The lost Wooden Road & The Desert View tower - Forgotten California
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ม.ค. 2023
- On today's episode of Randomland... Forgotten California
See the lost Wooden Plank road that once stretched across the Imperial dunes into Yuma Arizona, linking San Diego with the Grand Canyon state. See the Desert View tower and boulder park, with amazing history, and pass through the town of El Centro
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GPS of today's video:
The old plank road: 32.70987492900863, -114.92162297308471
Sand Dunes & I-8: 32.73253322548045, -114.89526365860932
Desert View Tower: 32.65927504325108, -116.10074381316096
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Plank roads were used in the Pacific Northwest to get through bog's, Portal way US Canadian border and other roads
I remember when I was a young boy (preteen) driving from El Centro to Yuma with my parents and asking mom about the wooden road. I'm 70 now.
Now, about the tower. I was born, raised hunted and fished most of the valley. But never went to nor do I remember the tower. It would have been an #1 attraction to me during my recreation drug days of youth.
My great grandfather and great grandmother used that road and settled in Sunnyside California and built a dairy a lot of that road got used for firewood in the 60s the old dule wheeled V 8 dune buggies it was a lot of fun
I can remember as a kid in the late sixties traveling out to California and seeing portions of the wooden road near the side of the paved road we were on. My dad who was from CA made sure I saw this piece of history as we drove by. I remember at the time thinking it was pretty crazy to have a road made of wood. When I have shared this story with people over the years, I'm pretty sure most did not believe me.
I’m an actual valley local… and there is so much you didn’t get a chance to see! An amazing Pioneer museum, and lovely parks. In February my hometown has a carrot festival and a few weeks later, the California Mid-Winter Fair and Fiesta opens. If you ever come back, let the locals know, we love showing off our beautiful valley in the winter and spring!
Interesting historical sights. Thanks for showing them. I really love the history of things, think back what it was like. Growing up in the damn of the computer age and knowing that we have only had car, electricity, planes, for barely 100 years. Then thinking about everything that came to be in that short century. In just 100 years humans have advanced light years beyond what took our ancestors thousands of years. We can communicate with anyone, anywhere, at anytime, in an instant, with a live picture to see each other with. We have been to the moon with roughly 1/100th the power in our phones. (We practically sailed there by todays tech standards...) Yet.. I find myself so attracted to the past. To simpler times. Living in today's over saturated tech world, I still look back and think about what it took to do everything they did, by hand, from scratch, with just an asperation, and idea, and turned it into what we all have now. Just boggles my mind sometimes. But then I think, times were a lot more slow back then. A person had time to think. Had time to imagine, invent, build, create. Sounds relaxing. Not today however. The world went and got itself in a big ol hurry. The pace at which the world and people move today would cause someone from 100 years ago to have a heart attack. We are humming birds to their eagles. Hopped up on Caffeine's, energy drinks, fast food, pills, and all sorts of substances just to keep up the pace of go go go. So, it's nice to look back at history. To remind one's self, eat right, stop to smell the flowers, watch the cloud go by once in awhile.
You do good work here sir. Keep it up. If you ever make it to Colorado, places to check out: Sand Dune national park, Royal Gorge Bridge, Estes Park(the shinning), Castle Rock, Garden of the gods (next to Norad), Red Rocks amphitheater, Eisenhower tunnel, the four corners, Mesa Verde National Park, Pikes Peak, The Castle in the hills of Sedalia, and on and on.. Could be a lot of content for ya.
Have a good one!
Plank road and the tower as well as the carved boulders I knew nothing of. Thank you.
My Grandma was a Yuma High "Crim", when their mascot was the "Criminals"....cool video!
Thanks for showing us all these places.
My grandfather and one of his brothers drove on this road when they moved from the family cattle ranch in NM to Taft, CA., to look for work. Grandpa called it the “corduroy road” because the planks made it so bumpy.
I live in El Centro can definitely talk history about the Imperial valley!
When I used to drive to Yuma from El Centro I'd see a wood flat mat on the ground parallel to the highway. A sign described it as a remnant of "The Old Corduroy Road."
Thanks Justin for the content. I always enjoy your love of history.
I drove from SD to Yuma in the late 80s when several miles (on and off) of the plank road were exposed by the shifting dunes. If I remember correctly, it was 50-200 yards south of I8
Hey Justin good vlog and thank you and keep up the good work you do love jari
Somehow missed that tower too...I was driving like the Cannonball Run though. I basically stop only for fuel til I hit San Diego, then I take my time getting back following a different route.
1. When I came west in ‘76 portions of the plank road were still visible next to I8.
2. Those canvas bags were filled and hung from car windows while transiting the desert pre-AC. They acted as swamp coolers. I drove a ‘74 Chevy pu in the desert and had a swamp cooler that plugged into the cigarette lighter. Wasn’t much, but better than nothing!
The California desert is not the only place where wooden highway existed. I remember riding on a wooden highway on a section of highway in Arizona/New Mexico in circa 1948. I remember it as being very bumpy and uncomfortable to ride on.
I remember seeing the original plank road going to the dunes with parents in the 60’s. It was never double wide all the way like you said, the double sections were placed at intervals and if you met a car coming from the opposite direction, one of you would need to back up to pass.
i live down the road fun place it will hurt you play safe !!!!!!!
In the tower , Back in the early 70's there was a binoculars from a german tank and you could see Utah from there .And Yes I'm old enough to remember and to have drove parts of the plank road .
Great presentation! Planning, editing and dialogue continuity very good! Cheers!😊
This is completely fascinating.
Been watching you forever. Appreciate your content immensely…
👍
My grandfather went to California on the plank road in 1922 with 3 of his cousins in his Model A or Model T pickup they camped at night had slab bacon for breakfast used the rind as bearings in the engine each day. They said that every mile or so there was a turn off so cars could pass one another. He got a job at Fisher Body building Chevrolets and worked there for more than 40 years.
Great stuff! I was through there long ago but never stoped. I’ll have to get back there some day.
Thanks for the awesome tour. I've been to both those places in the 70s and even today found them both interesting. I think the carved boulders may have needed paint back then or steps repaired because I have little memory of it. I would recommend visits to both of these places.
Really neat look at the past. Thanks.
Such a cool video! I give you a lot of credit for going through Boulder Park. What a cool and slightly dangerous place. Look at all the horizontical things 🤣🤣🤣
Glad you were able to finally document the old plank road. I remember talking to you about it a few years ago in Disneyland. Wonder if the Star Wars crew ever found any of that road when they built their set. Great video!! PS - Hit me up if you ever want to go see that Goat Canyon Trestle that we also talked about.
Awesome, must go there.
Great vid 👍 !
Old dog never new thank you .
When I was a kid we would stop at the desert View Tower to get , Cactus Apple Candy. I haven't been that way in years so I don't know if they have that any more.
I remember when it was announced in the Yuma Daily Sun newspaper that a movie was being made out in the dunes and it was called "Blue Horizon" if I remember right BUT someone had cut into the chain link fence around the office and it was found out that it was then "Revenge of the Jedi"; then 2nd installment of the Star Wars movies. Yuma was buzzing about during the filming. The stars stayed at the Stardust Hotel in Yuma while filming. I knew someone that worked on the set and got to keep one of the teeth from the sand pit monsters. I was able to go out and see the set and it was HUGE. It was lifted off of the ground so that way none of the ATCs or dune buggies in the distance would be caught on film while shooting. The set was offered to Yuma but it was turned down, stupid stupid stupid, and then blown up afterwards. The movie was renamed "Return of the Jedi" before being released.
Good video. Thank you.
That fine sand is what's getting into all the vents in My Truck 😔 when I leave The "Q" im going to have to pay for a serious Detailing to get it all out. It's everywhere probably wearing down my door hinges and all parts that move. I thought living in the rust belt was bad but this stuff slowly sandblasts everything. I wonder how long a vehicle will last here that's driving daily before it falls apart lol. Don't get me wrong I love the mild winter ❄️ but I didn't know how bad the blowing dust was. Next year I'm not bringing my New RAM diesel I'm bringing the old Ford that I don't care about. Great video 👍👍👍
Those burlap bags were to be hung in front of radiator water cooler effect to cool radiator.
Remember well, but then Hwy 8, two lane across the dunes,,first dune buggies,,Yuma as i was in the AF mid fifties at Vincent AFB,,,our trips to El Centro or Mexicali was 60 miles,,and thru the dunes..up and down road like a roller coaster. Yuma was small 25k, great DT, couple of “Cool” Theaters,,,,,but wait Yes the woodenRoad showed more then,,than on the Interstate,,course the sand was shifting all the time..could strip the Crome off your Bumper in a minute..nuff…hot as hell or close,,,PS” lived in a tent for couple year’s
Thanks, you made the typed story
I’m pretty sure it’s fenced off to keep people from walking on it. Every time some does it damages it. I saw a replica example that was out of the fence to walk on. Preserve it for everyone to see. Don’t damage it.
Sick dajiban
Interesting
Geez that used to be the bottom of the Sea of Cortez you're lucky you're not fighting the currents in that shallow Sea of Cortez and a schooner
I've been through that area twice...how did I miss that?
Hubby said he's down to go off reading to the star wars set area.
Cool stuff! Do you have a drone now? Some of those shots over the plank road looked like drone flying at 14:05! 😎
Big Deal "Plank Roads"? Quite the modern invention. Back in the homeland (colonial states) as far back as pre-U.S. Logs were cut down and laid as roadbed, some as turnpike highways to pay for the maintenance and construction, to assist in traveling otherwise muddy tracks [look up corduroy road.]
I don't think anyone in their right mind ever drove across there at night in a sandstorm.
We complain about pot holes~My kidneys would have burst!
Good video Justin have you been to Burro Schmidt tunnel near Red Rock canyon or the Dee Wright observatory near Sisters Oregon?
AZ. Got sand.
Look at julio!!! jajajajajaj
You can rent a 4 wheeler around there some place
Longitudinal and transverse would be a better description than vertical and horizontal.
nicknamed the corduroy road.
Settlers did it before cars by laying logs and branches like that and called them corduroy roads. They drove wagons and stage coaches over them !
Looks like railroad ties
Did you find the original broom.
why did they put up the guard rails? OH, right to keep people out.
Higher hair
🤐
No comments? I’m first? Cool! Wierd!
Lame