in Colorado sometimes, but then I look how expensive it is and then it's gone. But definitely beautiful scenery. Would love to vacation there again.
38:48 I don't mean to double comment but I do actually have something constructive about this part regarding all the dads making the pinewood derby cars. So we had the same issue when I first moved to my hometown, and my mom knew exactly how it was gonna go down. The dads would all commandeer their kids' project and it would become a grudge match. My mom elected to come to one of the meetings and suggested a change to the usual pinewood derby event by adding an open class. So the kids could have their tournament and make their cars the way they wanted without any adult meddling or competition, and the dads (and whoever else) could all minmaxx the shit out of them and settle their own score. Every subsequent year of the PWD was absolutely fantastic and they've done it ever since.
Looking at how much Zach and Mike loves to take a train, they really should experience the ones across pacific. Shinkansen is alright quite famously Good, and the other one has a 6 day visa free visitation available iirc.
39:53 You gotta make an episode about the submarine trip, sounds awesome! Also, anyone else find the idea of a bunch of kids controling an SSBN is more than a bit terrifyin?
Pro tip, if you're doing a cross-country road trip, go as far south as possible for as long as you can. Far more interesting route, though probably better done late in the year
Boy scout summer camp was awesome. getting so high i couldn't get out of my hammock for class, setting a canoe on fire and pushing it into the lake, locking counselors in their cabins. High Recommended.
My dad did something similar when he was 19. He moved from Nova Scotia, Canada to LA to pursue a career in motocross. He was out there for a few months trying to make connections before he decided to buy an old Chevy Malibu and drive it all the way back home to go to university. This was in 1981, so it was a lot cheaper to live out of a truck back then.
First minute of the video resonates SO HARD with me. I'm going back to college for computer science because the printing industry is not a well paying job sector anymore. This year I had also switched over to a third shift job because otherwise I'd be trying to figure out how to fit a 2-10 second shift job with a college schedule. I get home at around 7AM, maybe lie around for an hour before I have to go to campus for classes. I'd go back home and go to sleep after class, get up, go to work and most of my homework would not get done until the weekend.
The Southern Rim of the Grand Canyon offers the best view of the Canyon, I used to work up there and from the rim you could see about a 25% of the canyon. And it was beautiful. I could see a small river right at the bottom of the canyon and small thickets of forest along the river. I never went in but, the sights when I got to see them were beautiful. Also because light pollution is so low and I lived in company housing with a crappy parking lot. I found a spot right in the center away from the small bit of lighting from the housing units and I could see the entirety of the Galaxy and the background clouds of the galaxy. Absolutely worth seeing
man Ive heard how mike got through college and honestly Idk how he did it. Granted Engineering is probably more taxing mentally and has a higher workload than most majors, but I honestly can’t imagine working an 8 hour night shift and 6 hours of school daily plus homework. I can barely manage just school as is. Im glad you made it through
I take it Zach didn't spend much time in Iowa, because the world's largest truckstop, the shop from American Pickers, and the Sarah Lee bread factory are all in Iowa. I'm also curious if Zach spent any time in the Vail area when he was in Colorado...
Decent amount of shit to do in Des Moines, even though it's not a huge city. If you stick to the highways in Iowa you miss most of the shit worth doing imo
Haven't been to the Shadows Museum (if that's the one you are referring to in Omaha). Honestly, I'm glad there isn't much in Nebraska. Been living out here for the last 7 years now. Very few people out here. Less people to bug me. Also, making friends with farmers means, you can shoot out to several hundred yards, rather than 100 yards or less. So there are benefits to living out here than either coast. Kind of want to move to New Hampshire.
I was in the boyscouts for about 2 years, and one of the things we did was spend the night on a submarine docked in I think San Francisco (I lived in central california at the time) and it was the coolest thing ever! I wish I could do it again.
As a Nebraskan, I will admit that there are wide swaths of the state where there is very little to look at, but there are scenic areas. Halsey National Forest, The Buttes around Scottsbluff, Toadstool Geological Park, just to name a few that are on the western half of the state.
2 years ago, we had to drive from Georgia to California, across the country. we had to cross through kansas. when i say there was nothing, there was NOTHING. it was just a completely flat road for 4 hours straight.
don't know if you mention it in this video, but with all the talk about gorgeous geological formations i adore the wave, in the coyote buttes in arizona haven't been there, but it's one of the coolest looking natural features i know about, and it kinda upsets me that you can only visit it if you basically win a lottery to get a permit to hike it, because its capacity is severely limited
Yall ought to see the grand junction area. Also fun fact I-70 through colorado it is consistently repaired year round, start at one end at the beginning of the year and finish by the end of the year.
I was in Japan this last spring and it was amazing. I’m not a train guy but I did take the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka and it was amazing to go from one side of the country to other in three hours with a gorgeous view on both of sides of the train, while having a lot of room in your seating area or to walk around. Highly rec if anyone goes
I've driven all up and down the east coast for family trips and what not, but recently I went to visit a friend all the way up in Nova Scotia. Going through Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, fine. All have their own distinct types of traffic bullshit, but they were fine. Then I got to I-95 in Maine, and there was nothing. Just me, the road, and the demons for 150 miles. Then I crossed the border, and it was 450 km of the same.
I've made my way from NC to Nevada over the last 3 years bc I've basically been couch surfing except all my friends live half a country away. I haven't ever been able to stop at any touristy type places but I've still seen a lot from the highways and it's been a big eye opener for someone who had never left the state they lived in beforehand. I actually live in vegas now, never been to the strip though
I heard Kansas described as "the place where your dog runs away, and ten days later you climb the silo and can spot your dog still running away."
That feels accurate
they make the same joke in the show "corner gas" during its opening lyrics but its set in canada midwest
My brother said that about north Dakota. "You can watch your dog run away for 3 days" he said
Driving through Kansas at night is weird, made it feel as if I was going to be abducted by aliens.
Imagine having agoraphobia and be in Kansas. Now that's one hell of an experience.
There's something really nice about Zach apologizing for going off topic and Mike immediately just reassuring his friend that it's okay. It's the best kind of friendships when you can tell other people it's okay to talk about other stuff on top of what's already being discussed.
They've been friends so long that Zach's ADHD tangents are just a part of it now
You can call it wholesome.
i mean, the whole essence of these campfire story videos is that they're just talking about stuff
casual conversations are full of tangents and diversions and asides
As a Man with ADHD, Yes. Tis nice.
Zach tied the knot! cheers man, long may he reign!
Yeah he talked about it on his channel, his wife even popped in a bit and talked too. It's really sweet
@@walterdenny8143I'm just a casual YT viewer, but is the wife the same girlfriend from the free milkcrate story?
@@nobuyukishou. She is not. She makes it clear she is a new gf-turned-wife. Which seems to fit, since the was a time when Zach kinda sounded... "not so hot" in the videos. They leaned a bit on the darker side for a while, and I assumed something had happened. But, naturally I (meaning all of us viewers as well) am happy that he seems genuinely in good spirits nowadays.
The video is called "Mrs. Hazard", iirc
@@nobuyukishou. No she's not, a new girlfriend haha. In Zach's video he's very specific about that. Crazily enough they met through RUclips and twitter though! Was a long distance relationship for awhile
I mean... it's been a while. He talked about it in his channel, a while back.
Still, WOO!!!
Drove from California to my base in VA in my truck. Did the whole thing in three days. Cheaper than flying and has great views, all it cost me was my truck.
Proceeded to drive across the country 8 more times because I still hate flying and am an idiot. Never stop in Albuquerque
3 days, jesus man. Thats some intense driving
Where'd you stop in Albuquerque? As long as you're west of I-25 it's a nice place.
You didn't take that left turn at Albuquerque like Bugs Bunny?
Someone I know just got stranded in Albuquerque yesterday lmao
Stops in Albuquerque are ok As long as you're listening to weird Al
I went to the grand canyon for my 11th birthday and, as an 11 year old, it was a pretty miserable experience. Nobody was happy to be there. It was very obvious that it was just something on Dad's bucket list and nobody else cared.
Could be worse you all could have had sand in your butt crack \[T]/
I went when I was 13 and it was a blast, but we were also camping/hiking the whole time
Packed into a car never a big car either always a midsize or smaller sedan, hours of nothing driving and nothing good on the radio
Chiming in on Zach's train talk: The Amtrak California Zephyr actually does start in Chicago; to start in New York you'd need to take a different train, either the Lake Shore Limited that takes the faster route through Albany and along the Great Lakes shores or the Cardinal that dips down through Washington DC and through the Appalachians via West Virginia and Indianapolis. The Zephyr itself starts out dull on the first day, crossing the "flyover states", but the real ride starts at breakfast as you leave Denver and cross the Rocky Mountains through the Moffat Tunnel through Salt Lake City and Reno, then over the Sierra Nevadas at Donner Pass to Sacramento ending in Oakland with a bus connection to San Francisco. If you want the real Grand Circle Tour, get the Coast Starlight from Oakland up to either Portland or Seattle, then the Empire Builder (it starts in two sections, one each from Portland or Seattle, that combine in Spokane) over Stevens Pass through Montana and back to Chicago. And I can confirm that everything Zach is saying about the awesomeness of train travel is true. Even in the cheap Coach seats, they are massive and plush with charging plugs everywhere, most trains are being refurbished with onboard wifi. The only downside to going long distance is that Coach passengers aren't allowed to use the Dining Car anymore; in the old days Coach could eat in the Dining Car if they paid while for Sleeper passengers it was complementary, but now it's Sleepers only. So you have to rely on microwave meals from the Cafe Lounge, which vary from okay to inedible (the mac n cheese seems good, but avoid the burgers). Or, for a bit more, you can get either a Roomette (basically a closet big enough for two seats with a bed that folds out of the ceiling) or a Bedroom (which has an en-suite toilet-shower cubicle) that grants you access to fresh cooked meals in the Dining Car and an actual flat place to sleep with bedsheets and pillow.
Tl;dr: Amtrak is awesome actually, everyone should do it at least once, preferably more than once. The only bad thing I can say about it is that you won't get anywhere fast. It's usually not their fault; the railroad tracks are owned by the corporate freight railroads; Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, BNSF, etc., and they are more concerned about moving miles and miles of freight. Technically by law they're supposed to give the passenger trains priority, but through a combination of corporate greed and precision scheduled railroading (which is neither precise nor scheduled and barely counts as railroading), Amtrak trains can be stuck waiting for freights to pass for quite awhile. The last time I took Amtrak my train was 2 hours late. Granted, they try their best; once I'd gotten on board they hustled to make up lost time and we arrived at my destination almost on time. And Amtrak's staff will do everything in their power to ensure passenger safety and comfort; one incident I heard of, the Sunset Limited was forced to leave LA without a chef, so at dinnertime the train stopped at this nowhere town in Arizona and called up the biggest order their Pizza Hut had ever seen to ensure that everyone on board got fed, all while flying a new chef out to Flagstaff to meet the train in time for breakfast.
Fun fact, my great great uncle, Captain Frank Hamer, led the ambush on Bonnie and Clyde
That's really neat! The bank/town hall in my town was almost robbed by Bonnie and Clyde, but something was going down where all the money wasn't in there. So, instead, they just stole pocket money off of a guard that was there. (I think. It's been a second since I've heard the story, but that's the jist of it)
@torir4058 that's very neat. I used to live in Nacogdoches, Texas, one of the towns that they did some heists in
As someone who lived in Western Colorado, in the medium size town of Rifle, i can agree that there isn’t shit until you PASS Denver. Flat colorado is basically Kansas. This is coming from someone who was raised in Kansas
"That john denver is full of shit man"
I grew in colorado and still live here, until you pass bennett its just western kansas.
I went to Goodsprings on a Vegas trip last year around July/August. The bathroom is definitely all graffitied up. They've also changed where they have the Bonnie & Clyde car to some other casino.
Same. Me and my friend played a game where we take a shot everytime we saw something related to a nuclear winter. We stopped after 7 shots
I lived in Boulder City for a few years, its a great little town in a state thats gone to complete shit, and i dont mean from Vegas and gambling.
New Vegas absolutely NAILED the area. The view of the Lucky 38 is famously a real thing, and first time i saw the real Needle on our move i got chills. 188, Nellis, Lake Mead its all so damn good.
i hear they move the car around from casino to casino pretty frequently, must have some sort of deal
West Virginia gets sh!t on constantly but it is some of the most beautiful nature in Appalachia. It's worth visiting because those areas could use the tourism.
My favorite hat I have is a nice red ball cap from the Shenandoah national park.
I had to drive through West Virginia here recently, and I realized that some of the little unincorporated places are ideal places for me to retire to. Just out, relatively middle of nowhere, 5 Mi to the interstate, an hour from a big city.
Zach mentioning the Japanese trains immediately reminded me of the 7 Stars of Kyushu luxury train. Roughly $7,000 USD and it's a LOTTERY to even get in the door for a 4 day trip. I wanna get in that so bad lol
If you win it it’s gotta be hella worth it
At the same time I can’t imagine making your whole vacation be built on going to Japan and spending the two weeks there on a 4 day train that’s essentially a lottery and core part of your trip
@@livingreverie5951 Yeah you spend the other days on luxury busses and ferries lol. I imagine it takes a minute between winning that lottery and when that train takes off for that trip
I grew up on the eastern side of Utah. It's really weird how the land can look nigh entirely desolate yet be so beautiful, especially at golden hour.
6:58 Oh man, you guys freaking out about 34 miles (54km) without settlements reminds me how unpopulated Australia is. There's a stretch along the Eyre highway where there's no towns for 450 miles (720 kilometres). Only roadhouses, but even then some of those are nearly 100 miles apart. (170ish kilometres). Hell, there's a part called '90 Mile Straight' which, you guessed it, goes straight on for 90 miles (146 kilometres). My grandpa has a photo of him and my great grandpa posing next to the sign.
Road trip through Australia. Sand in butt crack and everything wants to eat you,poison you,or kick your balls in
We have that in Alaska.
Plus we also have more than 17 people in the nation.
@@Rurik_Lucihey man not cool, there’s at least 23 of us
@@zalenka-387 nah John moved to New Zealand the other week, we're down to 22 again
I remember Yahtzee (Zero Punctuation/Fully Ramblomatic) said British/American tourists being stranded in the middle of the outback is a semi-regular occurrence. He said they really thought they could _drive_ to Alice Springs with minimal preparation lol
FORTY MINUTES?! You spoil us!
Two Days ago? What are ya'll, Pre-war glowing Ghoul Magicians?!
@@MrHolodocmember Probably. Access to viewing content early.
@@MrHolodoc How does anyone who watches youtube not know about early viewing for members/patreons by now? It's been a thing for a long time.
That one guy that animates the Campfire Tales videos: *nervous sweating.
Hey local Montana dweller here, if you guys want to come out to Montana again I know a great place to go that is only like 1 hour outside of Yellowstone Park and the good thing is that the cabins out there are decently priced for rent
As someone who had the privilege to go to Japan and take commuters and the shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka. He's right, it's so damn convenient and cost effective to take for transportation.
Always fun to listen to another Campfire Stories and about places so close to home for me! Spent half my life in Vegas and am currently living in Southeastern Utah! Those Buttes that were shown around the 10:00 minute mark? I'm literally less than thirty miles away from those! The boys are right, people come from all over the damn world to see what Utah's got. To quote Ross Scott, "You really can't argue with a giant rock." But yeah, if anyone reading this is ever in the Wayne county area in Utah, just know that's my backyard.
The problem with high speed rail in America is that any time someone comes up with a halfway decent plan to make it work, car manufacturers sabotage it.
And the freight companies that own the tracks will delay it.
Hi, welcome to Atlanta Georgia
You will commute an hour to work. You will be run over by SUVs. You will use your big gas guzzling truck to carry your groceries and nothing else.
This is really funny. I was looking at taking the heartland flyer which is an Amtrak train.
It’s about a four hour trip from Dallas to OKC if you drive but it’s about six hours if you take the train this is convinced me to do that
I could listen to Mike and Zach telling stories about anything for days
another really fun thing with the solar collection plants that Helios was based off of, if you drive by when its windy and dusty you can actually see the full cone of light from the mirrors and the individual shafts near the outer edges
And sometimes you can even see a passing bird get vaporized!
@fresnel149 wait is that true I can't tell if you're joking or not lmao
@malbornmabll9782 Ivanpah Solar Power Facility which hellos one was based off of kills about 6 thousand birds a year which is still a really small amount
@@tezlaactual6582 I mean, that’s around 20 birds per day. It’s more than trivial. It is FUNNY though.
@fresnel149 not really collision with vehicles and running into glass buildings kill almost a billion a year and cats alone kill around 2 billion
Road trips are SO fun and cool. I really don’t know why more people don’t get out and see the beauty that awaits far from home.
It just so happens, that my father and I have only never been to the northeestern or southwestern states, as the contiguous (lower) 48 go. However, in my teens back in the late ’90s I did go on a trip to Colorado, which eventually also includes a minor stop, but one in which I technically set foot on _terra firma_ , in Wyoming, which makes it the furthest west I have been in the US. We plan to visit the northwestern states next year and southwrstern in ’26, God willing.
Having grown up in Nevada, it’s really interesting to find out that the sights I’m so accustomed to are actually something special for others, and likewise the first time I went to Washington and saw actual forests and rivers I was completely baffled. Really helps you to realize just how small your perspective of the world really is.
Loved the pinewood derby in Boy Scouts. They were so much fun. I’d make my car alongside my grandpa. He’d help me shape it, paint it, I even won first place a few times. Had them on display in my room for years.
I still have mine on my dresser.
" I'm being facetious I do not actually believe any of these things!" I laughed so hard at that joke.
I love when Mike tells stories because they way he structures sentences is basically how I speak and it's super easy for me to follow lol
Minnesota is great when you get more up north especially in the summer. Unmatched beauty.
Oh boy my favorite part of the month!
If you guys come back to Montana, you should go to Glacier National park. Vets get in for free too.
Edit: Zach, you can get flights to Glacier Park International Airport (airport thats in Kalispell). Every time the army has me do some training thats long distance, I fly out of GSP, then to Seattle, and then to wherever else I need to go. Vice versa when coming back. It makes traveling so much easier.
The main thing I remember from going to the grand canyon was my brother passing out while we were waiting for food at a restaurant around there. I honestly found the local (South Western) ghost stories more interesting and I used to have a book full of them.
If you ever get the chance to go on an air tour in Utah, do it. Flying over that desert in a Cessna is something else.
Having done a trip around the southwest in the summer of 2023, I can agree it is gorgeous as all heck. We did a stint in Denver, Colorado, one in Estes Park, Colorado outside the Rocky Mountains National Park, and a final one in Bishop, California outside the Inyo National Forest after the initial plans changed when we found out that the cabin we had rented up in the mountains were flooded out and had no power, and finally came home via Williams, Arizona and the Grand Canyon. Was a wonderful time, and I really love how beautiful the southwest US is.
About the pinewood derby, I worked with my grandpa and thought the same thing and me being a bit of a blabermouth ended up getting quoted on the sidebar of the local newspaper for it.
Campfire stories are already like dessert, on top of regular episodes, but 41 minutes? You guys are spoiling us. 😅
one thing I'm glad my dad did when I was a kid was take me coast to coast, twice in both Canada and the U.S. because no matter how stale home got as I got older I knew there were better places out there
Worked with a guy from Nebraska who told me my favorite Nebraska joke:
Custer's at the Little Bighorn, and his scouts come to report. The squad leader salutes and says, "General Custer...we have good news and bad news."
Custer takes a breath and says, "Alright....what's the bad news?"
"Well sir, it appears we're surrounded and heavily outnumbered. I can't help feeling like we'll all be dead by daybreak."
Custer stares at him for a moment, then says, "Okay...so what's the good news then?"
The scout gives a wry smile, and tells him, "Well, sir, at least we won't have to march across Nebraska again!"
note of advice, if you plan on taking Amtrak longer than a day, get a sleeper car not a coach car. You have no room in a coach card to really sleep or lay down. It’s about as good sometimes worse, depending on the age of the car, then flying
If the US had a High Speed Train with a regular speed of 320 km/h (top speed of the Shinkansen) it would take around 14 hours to get from the east to the west coast (roughly 4500 km) on a non stop ride. It is quite competitive to Airplanes (also you don't need TSA for taking a train). The USA does actually have trains which can reach 350km/h called the "Acela II - Avelia Liberty". But since the infrastructure is in such a bad shape it is only allowed to run at 257 km/h max. For comparision: the fastest train in the world ist the "Shanghai Maglev" and runs at 460 km/h.
Also, the vast majority of train track in the USA is owned by freight companies. This means that passenger service can and will experience delays due to freight trains being shuffled ahead of them on the tracks.
We will have a train equivalent to tsa simply because some conspiracy brain will attack it. Plus rail started between miami, tampa, atlanta, dc, and New York would be way more used
If only It was a real thing.
Imagine going coast to coast, north to south on a train.
Racing over the greatplains, going through the Appalacians and the rockies, crossing the Mississipi.
That would be a roadtrip all of its own.
Mountains cause a bit of a problem for a line like that. America has a lot of mountain ranges which that train would either have to go straight through, requiring massive drilling projects, or go over the top of, largely defeating the purpose of a high speed rail line. In short, it would be a massive expense for very minimal gain. As for the TSA, there is no way that would remain the case. Once a sufficient number of people started to take trains over planes, the government would get upset about not being able to harass people for no reason and would just make the TSA work at train stations as well
@@filmandfirearmsor someone does a funny and makes east Palestine look like a cut scene
There's a stretch from Vegas to Cali that my friend calls "the nothing" because it's just you and nothing for I think 5-6 hours
oh man: the route from Texarkana, into Arkansas, to the state line with Tennessee, then into Missouri's little toe. That entire stretch for me is a giant blur for me after Texarkana, its like "Oh boy I hope you like flat, near barren ground and dead grass"
I took a cross country road trip to Nevada after I quit my job and graduated college. Driving through the desert is both surreal and beautiful, especially since I've lived my whole life in the forest. I want to go back one day.
When you showed red rock canyon off in the video I thought to myself “Something is off” and then I remembered why someone told me the Great Khan packed up and left red rock canyon.
So happy you guys included the pictures! Thank you.
as someone born in san diego and moved to utah recently, agree with their observations
Oh this is a more in-depth side of your trip out West Mike? I remember you somewhat mentioning it i a Campfire Story from acfew years ago. Love it!
30:50 best part about living in vegas is knowing Zach is absolutely correct. One of my favorite things about vegas is theres a place that sells old military equipment, and its right next to Circus Circus.
i really like the camp fire stores they are fun . my fav is the mortar story
As someone who lives in Nebraska, right next to Offut Air Force Base and Stratcom, we generally joke that our area of Nebraska is the "civilized" portion while things get really boring west of us.
Not to mention the Air and Space museum out in Ashland. I really want to go check that out.
@@PsychopathicV2
I recommend it if you ever get the chance. been there a few times and its worth it.
@@Sorohn I’ve heard that a handful of times. Anytime I’m in the area it’s always for work. I need to take a day off work and go sometime soon.
mike actually did a good call with the f150, though tbh van living is easier, but in recent yrs most places now either ban vans/mini vans or some one will call the law to check it it if its been parked for 4hrs, especially if its visibly a stealth camper.
why tf do people do that?
@@flamingrubys11 which one? Live out of a truck or report a suspiciously parked van?
1) most places charge too much for rent, an housing prices aren't great either, especially since most people today are barely scrapping by.
2) an for the van part... I have no clue, then again too many people assume it's a pedo van an just annoy the shit out of you, which is understandable... except people have a tendency to over police things that thy really shouldn't unless you are actively trespassing.
I was suppose to go to Vegas this Oct 18-21 and wanted to go visit Goodsprings, but the rest of my friend group ended up not having the money to book a flight and a place to stay (we've been planning this since last year) and it wasn't until last week that I finally got a response about why we haven't gotten together to book the flight.
Gotta admit, it was a little bit wild hearing Mike describing Brian Head and the surrounding area because that's where I'm from. Having one of my favorite youtubers describing what is practically in my backyard is pretty cool.
I went from Chicago to LA on train and I loved the view one of the best trips I ever had
Ah, the pinewood derby, our area incorporated a rule because of me. All competitors derby cars MUST be under the max weight limit, I had drilled a hole in mine and filled it with lead, was wicked fast. The DQ'd me after they found out, but I still got most creative design for it.
sweet mama 4 minutes ago?! im lucky.
edit: AND 40 MINUTES?! HOLY HELL!
As someone who grew up in Utah and continues to see these beautiful sites, nothing is better than hearing someone else talk about how beautiful they find all these "normal" to me vistas
As someone from Nebraska and living in Colorado, thanks for humbling me about where I live. Next stop Minnesota
Backpacking down the grand canyon was an awesome experience, both times. Staying on the surface seems like it'd be a waste of a trip.
As a goodsprings visitor, I love how much the staff are cool with the fans, even having the snowglobes ohhhhh man I think it's so easy to get placed in media and move on, but living by the town Man of Steel happened in, it's always fun when people lean into it.
Thanks for the video Mike. I'm personally looking at doing a road trip to south east Colorado from Nashville and plan on using a 8ft truck bed to sleep in.
Love the vids, keep up the FANTASTIC work.
I've been trying to escape Nebraska for years. The real spooky places are all the tree groves planted everywhere as wind breaks. There's things in there and they WILL follow you.
I do miss living in Colorado sometimes, but then I look how expensive it is and then it's gone. But definitely beautiful scenery. Would love to vacation there again.
38:48
I don't mean to double comment but I do actually have something constructive about this part regarding all the dads making the pinewood derby cars.
So we had the same issue when I first moved to my hometown, and my mom knew exactly how it was gonna go down. The dads would all commandeer their kids' project and it would become a grudge match. My mom elected to come to one of the meetings and suggested a change to the usual pinewood derby event by adding an open class. So the kids could have their tournament and make their cars the way they wanted without any adult meddling or competition, and the dads (and whoever else) could all minmaxx the shit out of them and settle their own score. Every subsequent year of the PWD was absolutely fantastic and they've done it ever since.
Looking at how much Zach and Mike loves to take a train, they really should experience the ones across pacific. Shinkansen is alright quite famously Good, and the other one has a 6 day visa free visitation available iirc.
I love these campfire story videos.
39:53 You gotta make an episode about the submarine trip, sounds awesome!
Also, anyone else find the idea of a bunch of kids controling an SSBN is more than a bit terrifyin?
Pro tip, if you're doing a cross-country road trip, go as far south as possible for as long as you can. Far more interesting route, though probably better done late in the year
I’m about to embark on a trip from Georgia to Colorado in two weeks so this video is perfect timing.
I've Taken the California Zephyr a few times from the station in Ottumwa Iowa to Denver Colorado. I got family out there. Good times.
Never thought Zach would mention my old stomping grounds of Missoula!
Every time I hear Zach say "My Wife" I smile really big. I'm so happy for him
Boy scout summer camp was awesome. getting so high i couldn't get out of my hammock for class, setting a canoe on fire and pushing it into the lake, locking counselors in their cabins. High Recommended.
I did the zephyr route when I was a kid, it's definitely a highlight.
My dad did something similar when he was 19. He moved from Nova Scotia, Canada to LA to pursue a career in motocross. He was out there for a few months trying to make connections before he decided to buy an old Chevy Malibu and drive it all the way back home to go to university. This was in 1981, so it was a lot cheaper to live out of a truck back then.
First minute of the video resonates SO HARD with me. I'm going back to college for computer science because the printing industry is not a well paying job sector anymore. This year I had also switched over to a third shift job because otherwise I'd be trying to figure out how to fit a 2-10 second shift job with a college schedule. I get home at around 7AM, maybe lie around for an hour before I have to go to campus for classes. I'd go back home and go to sleep after class, get up, go to work and most of my homework would not get done until the weekend.
I grew up in the area around Moab. No where else has ever given me the same sorta feelings as the Canyonlands.
These videos make my day
The Southern Rim of the Grand Canyon offers the best view of the Canyon, I used to work up there and from the rim you could see about a 25% of the canyon. And it was beautiful. I could see a small river right at the bottom of the canyon and small thickets of forest along the river.
I never went in but, the sights when I got to see them were beautiful. Also because light pollution is so low and I lived in company housing with a crappy parking lot. I found a spot right in the center away from the small bit of lighting from the housing units and I could see the entirety of the Galaxy and the background clouds of the galaxy. Absolutely worth seeing
man Ive heard how mike got through college and honestly Idk how he did it. Granted Engineering is probably more taxing mentally and has a higher workload than most majors, but I honestly can’t imagine working an 8 hour night shift and 6 hours of school daily plus homework. I can barely manage just school as is. Im glad you made it through
I actually jsut went to Zion a few months ago, me and a buddy roadtripped to Goodsprings and then to Zion for a week, it was SUPER fun
I take it Zach didn't spend much time in Iowa, because the world's largest truckstop, the shop from American Pickers, and the Sarah Lee bread factory are all in Iowa.
I'm also curious if Zach spent any time in the Vail area when he was in Colorado...
Been to the truckstop. Pretty big and interesting place. Though, good luck getting something to eat without waiting in line for an hour.
I grew up in Vail, he aint missing much if he didn't
Decent amount of shit to do in Des Moines, even though it's not a huge city. If you stick to the highways in Iowa you miss most of the shit worth doing imo
Iowa does have a pretty lady that wants me to move in with her, so it has something
Don't fall for it. My brother did and he lived in Iowa for 8 years. By the time we saw him again, he was 90% corn by volume
@@kibbs325 oh I couldn't go anyways, I can't leave my dad and grandma alone
Haven't been to the Shadows Museum (if that's the one you are referring to in Omaha). Honestly, I'm glad there isn't much in Nebraska. Been living out here for the last 7 years now. Very few people out here. Less people to bug me. Also, making friends with farmers means, you can shoot out to several hundred yards, rather than 100 yards or less. So there are benefits to living out here than either coast. Kind of want to move to New Hampshire.
Counterpoint on living in Nebraska, they have Runza, which is absolutely incredible.
As a Nebraskan you're right, there isn't much here and not much happens but that also means not much bad crap happens here
So this means that every year around April we will come back to this video and leave a comment to remind Zach about booking the fire watch tower lol
I was in the boyscouts for about 2 years, and one of the things we did was spend the night on a submarine docked in I think San Francisco (I lived in central california at the time) and it was the coolest thing ever! I wish I could do it again.
Wooo, another campfire story, these are the Best!
As a Nebraskan, I will admit that there are wide swaths of the state where there is very little to look at, but there are scenic areas. Halsey National Forest, The Buttes around Scottsbluff, Toadstool Geological Park, just to name a few that are on the western half of the state.
2 years ago, we had to drive from Georgia to California, across the country.
we had to cross through kansas. when i say there was nothing, there was NOTHING. it was just a completely flat road for 4 hours straight.
Huh. Zach's firewatch tower was near my home
don't know if you mention it in this video, but with all the talk about gorgeous geological formations
i adore the wave, in the coyote buttes in arizona
haven't been there, but it's one of the coolest looking natural features i know about, and it kinda upsets me that you can only visit it if you basically win a lottery to get a permit to hike it, because its capacity is severely limited
I remember talking to a friend about wanting to visit more out West. He said I should go for it eventually.
these guys have so much lore
Yall ought to see the grand junction area. Also fun fact I-70 through colorado it is consistently repaired year round, start at one end at the beginning of the year and finish by the end of the year.
Zach, I appreciate you pronouncing the Appalachian mountains correctly
Red rock canyon, the first picture reminds me of “garden of the gods” in Colorado Springs
I was in Japan this last spring and it was amazing. I’m not a train guy but I did take the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka and it was amazing to go from one side of the country to other in three hours with a gorgeous view on both of sides of the train, while having a lot of room in your seating area or to walk around. Highly rec if anyone goes
I've driven all up and down the east coast for family trips and what not, but recently I went to visit a friend all the way up in Nova Scotia. Going through Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, fine. All have their own distinct types of traffic bullshit, but they were fine.
Then I got to I-95 in Maine, and there was nothing. Just me, the road, and the demons for 150 miles.
Then I crossed the border, and it was 450 km of the same.
"You didn't drive a tank??" of course Zach would drive a tank when he's in Vegas lol
I've made my way from NC to Nevada over the last 3 years bc I've basically been couch surfing except all my friends live half a country away. I haven't ever been able to stop at any touristy type places but I've still seen a lot from the highways and it's been a big eye opener for someone who had never left the state they lived in beforehand. I actually live in vegas now, never been to the strip though