@@GodKing804 the fact that there is a French driving a Peugeot to fast on rock makes my day as a French, our country is falling apart but we still have many french roaming around in the wild looking for garlic at high speed. Beautiful isn't it? It's French 🤣 me too
I remember hearing years ago that Europeans, especially Germans, come to Death Valley in August to experience the extreme conditions. They are a hearty group.
Renovated the golf course back in the late 90's in Furnace Creek. Was there from April to Sept. Rained the first day we got there about 1/4" and didn't rain until the day we left in early Sept another 1/4". Hot as hell.... hit 134 one day in July. Was amazing the tourist that came in to see the hottest place in the usa...Busload after busload of German, Korean, French etc everyday. It was a fun project to work on.
Speaking as a person of 1/2 German descent, this is a large part of why I worked for Burning Man on their setup crew for years. Just to keep my edge in the desert.
As someone who lives in France, the Frenchman driving too fast over the rocks and not caring truly gave me a good chuckle. Especially compared to the German family being extra cautious 😂
Fun fact. In czech its exact opposite. Germans go here and act like they own the country (intentionally written like this) and french are so cautious they are more dangerous then safe.
As a Brit who spends a fair bit of time in France, I find that the driving side is not the only thing that differs with our cars - I swear that the road engineers in France assumed everyone is driving a DS, so they build HUGE speed bumps in the towns. Of course, everyone in France knows this, so they buy a car with tyres and suspension that will soak up the bumps. But us Brits have an obsession with buying cars that have "sporty" suspension, huge wheels and very low profile tyres... Then we decide to drive over to France. I have an old MG, and on the times I've taken that I have to slow to
@@donkmeister it’s because the French don’t care about their cars the same way everyone else does, parking is so bad in Paris, it’s commonly acceptable to just ram your car into the smallest parking space & push other cars out of the way
@@donkmeister Fun fact. As an international couple that lives in France, we can attest that those are a pretty well-known phenomenon. They're put there by mayors, with no concertation. And most of them are actually illegal, on account of being too steep, too high, or too close together. Except since nobody ever sues the cities over them, they remain.
Dude the build up to meeting the Nissan Altima was executed perfectly. I had just assumed he had some grudge against the vehicle, so actually seeing the vehicle and realising it was actually a set up genuionely got me.
I went rock crawling in a Mazda 3 because of reealy bad GPS directions going from Flagstaff to Sedona one time when I was younger. Had to build some ramps out of rubble to make it up some of the bigger cliffs on the jeep trail (biggest was probably 12-15 inches). We made it slowly. Hertz never inspected the underbody. Never buy a rental car.
The line "I dont know why the whole of Europe decided to be in Death Valley" got me. As a European I have to say thank you for helping both countrymen as well as unionmembers
I bet the Brits saw the mess ahead and said we are heading for the exit. We don't want to be stuck on neutral like that Swiss guy over there. Btw, don't trust that Russian guy with the spare gas. He will pretend to help you fill the tank, but he's got his eyes on your ignition key.
if not the unavoidable american arrogance would drip out of that in lite... err i mean gallons, i might have share the laughter with you. But it kinda gets a bit boring when you are german, from the nation that fucking invented the car in the first place.... And if this was not shown on youtube, that only exist because germans gave you the mp3 audio compression algohrtim, (and less relevant invented the TV too) To me a road closed, is one that is explicitly forbidden to drive on by the state/gvmt. This road was entirely passable... for someone with common sense and the right vehicle 🙂 cheers with beers.
@@wood42shed I don't know why he said an altima was probably the worst car to have out there, but I can think of so many lower rwd cars that can't offroad really at all, such as my hyundai genesis coupe with rwd and only 46% weight over the rear and it came on summer tires.
I'd say Route 66, death valley, ... are advertised as the go to destination for European tourists that are not backpacking, on student exchange or working and living there permanently. Especially the shallower ones once they find time and money. On one of my parents birthday parties we had two relatives talking about the same trip with the same camper van concept in that region - and at least one of had their vacation pictures shown to us. Both couples strongly heading towards retirement as upper middle income earners. None of them particularly US culture minded in any sense. Just to have another acquaintance of me tell me within a few years that if he'd do the US again it would be the Route 66 etc.. Those boomers just were taught that you can smell some freedom in the air if you avoid the center of fly over country and to the edges of Commiefornia. I guess they're all weird. I love US law, history, economic mindset etc. but Route 66 is simply not on the top of my bucket list. Although I wouldn't avoid it if I had time and opportunity. Would I like to move there? Nope!
From a dutch friend "german tourists are worse then american tourists because at least american tourists understand they are soft and squishy. Germans think nothing can stop them" He miiiight be a bit biased.
In my travels, I generally see more tourists enjoying America than Americans. It's a shame more Americans aren't interested in seeing what's in their own back yards.
We Americans get lots of practice! LOL Hope you guys can return the favor some day!
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@@inconnu4961 Don’t worry, next time I see an American struggling with the secrets of public transportation systems here, I will offer a helping hand :-)
@ Hey genius, how many square kilometers make up the continental US? Now how about Italy or Australia? I think we might be bigger, therefore: Public transport unfeasible out of urban areas
I was in no way surprised. Our National Parks are a second home for Europeans. That is why I immediately went to Zion and Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon during COVID. They were comparatively, but not literally, empty. It was fantastic.
It’s a place unlike anywhere in Europe. It’s not the sahara, with its endless seas of sand. It’s not even a whole desert. But it is the driest and hottest of deserts, like the denali of hot valleys. I’d probably be interested in it too if I didn’t grow up close enough to it to get the idea, but man 20 years of living in a hot desert valley really will make you sick of hot desert valleys. I doubt you’d be capable of telling much difference between 120 and 130 by that point anyway, it’s all misery to me. Ok I feel like I should clarify, I don’t think the sahara is in Europe I’m not a moron. I’m using it as an example of why death valley is unique and not just, a big ass desert.
This might be my favorite video on the channel even though nothing happened in it. It's just 5 minutes straight of the same dry humor that attracted me to this channel in the first place.
@UCgkislhlwBkMSFrRPRI0Svg Google Translate offers this lovely sentiment: "Lord, I beg of you by the right of your greatest name to grant the owner of the hand that will support me with follow-up, endless sustenance, and endless success." @superfastmatt -- It looks like you did rescue a significant portion of Europe, and maybe Asia, too! ♥🔥
"all of europe was in death valley" --good line. My son travelled out west a few months ago to a lot of landmarks and noted how many asians and europeans were at the national parks.
Visiting the Grand Canyon 2 weeks back, I could almost speak my own language. Dutch people everywhere, even from my own town. I guess after 2 years everybody really saved up some money to visit the US.
Perhaps COVID reminded them all that travel is not to be taken for granted and they decided to stop putting off that bucket list trip to the American west.
Touring around beautiful, semi-ruined roads, helping less-prepared strangers is one of those odd things in my pantheon of day dreams. I like helping people. And off-roading. And being shamelessly, insufferably better at mundane things than other people.
A subtle dig at the French Tourists who died of dehydration in 2015? Tourist getting into danger is a serious problem so I don’t have a problem with it!
@@Pshady Believe the point moreso is being trapped for hours until another good Samaritan comes along to save him in Death Valley's 125°F heat would make the tourist(s) wish they'd brought water.
*AS A EUROPEAN* not stuck in Death Vally this week - I apologise for letting the side down - I can usually be relied upon to get stuck - I've been stuck in a live minefield, in the Atlantic, in the Sahara Im 52 now, thats my excuse...
Serious... how can anyone think that a car could drive thru such conditions? I've been doing this all my life do to my upbringing and seriously would like to know WTF are these people thinking? I would never consider driving thru those conditions with a vehicle that has 6" of clearance. Someone educate me on how common sense is lost once large numbers of humans live in proximity to each other.
He also missed his chance to help out the rental car companies as well when he decided to not report all the Europeans who were abusing the terms of service. Next time I get in a rental car that has mud on the floorboards I'm going to tell them to watch this video!
@@Rick-the-Swift wtf it's wrong eith u are the cars made out off gold now a days or wtf I feel like you'll get stranded out there just because ur going to get charged a bit extra and stop being a girl or a snitch
@@jrmendez2090 i think its because rental companies might increase their price because of all the maintance they have to do because people ride their cars where they shouldnt
2:43 This (checking the depth before driving across it) is something you HAVE to do in any vehicle, regardless of how off road capable the vehicle is, before attempting a crossing.
Absolutely! The key to a situation like that is that the road might not even be there. It could easily be 6' deep and not show it at all on the surface.
... and bear in mind that the foot-wide strip YOU walked doesn't guarantee it's fine for both your tire tracks!! [Something something about drowning in a river that's on average 1ft deep, namely everywhere 6inch except for a very deep bit.]
@@mr.shyguy3954 I'm Californian and we learned in school when we covered our region that it's called Death Valley because a lot of settlers who made wagon rides West ended up dying there, sometimes entire communities would perish on the way West.
@@projotce We learned the same in public school in the midwest. It was named during the expansion westward, though it may not have been officially named, yet. That is what the travelers named it, probably before it had a name. The Arch, in St Louis, was considered the Gateway to the west, so they taught us a lot about the pioneers and their journey. The museum, under the Arch is all about that.
Having been stuck in the mud countless times, the willingness of strangers to get you out of a sticky situation is amazing. You literally don't have to wait for a second truck, the first one always seems to help and have the towing cable already on board!
It gets use out of gear plus let's you know what might not be reliable for later or yourself.... And lets you feel like even bothering to haul all that is worth it....
The last time I got stuck in deep snow, a guy came along to help and told me that the only reason he was on the road was to look for people who needed help.
Come to Australia, in fact the East Kimberley's in Western Australia. We have what we call Black Mud. So sticky, impossible to drive through. Hit a stretch whilst riding a bike, did not see it till to late. I hit the ground and the bike stayed upright stuck in the mud. A friends Toyota Land Cruiser got stuck and it took 2 Toyota Hilux's and 2 guys using 2 block and tackle tied to trees 7 hours to get it out. That road Matt was driving was pretty bad, but in Australia, a lot of roads in the outback are only passable with 4WD's properly set up. Cheers
My how the times have changed...last time was liberating the French in American Jeeps...now Germans in Japanese 4Runners . Such a worldly ambassador, Matt!
I worked over the winter in Death Valley 30 years ago. The place was crawling with Germans and I asked about that one time. I felt okay asking him because his 3 year old daughter tried to steal my prosthetic leg (long story) and he told me that there was a very popular western Novel that takes place in Death Valley. His family had come to LA and he saw a map and saw Death Velley looked like it was close by so they came to visit. That was his story anyway.
Oh, that sort of connects to that "Death Valley Germans" case where a family got lost and died in a really remote part of the park. There was a lot of speculation over why they were there, but Death Valley being a minor tourist attraction for Germans helps to explain the appeal of going off into the barren parts of the desert as a shortcut, since it might suggest that they had a romanticized view of the area being more hospitable than it actually is.
Thank you for following the unwritten "code of the remote area traveler." Helping fellow travelers is a time honored American tradition. I'm glad to see it still exists.
@@THERE.IS.NO.DEATH. Used to be. Now with all of the setups / car jackings - many of us who don't want to become a MrBallen story don't feel safe stopping to help. This situation is of course different, and refreshing.
I was once dating an American girl who lived in France for 10 years. We went to Death Valley, and at one point saw a car on the side of the road with hazards on. I pulled up behind them and got out to check on them. They only spoke French, and excitedly, I went back and told the woman to go check on them. She comes back to the car a couple minutes later and I'm like, "How did it go? Do they need anything." She said, "They made fun of my French accent." True story.
A dick move for sure, but I got to admit hearing french in a thick american accent is quite funny Wouldn't laugh at someone for it though, especially someone trying to help me
@@C4H10N4O2 Yeah, pretty much every accent besides Southern US has a pretty similar speed and rhythm. Southern is slow and drawn out to the point that it makes Midwesterners/New Englanders exasperated having to wait so long for them to finish speaking.
I enjoyed this video very much. I came across a couple of groups of tourists from Germany while hiking in the desert in southerns Utah, headed for petroglyphs. I asked one group why they'd visit here with so many other locations in the U.S. to visit, the desert can be miserable but also beautiful. They told me they have never experienced hundreds of square miles of open space. They said many Europeans have posters of our deserts on their walls and dream of experiencing such. I suddenly appreciated the landscape a lot more than I had.
I was just in Germany and talking to a guy that was saying exactly this. He was explaining how he thought it was amazing when he had visited the desert in America and could drive and see nothing but horizon on both sides. "I love the wide open space. There is nothing like that here in Germany."
I feel the same way about western Kansas and east Colorado.. huge Big Sky Country.. 100+ mile views of nothing but cows anf farms with 1,000 + acre fields.. With the internet, who needs to be stuck in traffic 6 hours a week just to make a buck.. Oh Give me a Home, where the Buffalo once roamed..😂😂😂😂❤️💕😎🙏😇
I didn't even think about it till now, but I did run into quite a few people from other countries when I was checking out Arches National Park taking a break from offroading in Moab last year.
It’s even weirder when you go to places like the prairies in Saskatchewan where it’s literally grass for miles and miles with little to no trees and almost 0 elevation changes, in the winter you can end up in fields and stuff and not even realize because it’s so flat
As an American currently living in Italy and previously in Germany, thank you for saving all those people. Otherwise the gas stations and restaurants wouldn't open back up in September when the hand-written signs on the doors says they're supposed to. (Edit: 827 likes in 5 days...Whoa! This is the coolest thing that has ever happened to me in my life!)
@@ZRodTW Thats what makes living in Europe so much better! the stress of work is not worth it. BTW did you know stress causes a shorting of the Telemeres on the end of DNA, a precursor for accelerating aging and early death?
@@ZRodTW dude forreal, I do t remember where but there was a place that turned a 5 day work week Into a 4 day work week and productivity went up by a lot. We really do need to copy the eu in a lot of ways
It's what you do in remote areas. Shit can and does happen and anyone able to help should - what goes around comes around when you're stuck one day. I would happily lend a hand to a 4 Runner despite it not being a Jeep 🙂
@@uweschroeder True. But you know if they were black or brown ppl this guy would have just left them there stranded. . . but then if it's Europeans, well in that case, of course you have to help them. Smh. This is why America is considered a racist a$$ country. If it was a black man or a black woman, someone would probably call the cops, but as soon as it's some dude from Germany, then everyone is will to lend a hand.
Thank you for saving everyone! It's pretty nice and quiet in europe this time of the year when everyone leaves for Death Valley. Since I have no problem being alone, I volunteered to stay and keep everything running. :)
What’s really funny is I’m actually a front desk agent in the city on the way to Death Valley and I too have noticed an influx of Europeans going through at that time. This is not to bag on any Europeans but I just found it interesting and also heartbreaking because these people travelled far to see something like this only to get stranded or not be able to enter the park. Good on you for helping those people! Lol I’m sure some of them stayed with us on the way out or coming back from there!
> Why feel sorry for them? They travelled thousands of kilometers in order to have an adventure in the American west, and guess what? They had one! No doubt they will be telling the story for decades to come.
Thanks for saving so many Europeans. Your trip confirmed many stereotypes: 1) Outdated US infrastructure, 2) nice, helpful Americans, 3) French not knowing how to drive, 4) Germans thinking they're driving a tank, 5) Italians using their arms to talk and 6) Harley drivers dumb as a rock.
I don't think this is an example of outdated infrastructure, this was a natural disaster that would have similar impacts on any set of roads experiencing a 100 year flood.
been there, compared to eu, death valley has perfect roads. this video was after a natural disaster. i agree with all else you said. As an italian, im also waving hands while typing to you
Yup yup 👍🏻 and that’s the reason why the majority of vehicles are off road vehicles with all terrain tires in Australia because of conditions like these all the time.
Aren't the seppos cute? While watching, I had the thought "My road into town's like that, mate -- why'd ya bother taking a video?"! 🤣🤣🤣 We need to take him up the Top End, after the Wet (seeing his reaction to getting his tyres wet, we'd better wait till later for during the Wet!).
If you have an off-road 4WD ok, but I have not seen many of those in death valley. Our rental 2WD automatic Toyota Corolla would also have been waiting there to be pulled out.
@@skeletonmandiecastcollector therye not that common in most urban areas unless you need them for going out of towns . the taxes, running costs make them only for people that NEED them and can afford them.
I used to live in the Mojave Desert when I was a kid. My dad would take us out in the Jeep to go off road, and all I remember is bouncing around a lot, and how very easily you could get lost out there. I had no idea it was such a tourist attraction for our European brothers and sisters. I hope they all bring a LOT of water...way more than they think they'll need.
The largest desert in Europe is about 300 square km and located i Serbia witch is not a huge tourist destination for Europeans. The death Valley national park is 13.650 square km. It's just more exotic for us.
@@vigdisholo6764 but the perspective check to ponder is this... if most Yanks don't go there because we know it's more danger than it's worth, why would a random tourist completely unfamiliar with the region add that to their bucket list? It just doesn't make ANY sense to me... not a bit. If you want to see sand, check out the Michigan Dunes national park - or drive around the Great Lakes. Nice and safe - no risk of dying of thirst either. :D
@@chouseification most people rarely visit attractions that they live near, because it takes away the exotic nature. Never gone too the zoo in my city, I visit San Diego and all of the sudden the zoo is very interesting
@@lukasg4807 yet that reasonable concept doesn't map (with rational thought anyways) to the much less rational one of "let's go to one of the deadliest places in the world, without being at all prepared". I'm not saying don't add it to your bucket list, but don't be a blundering touron (that's tourist moron) and have to call 911 because you "just had to" check that off the list on your first visit to the States. Dip toes in, prepare, do that journey only when actually ready. Most people truly forget the true scale of the US... my own state (one of the larger but far from the largest) is larger than England, and one can spend the better part of the day doing a trip to the remote corners of the state. Of course Interstates let you buzz much faster if you're going point to point, and are easy enough to use; until you get to those spots in the country where towns (and refueling stops) are very infrequent. If you run out of gas in one of those stretches, you have a bad day. Easily avoided with planning, and that's sort of the point. Don't go to the desert SW or Wyoming (in the winter) on a first trip - probably not the best idea... frankly the whole plains are nasty for driving in the winter when storms come up. They even turn off some Interstates (for hours to sometimes days) if there's enough snow coming down. :P
In 1973 I went on a western car trip with a friend. Among the many challenges we made for ourselves was the idea of playing a full game of chess, in August, in Death Valley. We were super psyched and brought tons of water and a space blanket which we set up to shield us from the sun. It was over 120 degrees (49 degrees Celsius). We didn't last more than 20 minutes. Upon returning to our car in defeat I noticed the flashlight that we left on the dashboard was totally melted.
it takes some getting used to. once you acclimate it is/ well, still difficult. but if you make repeated trips into the heat or live there, you get a little bit used to it. I enjoy 110F or so. 120 is rough for almost anyone but in the shade it's survivable.
Thanks for helping those tourists to our country, you've given them stories to tell for years. And maybe they'll pass it forward if they find a tourist in their country in need.
@pyropulse Back in my day, I recovered a Jeep that was floating in the Mississippi River, stuck in the Grand Canyon, and trapped in Michigan mud at the same time. All I had was 2 paper clips and a beef Slim Jim for leverage. And that was when I was just 2.5 years old!
@pyropulse No one said any of this was a near death experience and people love to chat about the time they went to a different country. They are so going to blab about someone saving them from the heat of the valley lol
@pyropulse Weird flex, but okay. This doesn't lessen the harrowing experience of being trapped in a flood. Good for you that you can solve your own problems, but I'd dare you to get yourself out of Death Valley in the middle of summer after having your car stuck or destroyed by a flood. Do you realize that the people stranded in Death Valley during this flood were very much put into a dangerous situation? Perhaps not a near-death experience, but all it would take is one slip into the flood waters and you'll be pinned and drown. Not to mention Death Valley in August is damn near a death trap with the heat, reaching 110 degrees or hotter frequently this time of year. It ain't the hottest location on earth for nothing. People have to be rescued from DV every year because they underestimate the weather and how remote and hot it is out there, at least for summer temps and conditions. I don't know why anyone would want to go out there in mid August, you're just asking for it at that point. Flood or no flood, the heat in that region is serious business.
Well thank you Matt, for saving my fellow Europeans. They can be a bit naïve at times, especially the ones from the south. The hard driving frenchman is normal, they just try to solve all problems with speed and mostly they actually kinda get away with it. The rental will be completely trashed but will have made it to their destination before falling apart. They will also find a loophole in the rentalcompany's policies that will provide them a getoutofjailfree-card because that's what they do. You didn't meet any Belgians by any chance? I suggest you do try find some, in case you like our beers😉
That's impressive how spot on you are about french guy 🤣 rentals company do hate us. And most of us are pretty gentle whit our car (except the parisien) but we do like to drive company car like rally driver (even if we aren't one)
I love Belgian folks. I worked just outside of Brussels for 6 weeks and they were the most hospitable people I have ever met. They invited us to their tennis club and out to dinner and I really had a great time.
Hi from Quebec, as a french-canadian and truck driver I can say that I personally got stuck often in places I shouldn't have(usually bc of snow) and I usually unstuck my vehicle with speed and persistance at the cost of leaving some scratches on my vehicles wether it's my own personal car or a company truck. As for french European folks visiting Canada for some reasons every years we have french tourists killing themselves with rental snowmobile because they were speeding at places they shouldn't have.
I nearly rolled out of my sofa laughing from your reference to Matts Offroad recovery. Have been following their build of a offroad recovery vehicle. I just love your dry style of humor, keep it up!
Spot on!!! I love the views from Matt's off Road Recovery. I busted a gut too. We needed Ed for a weather report. All those Europeans could have benefited from it.
I know you weren't taking yourself too seriously, but honestly, I really admire you going out of your way to help so many people. So many people in this country, even here in California, which I feel at least has decent level of social consciousness, no longer seem to give a shit about their neighbors. Thank you for setting an example.
@@josephdockemeyer6782 I had my mind changed about "fly over country" when my wife and I visited a family friend in Minnesota last year. I love that state now, and I imagine a lot of the Midwest and rust belt are similarly unfairly overlooked. Except maybe Cincinnati.
@@AaronRMG a fair point for sure. Honestly though, I live in Arkansas now (used to live in CA) and I think Californians are more helpful than Arkansans. The Arkansans that are helpful are some of the best people in the country probably, but everybody else just comes across as rude and selfish
Yeah, I want some of whatever you're smoking... I'm a transplant to Cali from Louisiana. I'll never forget the time I got run over in the bay area on my motorcycle and watched dozens of cars drive around me as I lay in the road. Socially conscious my ass.
@@14USMA I'm sorry you went through that--that's really awful and inexcusable. But that was also my point--people here are still distrustful on an interpersonal level and ignore the needs of the people right in front of their face, even if they want to support policies that would broadly benefit marginalized groups. It's a big problem, and again, I'm sorry you had to experience it first-hand. I won't blame you if it makes you more cynical, but I'm also worried that it's cynicism that's causing this. I try not to play into it myself, but I'm not great at it, and I'm just one person :P
Went through death valley in the winter with my grandma in a 1992 supra, we nearly ran out of gas and had to pay $6.50 a gallon from the single gas station in the entire park when gas normally costed around 2.30. We went in at mid-day when the temp was around 110, by the time we got out it was near midnight and the temp was in the 30s. It was miserable. Then I went to zion and I had a great trip, we took the freeway back.
This. This is what I refer to when people say "nah it's fine, I don't need to carry supplies and whatnots, I don't need to worry, I don't need warmer/lighter clothing, the weather/temperature is fine enough, the road is just fine, it won't take too long so I don't need too much food and water etc". Of course you fortunately had a happy ending and it was more of a bad driving experience than a dangerous situation, but carrying supplies, gas etc would've helped quite a bit, I guess. It never hurts to be prepared.
@@lucyk.5163 Whenever I travel, I'm always super anxious before I leave because I'm trying to make sure I have everything I even *sort of maybe might* need. I do not understand how people can go anywhere with that attitude, let alone driving into someplace like this without preparing.
2.30 for a gallon. that is not cheap, that's basically for free. even 6.50 is cheap. Germany (and very many other countries in the US of Europe): 7,75$ a gallon of regular gas.
Most people are probably smart enough to fill up before entering death valley and as such that gas station gets very little business and so they had to charge more. It's a small price to pay when they probably saved some lives just by operating there.
@@jochenkraus7016 I grew up in Northern California and agree. I've been to Death Valley many times. Las Vegas, once, when a kid with my family. Not interested in that stuff.
I took a similar route when doing a cross-country drive a few years back. Took 95 west out of Las Vegas and went thru Death Valley to 395. I did it in April though, so it was a downright chilly 90-95F or so that day. Park Ranger still pulled over to check on me when he saw me out of my car, but I was only interested in snapping a few pictures within eyesight of my car before continuing on my way and I had 2L of water on me.
A few years ago, I was in Badwater on one of those 125 degree July days, and my jaw dropped as a number of Europeans sauntered west from the pool into the miles of awaiting salt flats. The standard uniform was shorts/capris, sandals, no hat, no sunscreen, no water, and no sense of self-preservation. Some of them had made it a couple miles out there, seemingly bound for the Panamint Range. I bit my tongue rather than telling them all not to do this, and that surely their mothers loved them. When it comes time for a manned mission to Venus, who needs all those expensive space suits? Just pack a Nissan Altima with vacationing Germans. After they land, they'll head off for a stroll under the crushing heat and pressure. They'll all make it back without a scratch.
A lot of people underestimate heat and especially underestimate a desert dry heat (where almost counter intuitively covering up actually keeps you cooler than wearing less) and how fast dehydration and heat stroke and settle in. Then add to how Europeans underestimate just how massive the US is and how far distances are and well you got a recipe for a fun vacation.
As a young man (I'm 65 now) I travelled a lot by bicycle around Australia. I can tell you that in all of the most remote locations, I'd find some mad German bastard who'd set up shop to do whatever it was they were into. I concluded at the time they were subconsciously rebelling against a national characteristic which somehow rewarded the repression of "wildness" in individuals. At any rate, their repeated presence was notable.
@@vitabricksnailslime8273 These are the same people who decide that a "small walk" equals a backpacking trip up a mountain for a few hours. No water no food just the hope that a cafe lays up the top of the mountain somewhere and all you are wearing are robust sandals, shorts and a t-shirt. And grilling is to be done regardless of weather. Even if it's storming and raining like hell if you had grilling scheduled then you shall grill.
@@vitabricksnailslime8273 Concerning the cultural trait look into Schopenhauer and philosophy of romanticism. Adolf was because of that already an ecofascist. Himmler wanted to turn the Wehrmacht after the war into vegetarians. Everything considered "raw nature" is worshipped like God. Crazy. R. Mark Musser published on that topic in his blog. Quite interesting.
I was in Death Valley as part of a team of engineer's for "hot testing". The 2 things I remember are 1) I've Never experienced heat like that before or since, and 2) In the 3 years I went, there were always Europeans (mostly Germans) there vacationing.
I can tell you why. Last time I was in California I did go to death valley and joshua tree park. The reason is that we just don't have anything like this in Europe. Nothing on that scale. It's pretty interesting and it may sound stupid, but much more accessible than what's in the neighborhood - North Africa for example. Renting a Nissan Ultima and going in those conditions is totally crazy though.
Yeah as soon as I head "Germans" and "Death Valley" my mind went straight to that - a terrifying story, and seeing how unprepared people were heading into washed out roads in the wrong cars, you can see how it happened.
Brit here who's ridden through the valley a while ago. A large bunch of Austrian bankers pulled up on Harley's into Furnace Creek Lodge - doing some soft of sponsored ride - all decked out in brand new biker gear, clearly feeling like a bunch of badasses. They then proceeded to order themselves a round of white wine spritzers. Just perfect.
Excellent!! Been that European in Death Valley in a thunderstorm and flash flooding. We were testing 4x4s for a manufacturer though so we were good. Amazing place. Sad to see that stunning drive down Panamint valley in such a state. Hopefully they'll get it fixed soon. Superb commentary. Almost sprayed my tea on more than few occasions! Great video, thank you.
I got stuck in Death Valley once. Had a flat tire. That is kinda unfun at 45 C. We got help from a park ranger after a few hours. Americans are generally really helpful and kind in such situations. I was so thankful!
For those who don't know the shot at 1:11 is Mt Whitney (the highest elevation in the US) from Death Valley (the lowest). It's an over 2 mile rise in elevation.
I hiked Mt Whitney and then drove down into Death Valley on the same day a few years ago so I could say I hit them both on the same day. Was very cool. Never thought I'd see Death Valley like this though!
Thanks from germany, all of my family, friends, the rest of the country and europa wanna thank you for your service since you helped them all out! Sadly i couldnt make it, but i guess tow you next time :^)
I love the communal feel of everything on that road. Basically if you can help, you do, and everyone's talking to each other and warning about the upcoming obstacles
THIS!!! It really does happen. Or it's been my experience, too. Also, I'm really glad he turned around and waited/made sure the family got over the road/river!
I grew up and live in Germany so I never saw a desert in my life (which explains the german tourists btw), but i learned a lot about them, and one thing I learned that deserts are even more dangerous when it rains. This video shows pretty acuate why that is the case. Fun desert fact: Antarctica is by definition a desert, its the biggest desert on our planet.
@@Kabodanki Amount (or in this case lack) of precipitation. Antarctica doesn't get a lot of rain and snow, in fact large chunks of it get about as much as Death Valley, and the air is consistently very dry.
@@Kabodanki You define a desert by its precipitation, very low precipitation means its a desert. Antarctica has one of the lowest precipitation in the world, only beaten by the Sahara.
Even though you’re intent wasn’t to go through that nightmare of a road, those stranded people are really lucky you decided to come through that day in a well suited off roader with a winch to help them out.
So, can you tell me more about why Death Valley is such a big deal to Germans? I know they come in by the bus load, inspired by some sort of novels or account of the place, but I've never know exactly what the title or plot is to draw such crowds?
I hope the Euro's are doing well and learned from the Valley. A lot of tourists under estimate it, but it doesn't get a name like Death Valley for no reason.
@@DKNguyen3.1415 Yes, this is possible, especially in the desert. It rains for a few minutes, but quickly gets very hot, and with the humidity? It’s called Death Valley for a reason.
@@aaaccc7173 It happens in any tropical country too. in sri lanka in march it rains sometimes a little bit, then again sunshine. since the humidity is high, the temperature gets worst.
As an Australian born with Italian parents/heritage, thank you for saving those Italians and other European nationals. My parents say funcolo….sorry, thank you. All hail the algorithm.
I was just in Iceland and the only thing the rental car company pounded into my head was that they don't cover water damage from river crossings. Apparently, the biggest cause of loss of life and rental cars is tourists taking their rented Dacia Dusters places Dacia Dusters get washed away.
When mention starting a recovery service, I immediately thought of Matt and then you brought Matt yourself. Funny that you encountered so many Europeans. They are going to have some stories to tell their friends back home. I been told that the Germans especially like to find places their friends have not been. I think this experience will qualify as one their friends didn't have. I can't believe the roads were not marked at closed.
They must all get great vacation time at work i guess to be traveling to the US every year lol. Thats cool though, never would of thought. Ive been to California and i loved it. I wanted to visit some more places on the west coat, as on the south east US, but then covid hit... Id also love to visit Germany and other places in Europe as well.
I'm from Germany and have already visited death valley. almost all germans who visit the west coast stop at death valley and the grand canyon, these are very popular travel destinations for germans visiting the USA.
I noticed, on hikes in the summer in national parks, most foreign visitors the first 400 yards are Chinese, by 1 mile in it is a mixture, by 3 miles in, it is almost all Germans.
I understand visiting Death Valley during the summer is popular for Europeans, especially Germans. There's an infamous incident referred as the Death Valley Germans where a German family disappeared in July 1996 and it took until 2009 before their bodies were found.
Death Valley is no joke. There was a family of Germans in the 90s who went missing and presumably perished. I don't think Europeans realize it's not exactly just a stop to check out
As to all those europeans in mid-summer Death Valley, I have an idea why. I once worked alongside a slightly older Austrian engineer whose childhood during WWII was a bit harsher than mine had been in New England. I am a SoCal resident like you since before that job. He told me, in the english he had learned from the radio chatter he listened to, from the British and American bombers overhead, that the winters back then were very cold, and that he loved Las Vegas and the desert. He could not get enough of that heat. It seems to have become a challenge since that time to say that they have endured "Death Valley" at its hottest.
Wow, you never hear about Allied aircrew jawing away on the radio. Always portrayed as highly disciplined, etc. But I guess when the Germans are shooting at you anyway, you don't really need to worry about being radio located.
Thank you for helping my fellow country men. The video reminded me of the German family that got stuck in the 90s in a remote spot and got killed. Sad story. Greetings from Germany!
Who gives a crap about the insurance fraud? He was simply trying to help average people whose recoveries wouldn’t have otherwise been covered by their insurance plans. God forbid the poor insurance companies lose a few hundred dollars, I know they’re really hurting for cash 🙄 As for bootlicking cops, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Are you saying that because he coordinated with his local police department in order to raise money to build an all-abilities playground for disabled children in his area? Because if that’s the case, then screw off. Cops do shitty things, but Matt and his local PD have some good for the world.
Thanks Matt for filming all this human interaction. So glad you were able to help people and have a camera to tell us the whole thing. I'm glad you're ok and that your day was fine eitherway.
Damn, America seems so vast, rough, wild and awesome. Looking forward to visiting death valley too one day and thanks for rescuing some fellow Germans.
America is a lot like Australia in that way, important distinction though America has a lot more people. If you break down in some parts of Australia you won't be lucky enough to have someone drive past and save you
I’d imagine the high amount of tourists has to do with summer holidays and the fact Death Valley is super unique, especially if you’ve never seen any deserts before at all.
Yea alot of these europeans here have only seen deserts in movies. Had a real good time showing a German friend visiting the west coast our desert landscapes, he marveled at the wide open deserts in Nevada.
I would say there are many other roads through the desert…don’t take one of those through Death Valley in the middle of Summer! Go south to Imperial County and see the sand dunes. 🙂
Speaking as a Brit - I was kind of aware Death Valley's there but thought 'Well, its just somewhere hot and barren'. Now I know its *interesting and includes some great folk* I think I might like to go there after all 🙄
Im from Germany, and coincidentally we were also there, had to turn around at another spot because the street became impassable, even for highly modified 4x4s.
Thank for posting this video updating other fellow tourist/adventurers about the hazards/conditions. You are literally a lifesaver. Those people could have died stranded in the desert with no cell phone reception and limited supplies in the middle of the desert.
"I think it was safe to say that we had saved the entire European continent" - thank you for your service matt 😂
Truly a hero among men.
Definitely thanks from 🇪🇺! If we would have been there one week later, there might have been a Toyota Corolla in that video as well.
I would have added an "again".
Again... and again
American saviour complex
Matt really doing sidequests out there
In a broken expansion pack that's spawning Europeans in Death Valley
Preston Garvey reports there is another group of Europeans to help. Good for Matt for helping the entire European continent.
I don’t even play video games and I still love this comment
th-cam.com/play/PLsmiKvUCTJqGhbpZoTPxhCAhsITkDFP-U.html
@@GodKing804 the fact that there is a French driving a Peugeot to fast on rock makes my day as a French, our country is falling apart but we still have many french roaming around in the wild looking for garlic at high speed. Beautiful isn't it? It's French 🤣 me too
I remember hearing years ago that Europeans, especially Germans, come to Death Valley in August to experience the extreme conditions. They are a hearty group.
Unfortunately it would appear that their rental cars are not. lol
If they were hardy, they'd have rescued themselves.
Renovated the golf course back in the late 90's in Furnace Creek. Was there from April to Sept. Rained the first day we got there about 1/4" and didn't rain until the day we left in early Sept another 1/4". Hot as hell.... hit 134 one day in July. Was amazing the tourist that came in to see the hottest place in the usa...Busload after busload of German, Korean, French etc everyday. It was a fun project to work on.
@@chumpchange1846 Or won the war
Speaking as a person of 1/2 German descent, this is a large part of why I worked for Burning Man on their setup crew for years. Just to keep my edge in the desert.
As someone who lives in France, the Frenchman driving too fast over the rocks and not caring truly gave me a good chuckle. Especially compared to the German family being extra cautious 😂
Fun fact. In czech its exact opposite. Germans go here and act like they own the country (intentionally written like this) and french are so cautious they are more dangerous then safe.
As a Brit who spends a fair bit of time in France, I find that the driving side is not the only thing that differs with our cars - I swear that the road engineers in France assumed everyone is driving a DS, so they build HUGE speed bumps in the towns. Of course, everyone in France knows this, so they buy a car with tyres and suspension that will soak up the bumps. But us Brits have an obsession with buying cars that have "sporty" suspension, huge wheels and very low profile tyres... Then we decide to drive over to France. I have an old MG, and on the times I've taken that I have to slow to
@@donkmeister it’s because the French don’t care about their cars the same way everyone else does, parking is so bad in Paris, it’s commonly acceptable to just ram your car into the smallest parking space & push other cars out of the way
@@donkmeister Fun fact. As an international couple that lives in France, we can attest that those are a pretty well-known phenomenon. They're put there by mayors, with no concertation. And most of them are actually illegal, on account of being too steep, too high, or too close together. Except since nobody ever sues the cities over them, they remain.
@@justadummy8076 True. As German visiting Paris I was quite annoyed by that.
“I dont know why all of Europe was in death valley this weekend” made me laugh so hard
European school holidays!
Because I’m not letting some little extreme weather event ruin my long planned holiday.
-my famous last words
They're just trying to get used to the temperatures we might get all over the planet in the future.
They are in L.A. too. German people everywhere. Lol
@@robbieogle8622 Where ever that German neighborhood is
Dude the build up to meeting the Nissan Altima was executed perfectly. I had just assumed he had some grudge against the vehicle, so actually seeing the vehicle and realising it was actually a set up genuionely got me.
I watched this while sitting in my altima
@@lostone9700 I hope you were not stranded off the road...?
I’m watching while sitting on the pot. Just took a healthy shit wishing I had a life like this 😂
I went rock crawling in a Mazda 3 because of reealy bad GPS directions going from Flagstaff to Sedona one time when I was younger. Had to build some ramps out of rubble to make it up some of the bigger cliffs on the jeep trail (biggest was probably 12-15 inches).
We made it slowly. Hertz never inspected the underbody. Never buy a rental car.
@@MCXL1140 EVERY time is of you when you were younger.
(credit M Hedberg)
The line "I dont know why the whole of Europe decided to be in Death Valley" got me. As a European I have to say thank you for helping both countrymen as well as unionmembers
I bet the Brits saw the mess ahead and said we are heading for the exit. We don't want to be stuck on neutral like that Swiss guy over there. Btw, don't trust that Russian guy with the spare gas. He will pretend to help you fill the tank, but he's got his eyes on your ignition key.
EU gay
@@BeautifulGreen252 Why do you bother to exist?
EU...where unelected elitist tyrants tell all their subjects what to do from their castles in Brussels. Enjoy.
Getting a lot of very "interesting" replies
"Successfully liberating another German" was so unexpected and hilarious that I literally burst out laughing 😂😂😂
4:05
@@ryanflores5610 legend
if not the unavoidable american arrogance would drip out of that in lite... err i mean gallons, i might have share the laughter with you.
But it kinda gets a bit boring when you are german, from the nation that fucking invented the car in the first place....
And if this was not shown on youtube, that only exist because germans gave you the mp3 audio compression algohrtim, (and less relevant invented the TV too)
To me a road closed, is one that is explicitly forbidden to drive on by the state/gvmt.
This road was entirely passable... for someone with common sense and the right vehicle 🙂
cheers with beers.
@@zoolkhan Loosen up pal we're not making a western here
same bro
That 4 minutes of leadup for a quick, dry joke with a completely straight face and indifferent voice
was beautiful :D
Almost as good as setting up the drum kit for a single rimshot. Top quality stuff.
After the second mention I knew there had to be payoff, and it did not disappoint.
@@cosmicinsane516 one of the best youtube moments ever
Meh, it was OK but I wouldn't take a Nisan Altima across it.
@@wood42shed I don't know why he said an altima was probably the worst car to have out there, but I can think of so many lower rwd cars that can't offroad really at all, such as my hyundai genesis coupe with rwd and only 46% weight over the rear and it came on summer tires.
"I'm not sure why all of Europe was in death valley this weekend." I couldn't help but to laugh.
I'd say Route 66, death valley, ... are advertised as the go to destination for European tourists that are not backpacking, on student exchange or working and living there permanently.
Especially the shallower ones once they find time and money.
On one of my parents birthday parties we had two relatives talking about the same trip with the same camper van concept in that region - and at least one of had their vacation pictures shown to us. Both couples strongly heading towards retirement as upper middle income earners.
None of them particularly US culture minded in any sense.
Just to have another acquaintance of me tell me within a few years that if he'd do the US again it would be the Route 66 etc..
Those boomers just were taught that you can smell some freedom in the air if you avoid the center of fly over country and to the edges of Commiefornia.
I guess they're all weird. I love US law, history, economic mindset etc. but Route 66 is simply not on the top of my bucket list. Although I wouldn't avoid it if I had time and opportunity. Would I like to move there? Nope!
It was only a billion of them.
From a dutch friend "german tourists are worse then american tourists because at least american tourists understand they are soft and squishy. Germans think nothing can stop them"
He miiiight be a bit biased.
In my travels, I generally see more tourists enjoying America than Americans. It's a shame more Americans aren't interested in seeing what's in their own back yards.
"he discovered our secret gazering area. ze invasion is CANCELLED! ve will try agayn in two years"
This was funny as hell. As an European I thank you for saving our continent!
We Americans get lots of practice! LOL Hope you guys can return the favor some day!
@@inconnu4961 Don’t worry, next time I see an American struggling with the secrets of public transportation systems here, I will offer a helping hand :-)
@ Your comment deserves more likes. lol
@ That would be much appreciated. As an American tourist, I've managed to get lost in most of the major cities in Europe.
@ Hey genius, how many square kilometers make up the continental US? Now how about Italy or Australia? I think we might be bigger, therefore: Public transport unfeasible out of urban areas
I'm honestly very surprised how many European tourists were visiting Death Valley. I admire you going out of your way to assist so many people.
My guy needs to justify that winch
You'd be surprised at how many Europeans tour the American backcountry. Especially places with very hospitable names like "Death Valley"
I remember being in Arches National Park and feeling like I was in a European Desert, I thought it was so strange how many Europeans were there.
I was in no way surprised. Our National Parks are a second home for Europeans. That is why I immediately went to Zion and Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon during COVID. They were comparatively, but not literally, empty. It was fantastic.
It’s a place unlike anywhere in Europe. It’s not the sahara, with its endless seas of sand. It’s not even a whole desert. But it is the driest and hottest of deserts, like the denali of hot valleys. I’d probably be interested in it too if I didn’t grow up close enough to it to get the idea, but man 20 years of living in a hot desert valley really will make you sick of hot desert valleys. I doubt you’d be capable of telling much difference between 120 and 130 by that point anyway, it’s all misery to me.
Ok I feel like I should clarify, I don’t think the sahara is in Europe I’m not a moron. I’m using it as an example of why death valley is unique and not just, a big ass desert.
This might be my favorite video on the channel even though nothing happened in it. It's just 5 minutes straight of the same dry humor that attracted me to this channel in the first place.
This video is second only to the video where he bought a drum set in his Smart car just to do the bu dum tshh joke.
Only dry thing in Bonneville this week...!!!
amen
@UCgkislhlwBkMSFrRPRI0Svg Google Translate offers this lovely sentiment: "Lord, I beg of you by the right of your greatest name to grant the owner of the hand that will support me with follow-up, endless sustenance, and endless success." @superfastmatt -- It looks like you did rescue a significant portion of Europe, and maybe Asia, too! ♥🔥
"Nothing happened." ??? Really ??? A year's worth of rain in three hours doesn't even qualify for a footnote? OMG!
"all of europe was in death valley" --good line. My son travelled out west a few months ago to a lot of landmarks and noted how many asians and europeans were at the national parks.
Visiting the Grand Canyon 2 weeks back, I could almost speak my own language. Dutch people everywhere, even from my own town. I guess after 2 years everybody really saved up some money to visit the US.
Asians and Europeans? What are the chances?! 5.4billion of us combined, and you saw a few!
Perhaps COVID reminded them all that travel is not to be taken for granted and they decided to stop putting off that bucket list trip to the American west.
There are 500m Europeans.
@@garymitchell5899 I think he combined the numbers of Europeans & Asians.
First half of the video: “Why is he flaming the Nissan Altima so hard?”
3:52: “Oh… Yeah that makes sense now” 🤣
Touring around beautiful, semi-ruined roads, helping less-prepared strangers is one of those odd things in my pantheon of day dreams. I like helping people. And off-roading. And being shamelessly, insufferably better at mundane things than other people.
...oddly, the name really checks out.
Based
LOL @ that last sentence. At least you’re honest 🤣🤣
😂😂😂😂😂😂
"I'm not the cops, but I hope he brought some water" is such a funny way of saying he probably shouldn't be doing that.
A subtle dig at the French Tourists who died of dehydration in 2015? Tourist getting into danger is a serious problem so I don’t have a problem with it!
@@Pshady Believe the point moreso is being trapped for hours until another good Samaritan comes along to save him in Death Valley's 125°F heat would make the tourist(s) wish they'd brought water.
I laughed good at that one 🤣😂
@@Pshady The _what?_ I need a recap because I never heard this one.
Driving Death Valley in the middle of summer is something i think falls into the category of "shouldn't be doing that" but to each their own.
*AS A EUROPEAN* not stuck in Death Vally this week - I apologise for letting the side down - I can usually be relied upon to get stuck - I've been stuck in a live minefield, in the Atlantic, in the Sahara
Im 52 now, thats my excuse...
We must be related. I get stuck behind cargo trains, in the mountains and in the rain.
as a European recently standing next to a minefield and pondering about the meaning of life - I can relate to both being stuck and to minefields.
I live minefield in the Atlantic?! How old are you...?
I'm 75 and I still do stupid stuff. Never slow down, you'll just get old.
Serious... how can anyone think that a car could drive thru such conditions? I've been doing this all my life do to my upbringing and seriously would like to know WTF are these people thinking? I would never consider driving thru those conditions with a vehicle that has 6" of clearance. Someone educate me on how common sense is lost once large numbers of humans live in proximity to each other.
TBH you saved the park service much more than your admission fee by helping all those people. Bravo!
He also missed his chance to help out the rental car companies as well when he decided to not report all the Europeans who were abusing the terms of service. Next time I get in a rental car that has mud on the floorboards I'm going to tell them to watch this video!
@@Rick-the-Swift wtf it's wrong eith u are the cars made out off gold now a days or wtf I feel like you'll get stranded out there just because ur going to get charged a bit extra and stop being a girl or a snitch
@@jrmendez2090 i think its because rental companies might increase their price because of all the maintance they have to do because people ride their cars where they shouldnt
@@ernestogastelum9123 who cares stop being cheap if u knw u messed up and u got to pay o well if u dont then good
2:43 This (checking the depth before driving across it) is something you HAVE to do in any vehicle, regardless of how off road capable the vehicle is, before attempting a crossing.
Absolutely! The key to a situation like that is that the road might not even be there. It could easily be 6' deep and not show it at all on the surface.
... and bear in mind that the foot-wide strip YOU walked doesn't guarantee it's fine for both your tire tracks!! [Something something about drowning in a river that's on average 1ft deep, namely everywhere 6inch except for a very deep bit.]
Who’d have thought a place called “Death Valley” could be so dangerous?
I behave it named Death Valley because it would be so hot where it would over heat your engine pacificly semis. But deal free to fact check me on this
@@mr.shyguy3954 I'm Californian and we learned in school when we covered our region that it's called Death Valley because a lot of settlers who made wagon rides West ended up dying there, sometimes entire communities would perish on the way West.
At temperatures of 125°F it ain't the best place to sunbathe.
@@projotce We learned the same in public school in the midwest. It was named during the expansion westward, though it may not have been officially named, yet. That is what the travelers named it, probably before it had a name. The Arch, in St Louis, was considered the Gateway to the west, so they taught us a lot about the pioneers and their journey. The museum, under the Arch is all about that.
@@joellenrhodes456 yeah, it'll turn your bones white.
As a Dutch person I can tell you: this is basically how French people behave. You’ll get used to it.
LOL
And Belgians! 😜
That may be why the best rally pilot ever, Sébastien Loeb, is french.
Driving too fast on mixed surface roads is kind of his thing.
Yeah, thought so too, no big surprise in the French driving style, seemed right in character.
@@luppano rally pilots do the navigation from the passenger seat!?
Having been stuck in the mud countless times, the willingness of strangers to get you out of a sticky situation is amazing. You literally don't have to wait for a second truck, the first one always seems to help and have the towing cable already on board!
It gets use out of gear plus let's you know what might not be reliable for later or yourself....
And lets you feel like even bothering to haul all that is worth it....
The last time I got stuck in deep snow, a guy came along to help and told me that the only reason he was on the road was to look for people who needed help.
Repent to Jesus Christ “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Romans 12:21 NIV
Come to Australia, in fact the East Kimberley's in Western Australia. We have what we call Black Mud. So sticky, impossible to drive through. Hit a stretch whilst riding a bike, did not see it till to late. I hit the ground and the bike stayed upright stuck in the mud. A friends Toyota Land Cruiser got stuck and it took 2 Toyota Hilux's and 2 guys using 2 block and tackle tied to trees 7 hours to get it out. That road Matt was driving was pretty bad, but in Australia, a lot of roads in the outback are only passable with 4WD's properly set up. Cheers
I love Chronotrigger
As a European transplant to the US, I approve of this video, and thank you for your kind service saving so many of my fellow lost European tourists.
My how the times have changed...last time was liberating the French in American Jeeps...now Germans in Japanese 4Runners . Such a worldly ambassador, Matt!
Quite the ambassador in addition to being quite an engineer!
“We saved the entire European continent” What a legend
Liberating the Germans. Lolz.
Usually you rescue Europe two or three years after it all kicks off. Nice to see some of you are getting up to speed 🤣
I worked over the winter in Death Valley 30 years ago. The place was crawling with Germans and I asked about that one time. I felt okay asking him because his 3 year old daughter tried to steal my prosthetic leg (long story) and he told me that there was a very popular western Novel that takes place in Death Valley. His family had come to LA and he saw a map and saw Death Velley looked like it was close by so they came to visit.
That was his story anyway.
Oh, that sort of connects to that "Death Valley Germans" case where a family got lost and died in a really remote part of the park. There was a lot of speculation over why they were there, but Death Valley being a minor tourist attraction for Germans helps to explain the appeal of going off into the barren parts of the desert as a shortcut, since it might suggest that they had a romanticized view of the area being more hospitable than it actually is.
Thank you for following the unwritten "code of the remote area traveler." Helping fellow travelers is a time honored American tradition. I'm glad to see it still exists.
what you poorly described is called common courtesy
@@THERE.IS.NO.DEATH. yes and many lack this. Americans are generally extremely friendly people on a world scale. Touch grass and travel more.
@@THERE.IS.NO.DEATH. Used to be. Now with all of the setups / car jackings - many of us who don't want to become a MrBallen story don't feel safe stopping to help. This situation is of course different, and refreshing.
@@lisajohnson5516 Your car jackers are NOT going to be on these roads under these conditions. You must be from the city.
@@winstonsmiths2449 I literally said : " This situation is of course different, and refreshing."
I was once dating an American girl who lived in France for 10 years. We went to Death Valley, and at one point saw a car on the side of the road with hazards on. I pulled up behind them and got out to check on them. They only spoke French, and excitedly, I went back and told the woman to go check on them. She comes back to the car a couple minutes later and I'm like, "How did it go? Do they need anything." She said, "They made fun of my French accent." True story.
A dick move for sure, but I got to admit hearing french in a thick american accent is quite funny
Wouldn't laugh at someone for it though, especially someone trying to help me
@@C4H10N4O2 which accent?
@@echo-hotel I know different places in the US have different accents, but a lot of them sound similar to me, mostly because of the "pace"
@@C4H10N4O2 Yeah, pretty much every accent besides Southern US has a pretty similar speed and rhythm. Southern is slow and drawn out to the point that it makes Midwesterners/New Englanders exasperated having to wait so long for them to finish speaking.
@Bill Randleman that sounds kinda hilarious
I enjoyed this video very much. I came across a couple of groups of tourists from Germany while hiking in the desert in southerns Utah, headed for petroglyphs. I asked one group why they'd visit here with so many other locations in the U.S. to visit, the desert can be miserable but also beautiful. They told me they have never experienced hundreds of square miles of open space. They said many Europeans have posters of our deserts on their walls and dream of experiencing such. I suddenly appreciated the landscape a lot more than I had.
I was just in Germany and talking to a guy that was saying exactly this. He was explaining how he thought it was amazing when he had visited the desert in America and could drive and see nothing but horizon on both sides. "I love the wide open space. There is nothing like that here in Germany."
I feel the same way about western Kansas and east Colorado.. huge Big Sky Country.. 100+ mile views of nothing but cows anf farms with 1,000 + acre fields.. With the internet, who needs to be stuck in traffic 6 hours a week just to make a buck.. Oh Give me a Home, where the Buffalo once roamed..😂😂😂😂❤️💕😎🙏😇
You guys can thank John Ford and his western movies for this. I also wanna do road trip through Death Valley and Monument valley.
I didn't even think about it till now, but I did run into quite a few people from other countries when I was checking out Arches National Park taking a break from offroading in Moab last year.
It’s even weirder when you go to places like the prairies in Saskatchewan where it’s literally grass for miles and miles with little to no trees and almost 0 elevation changes, in the winter you can end up in fields and stuff and not even realize because it’s so flat
You saved so many NPCs, youre basically ready for the final boss of Death Valley.
As an American currently living in Italy and previously in Germany, thank you for saving all those people. Otherwise the gas stations and restaurants wouldn't open back up in September when the hand-written signs on the doors says they're supposed to. (Edit: 827 likes in 5 days...Whoa! This is the coolest thing that has ever happened to me in my life!)
As an English man living in England previously living in England, i can assure you that no one cares where you have lived 👍
🤣
@@ZRodTW Thats what makes living in Europe so much better! the stress of work is not worth it. BTW did you know stress causes a shorting of the Telemeres on the end of DNA, a precursor for accelerating aging and early death?
Can I message you I want to ask quality of life as a American immigrant in Germany or Where ever you are in Europe?
@@ZRodTW dude forreal, I do t remember where but there was a place that turned a 5 day work week Into a 4 day work week and productivity went up by a lot. We really do need to copy the eu in a lot of ways
thank you for saving a lot of fellow germans, and of course also the french and italians.
We Americans are used to it
@@skullingtonfx4441 showing up in the last minute?
@@asoka7752 We prefer to call it, "Fashionably late".
ReesOfRaft
I've lived in Germany twice. I know how wonderful the people are if you take the time to know them. Nice to read your comment.
And the Irish~🍀
It is simply AMAZING the lengths Matt will go to, if it means successfully putting off building a body for his speedster.
As a European, this commentary is gold! Thank you for your service.
Kudos for helping all those stranded people, European or otherwise.
should have left the euros
It's what you do in remote areas. Shit can and does happen and anyone able to help should - what goes around comes around when you're stuck one day. I would happily lend a hand to a 4 Runner despite it not being a Jeep 🙂
Why did that remind me of HeadGum videos?
@@uweschroeder True. But you know if they were black or brown ppl this guy would have just left them there stranded. . . but then if it's Europeans, well in that case, of course you have to help them. Smh. This is why America is considered a racist a$$ country. If it was a black man or a black woman, someone would probably call the cops, but as soon as it's some dude from Germany, then everyone is will to lend a hand.
@@logandunlap9156 Bro 💀
The antidote for wet weather is apparently dry humor. Well done, Matt.
Any brit could have told you that.
Yeah right
Thank you for saving everyone! It's pretty nice and quiet in europe this time of the year when everyone leaves for Death Valley. Since I have no problem being alone, I volunteered to stay and keep everything running. :)
Shoutout to you Amund, for keeping Europe alive while your brothers and sisters make the yearly pilgrimage to Death Valley
Thanks for staying behind mate, did you remember to let the cat out?
@@captaincreosote All the cats are being let out, and in again, and out, and in again many many times a day :D
This year it seems they went to death valley to cool off.
@@AmundAntonsen I forgot to turn off my stove before going to death valley. Thank you so much for turning it off and also watering my plants 💖
This seems genuinely so much fun. A sweet overland adventure while helping out a ton of people. Win-win.
What’s really funny is I’m actually a front desk agent in the city on the way to Death Valley and I too have noticed an influx of Europeans going through at that time. This is not to bag on any Europeans but I just found it interesting and also heartbreaking because these people travelled far to see something like this only to get stranded or not be able to enter the park. Good on you for helping those people! Lol I’m sure some of them stayed with us on the way out or coming back from there!
>
Why feel sorry for them? They travelled thousands of kilometers in order to have an adventure in the American west, and guess what? They had one!
No doubt they will be telling the story for decades to come.
@@SeattlePioneer They have a story that most people will never have!
Those people booked it year ahead! They had to make it :)
It's school summer holidays time in Germany and France (and I suspect many other European countries)
Wildflowers anyone?
"Successfully liberated another German."
That killed me!!!!
Subscribed!
RIP
Repent to Jesus Christ “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Romans 12:21 NIV
Y
me too.
Little known fact- Altima is an ancient Japanese word that means "uninsured driver"
It also translates to "YOLO" in Spanish.
It's actually a dialectic reduction of "Amber Alert"
Thanks for saving so many Europeans.
Your trip confirmed many stereotypes: 1) Outdated US infrastructure, 2) nice, helpful Americans, 3) French not knowing how to drive, 4) Germans thinking they're driving a tank, 5) Italians using their arms to talk and 6) Harley drivers dumb as a rock.
I don't think this is an example of outdated infrastructure, this was a natural disaster that would have similar impacts on any set of roads experiencing a 100 year flood.
been there, compared to eu, death valley has perfect roads. this video was after a natural disaster. i agree with all else you said. As an italian, im also waving hands while typing to you
I'm not sure rocks will take this insult lying down. Better watch out from here on out.
you're wrong about your #1. all others are correct
Good on you for saving Europe. These are pretty stock standard conditions when you drive in parts of Australia. Great video :)
most of Australia's "Death Valley for experts" xD
Yup yup 👍🏻 and that’s the reason why the majority of vehicles are off road vehicles with all terrain tires in Australia because of conditions like these all the time.
Aren't the seppos cute? While watching, I had the thought "My road into town's like that, mate -- why'd ya bother taking a video?"!
🤣🤣🤣
We need to take him up the Top End, after the Wet (seeing his reaction to getting his tyres wet, we'd better wait till later for during the Wet!).
If you have an off-road 4WD ok, but I have not seen many of those in death valley. Our rental 2WD automatic Toyota Corolla would also have been waiting there to be pulled out.
@@skeletonmandiecastcollector therye not that common in most urban areas unless you need them for going out of towns . the taxes, running costs make them only for people that NEED them and can afford them.
I used to live in the Mojave Desert when I was a kid. My dad would take us out in the Jeep to go off road, and all I remember is bouncing around a lot, and how very easily you could get lost out there. I had no idea it was such a tourist attraction for our European brothers and sisters. I hope they all bring a LOT of water...way more than they think they'll need.
The largest desert in Europe is about 300 square km and located i Serbia witch is not a huge tourist destination for Europeans. The death Valley national park is 13.650 square km. It's just more exotic for us.
@@vigdisholo6764 lol the balkans is a different kind of “Death Valley”
@@vigdisholo6764 but the perspective check to ponder is this... if most Yanks don't go there because we know it's more danger than it's worth, why would a random tourist completely unfamiliar with the region add that to their bucket list? It just doesn't make ANY sense to me... not a bit.
If you want to see sand, check out the Michigan Dunes national park - or drive around the Great Lakes. Nice and safe - no risk of dying of thirst either. :D
@@chouseification most people rarely visit attractions that they live near, because it takes away the exotic nature. Never gone too the zoo in my city, I visit San Diego and all of the sudden the zoo is very interesting
@@lukasg4807 yet that reasonable concept doesn't map (with rational thought anyways) to the much less rational one of "let's go to one of the deadliest places in the world, without being at all prepared".
I'm not saying don't add it to your bucket list, but don't be a blundering touron (that's tourist moron) and have to call 911 because you "just had to" check that off the list on your first visit to the States. Dip toes in, prepare, do that journey only when actually ready.
Most people truly forget the true scale of the US... my own state (one of the larger but far from the largest) is larger than England, and one can spend the better part of the day doing a trip to the remote corners of the state. Of course Interstates let you buzz much faster if you're going point to point, and are easy enough to use; until you get to those spots in the country where towns (and refueling stops) are very infrequent. If you run out of gas in one of those stretches, you have a bad day. Easily avoided with planning, and that's sort of the point. Don't go to the desert SW or Wyoming (in the winter) on a first trip - probably not the best idea... frankly the whole plains are nasty for driving in the winter when storms come up. They even turn off some Interstates (for hours to sometimes days) if there's enough snow coming down. :P
In 1973 I went on a western car trip with a friend. Among the many challenges we made for ourselves was the idea of playing a full game of chess, in August, in Death Valley. We were super psyched and brought tons of water and a space blanket which we set up to shield us from the sun. It was over 120 degrees (49 degrees Celsius).
We didn't last more than 20 minutes.
Upon returning to our car in defeat I noticed the flashlight that we left on the dashboard was totally melted.
it takes some getting used to. once you acclimate it is/ well, still difficult. but if you make repeated trips into the heat or live there, you get a little bit used to it. I enjoy 110F or so. 120 is rough for almost anyone but in the shade it's survivable.
@@potatothorn "survivable" I like that Lmao 😅
@@potatothorn way to warm for my taste, 30 celsius starts getting to warm for me hehehe (im from norway)
@@DROK278 haha yeah that's about what it is.. was just out in 100F over the weekend, that was nice but 110+ all you do is survive it haha
@@baldrian22 yeah it would take you a long time to acclimate i think
As an Italian, I thank you for saving our compatriots
Thanks for helping those tourists to our country, you've given them stories to tell for years. And maybe they'll pass it forward if they find a tourist in their country in need.
@pyropulse Back in my day, I recovered a Jeep that was floating in the Mississippi River, stuck in the Grand Canyon, and trapped in Michigan mud at the same time. All I had was 2 paper clips and a beef Slim Jim for leverage. And that was when I was just 2.5 years old!
@pyropulse No one said any of this was a near death experience and people love to chat about the time they went to a different country. They are so going to blab about someone saving them from the heat of the valley lol
@pyropulse
Weird flex, but okay. This doesn't lessen the harrowing experience of being trapped in a flood. Good for you that you can solve your own problems, but I'd dare you to get yourself out of Death Valley in the middle of summer after having your car stuck or destroyed by a flood.
Do you realize that the people stranded in Death Valley during this flood were very much put into a dangerous situation? Perhaps not a near-death experience, but all it would take is one slip into the flood waters and you'll be pinned and drown. Not to mention Death Valley in August is damn near a death trap with the heat, reaching 110 degrees or hotter frequently this time of year. It ain't the hottest location on earth for nothing.
People have to be rescued from DV every year because they underestimate the weather and how remote and hot it is out there, at least for summer temps and conditions. I don't know why anyone would want to go out there in mid August, you're just asking for it at that point. Flood or no flood, the heat in that region is serious business.
@pyropulse $100 says you are the guy at parties that keeps breaking up the talking circles.
Well thank you Matt, for saving my fellow Europeans. They can be a bit naïve at times, especially the ones from the south. The hard driving frenchman is normal, they just try to solve all problems with speed and mostly they actually kinda get away with it. The rental will be completely trashed but will have made it to their destination before falling apart. They will also find a loophole in the rentalcompany's policies that will provide them a getoutofjailfree-card because that's what they do. You didn't meet any Belgians by any chance? I suggest you do try find some, in case you like our beers😉
That's impressive how spot on you are about french guy 🤣 rentals company do hate us. And most of us are pretty gentle whit our car (except the parisien) but we do like to drive company car like rally driver (even if we aren't one)
I love Belgian folks. I worked just outside of Brussels for 6 weeks and they were the most hospitable people I have ever met. They invited us to their tennis club and out to dinner and I really had a great time.
@@HockeyVictory66 even though I live in France I never had the luck to visit Belgium! Will do when my van is ready!
Hi from Quebec, as a french-canadian and truck driver I can say that I personally got stuck often in places I shouldn't have(usually bc of snow) and I usually unstuck my vehicle with speed and persistance at the cost of leaving some scratches on my vehicles wether it's my own personal car or a company truck. As for french European folks visiting Canada for some reasons every years we have french tourists killing themselves with rental snowmobile because they were speeding at places they shouldn't have.
@@HolyPelvisPresley as a French-canadian racist I am also a Montréal cop
I nearly rolled out of my sofa laughing from your reference to Matts Offroad recovery. Have been following their build of a offroad recovery vehicle.
I just love your dry style of humor, keep it up!
Spot on!!! I love the views from Matt's off Road Recovery. I busted a gut too. We needed Ed for a weather report. All those Europeans could have benefited from it.
You definitely would have made Matt from Matt’s Off Road recovery proud with all those recoveries 👍
Matt, absolutely hilarious!!! So well edited ;) Keep it up!
Wasn't expecting to see you here lol
Hey captain!
i loved it... THis is why i enjoy TH-cam so much... Thanks
Hello Joe!
@@MCPilot1201 captain Joe who
As Italian emigrated in the USA, I personally thank you for rescuing my compatriots.
I know you weren't taking yourself too seriously, but honestly, I really admire you going out of your way to help so many people. So many people in this country, even here in California, which I feel at least has decent level of social consciousness, no longer seem to give a shit about their neighbors. Thank you for setting an example.
I live in Oklahoma. We give lots of shits about our neighbors. Fly over country is awesome.
@@josephdockemeyer6782 I had my mind changed about "fly over country" when my wife and I visited a family friend in Minnesota last year. I love that state now, and I imagine a lot of the Midwest and rust belt are similarly unfairly overlooked. Except maybe Cincinnati.
@@AaronRMG a fair point for sure. Honestly though, I live in Arkansas now (used to live in CA) and I think Californians are more helpful than Arkansans. The Arkansans that are helpful are some of the best people in the country probably, but everybody else just comes across as rude and selfish
Yeah, I want some of whatever you're smoking... I'm a transplant to Cali from Louisiana. I'll never forget the time I got run over in the bay area on my motorcycle and watched dozens of cars drive around me as I lay in the road. Socially conscious my ass.
@@14USMA I'm sorry you went through that--that's really awful and inexcusable. But that was also my point--people here are still distrustful on an interpersonal level and ignore the needs of the people right in front of their face, even if they want to support policies that would broadly benefit marginalized groups. It's a big problem, and again, I'm sorry you had to experience it first-hand. I won't blame you if it makes you more cynical, but I'm also worried that it's cynicism that's causing this. I try not to play into it myself, but I'm not great at it, and I'm just one person :P
As a German, I am grateful you helped out all my fellow people. Why so many people from Europe driving through Death Valley?
As a European not listed on the countries that stranded also a warm thank you for saving my fellow Europeans.
Went through death valley in the winter with my grandma in a 1992 supra, we nearly ran out of gas and had to pay $6.50 a gallon from the single gas station in the entire park when gas normally costed around 2.30. We went in at mid-day when the temp was around 110, by the time we got out it was near midnight and the temp was in the 30s. It was miserable. Then I went to zion and I had a great trip, we took the freeway back.
This. This is what I refer to when people say "nah it's fine, I don't need to carry supplies and whatnots, I don't need to worry, I don't need warmer/lighter clothing, the weather/temperature is fine enough, the road is just fine, it won't take too long so I don't need too much food and water etc".
Of course you fortunately had a happy ending and it was more of a bad driving experience than a dangerous situation, but carrying supplies, gas etc would've helped quite a bit, I guess. It never hurts to be prepared.
@@lucyk.5163 Whenever I travel, I'm always super anxious before I leave because I'm trying to make sure I have everything I even *sort of maybe might* need. I do not understand how people can go anywhere with that attitude, let alone driving into someplace like this without preparing.
2.30 for a gallon. that is not cheap, that's basically for free. even 6.50 is cheap. Germany (and very many other countries in the US of Europe): 7,75$ a gallon of regular gas.
@@permagnusandersson6052 In 1992? Obviously it doesn't cost $2.30/gallon in the US anymore either.
Most people are probably smart enough to fill up before entering death valley and as such that gas station gets very little business and so they had to charge more. It's a small price to pay when they probably saved some lives just by operating there.
"I decided to take the scenic route through Death Valley..."
Let me tell you how that almost always ends.
You mean like "famous last words"?
I've been in the US some years ago and I liked Death Valley much more than Las Vegas.
@@jochenkraus7016 Friends and I camped every year for many years in Death Valley... in January or February. Not summer monsoon season...
Hold my beer.
@@jochenkraus7016 I grew up in Northern California and agree. I've been to Death Valley many times. Las Vegas, once, when a kid with my family. Not interested in that stuff.
I took a similar route when doing a cross-country drive a few years back. Took 95 west out of Las Vegas and went thru Death Valley to 395. I did it in April though, so it was a downright chilly 90-95F or so that day. Park Ranger still pulled over to check on me when he saw me out of my car, but I was only interested in snapping a few pictures within eyesight of my car before continuing on my way and I had 2L of water on me.
As a German I want to thank you for saving my people from certain death by rock.
A few years ago, I was in Badwater on one of those 125 degree July days, and my jaw dropped as a number of Europeans sauntered west from the pool into the miles of awaiting salt flats. The standard uniform was shorts/capris, sandals, no hat, no sunscreen, no water, and no sense of self-preservation. Some of them had made it a couple miles out there, seemingly bound for the Panamint Range.
I bit my tongue rather than telling them all not to do this, and that surely their mothers loved them.
When it comes time for a manned mission to Venus, who needs all those expensive space suits? Just pack a Nissan Altima with vacationing Germans. After they land, they'll head off for a stroll under the crushing heat and pressure. They'll all make it back without a scratch.
A lot of people underestimate heat and especially underestimate a desert dry heat (where almost counter intuitively covering up actually keeps you cooler than wearing less) and how fast dehydration and heat stroke and settle in. Then add to how Europeans underestimate just how massive the US is and how far distances are and well you got a recipe for a fun vacation.
As a young man (I'm 65 now) I travelled a lot by bicycle around Australia. I can tell you that in all of the most remote locations, I'd find some mad German bastard who'd set up shop to do whatever it was they were into. I concluded at the time they were subconsciously rebelling against a national characteristic which somehow rewarded the repression of "wildness" in individuals. At any rate, their repeated presence was notable.
@@vitabricksnailslime8273 These are the same people who decide that a "small walk" equals a backpacking trip up a mountain for a few hours. No water no food just the hope that a cafe lays up the top of the mountain somewhere and all you are wearing are robust sandals, shorts and a t-shirt. And grilling is to be done regardless of weather. Even if it's storming and raining like hell if you had grilling scheduled then you shall grill.
@@vitabricksnailslime8273 Concerning the cultural trait look into Schopenhauer and philosophy of romanticism.
Adolf was because of that already an ecofascist. Himmler wanted to turn the Wehrmacht after the war into vegetarians.
Everything considered "raw nature" is worshipped like God. Crazy.
R. Mark Musser published on that topic in his blog. Quite interesting.
@@arminkuburas1696 you mean barbecuing
Grinning at your personality. Thanks for all your kindness to strangers in a dire situation.
I was in Death Valley as part of a team of engineer's for "hot testing". The 2 things I remember are 1) I've Never experienced heat like that before or since, and 2) In the 3 years I went, there were always Europeans (mostly Germans) there vacationing.
Like moths to a flame! 😅
@@ElementofKindness 🔥
I can tell you why. Last time I was in California I did go to death valley and joshua tree park. The reason is that we just don't have anything like this in Europe. Nothing on that scale. It's pretty interesting and it may sound stupid, but much more accessible than what's in the neighborhood - North Africa for example. Renting a Nissan Ultima and going in those conditions is totally crazy though.
There's something about European Travelers and Death Valley. The Death Valley Germans definitely come to mind.
Yeah as soon as I head "Germans" and "Death Valley" my mind went straight to that - a terrifying story, and seeing how unprepared people were heading into washed out roads in the wrong cars, you can see how it happened.
Brit here who's ridden through the valley a while ago. A large bunch of Austrian bankers pulled up on Harley's into Furnace Creek Lodge - doing some soft of sponsored ride - all decked out in brand new biker gear, clearly feeling like a bunch of badasses. They then proceeded to order themselves a round of white wine spritzers. Just perfect.
Well, it´s a "must stop" for Europeans doing the LA-SF-Vegas road trip. We don´t have anything like that in Europe.
Also... It's early August aka prime central European vacation season.
ahh... des geht schon der hat eh allrad
I think my favorite quote in this video is "I only get my news through memes" which is relatable on a spiritual level.
*picture of Leo DiCaprio in a tuxedo holding up a cocktail and smiling, captioned "AMEN, BROTHER"
That’s how I pick the shows I watch. See enough memes and I give it a go
I remember when I found out that John McCain died because of a crab rave meme. That was god damn hilarious
Because your soulless!spiritual memes wtf
scary how dumb people have gotten
The little shout-out to Matt's off-road recovery was great. Highly recommend people check out them. They are a great channel
Agreed
Excellent!! Been that European in Death Valley in a thunderstorm and flash flooding. We were testing 4x4s for a manufacturer though so we were good. Amazing place. Sad to see that stunning drive down Panamint valley in such a state. Hopefully they'll get it fixed soon. Superb commentary. Almost sprayed my tea on more than few occasions! Great video, thank you.
I got stuck in Death Valley once. Had a flat tire. That is kinda unfun at 45 C. We got help from a park ranger after a few hours. Americans are generally really helpful and kind in such situations. I was so thankful!
We're generally nice folks that enjoy sharing with others, and really making sure you're fed when you eat at our tables.
For those who don't know the shot at 1:11 is Mt Whitney (the highest elevation in the US) from Death Valley (the lowest). It's an over 2 mile rise in elevation.
I hiked Mt Whitney and then drove down into Death Valley on the same day a few years ago so I could say I hit them both on the same day. Was very cool. Never thought I'd see Death Valley like this though!
Great to know maybe I'll visit one day !
Denali in Alaska is the highest elevation in the US (the highest on the entire continent for that matter). It's almost twice as high as Whitney
Continental US. Alaska's Mt McKinley is higher, and Hawaii's Mauna Loa is the highest mountain on Earth when measured from the base.
That shot is actually Telescope Peak. Still an 11k foot difference in elevation though
As a fellow European, thank you for your service.
Haha
Thanks from germany, all of my family, friends, the rest of the country and europa wanna thank you for your service since you helped them all out! Sadly i couldnt make it, but i guess tow you next time :^)
There was a reason why you were there, and I'm glad you helped a lot of stranded tourists.
I love the communal feel of everything on that road. Basically if you can help, you do, and everyone's talking to each other and warning about the upcoming obstacles
THIS!!! It really does happen. Or it's been my experience, too. Also, I'm really glad he turned around and waited/made sure the family got over the road/river!
I grew up and live in Germany so I never saw a desert in my life (which explains the german tourists btw), but i learned a lot about them, and one thing I learned that deserts are even more dangerous when it rains. This video shows pretty acuate why that is the case.
Fun desert fact: Antarctica is by definition a desert, its the biggest desert on our planet.
defuk is that definition coming from.
@@Kabodanki Amount (or in this case lack) of precipitation. Antarctica doesn't get a lot of rain and snow, in fact large chunks of it get about as much as Death Valley, and the air is consistently very dry.
@@Kabodanki You define a desert by its precipitation, very low precipitation means its a desert. Antarctica has one of the lowest precipitation in the world, only beaten by the Sahara.
"There are two ways to die in the desert - from dehydration and from drowning" - Craig Childs (sorry if slightly misquoted)
Death Valley is really pretty after rainfalls like this. All the wild flowers make their appearance briefly in what's called a super bloom.
Even though you’re intent wasn’t to go through that nightmare of a road, those stranded people are really lucky you decided to come through that day in a well suited off roader with a winch to help them out.
it really doesnt matter what sort of automotive content you make, its always top notch.
☝️ what the Anarchists said👍
On behalf of the german population: Thanks for rescuing the fellow Germans
The bumpy part reminds me of the 45 minute long entrance/exit into Bodie, CA
I'd like to imagine that he just slowly built a convoy of rescued tourists as he goes along the route
As a German native living in California thank you for saving these families ;-)
So, can you tell me more about why Death Valley is such a big deal to Germans? I know they come in by the bus load, inspired by some sort of novels or account of the place, but I've never know exactly what the title or plot is to draw such crowds?
I hope the Euro's are doing well and learned from the Valley. A lot of tourists under estimate it, but it doesn't get a name like Death Valley for no reason.
A French family died in the heat after getting stuck on a washed out road a few years back.
@@zeitgeistx5239 It was simultaneously washed out but also that hot?
@@DKNguyen3.1415 Yes, this is possible, especially in the desert. It rains for a few minutes, but quickly gets very hot, and with the humidity? It’s called Death Valley for a reason.
@@aaaccc7173 It happens in any tropical country too. in sri lanka in march it rains sometimes a little bit, then again sunshine. since the humidity is high, the temperature gets worst.
A German Family in a rental car all died in D.V. just a few years ago...
As an Australian born with Italian parents/heritage, thank you for saving those Italians and other European nationals.
My parents say funcolo….sorry, thank you.
All hail the algorithm.
Fanculo*. Cheers
@@GuitarRock86 FANculo very much....stupid autofill!
I was just in Iceland and the only thing the rental car company pounded into my head was that they don't cover water damage from river crossings. Apparently, the biggest cause of loss of life and rental cars is tourists taking their rented Dacia Dusters places Dacia Dusters get washed away.
that's odd. they have proper vehicles for that kind of thing in iceland.
People really, really underestimate the power of water and the buoyancy of a car.
In my limited experience the big risk in Iceland are rocks thrown by opposing traffic, dust storms and sheep. The river crossings are fine, mostly
@@daos3300 - They do, but not at the rental car place. lol
I can confirm this. As a tourist, I've rented a few Dacia Dusters in Iceland and drove them across quite a few river crossings in the Highlands.
When mention starting a recovery service, I immediately thought of Matt and then you brought Matt yourself. Funny that you encountered so many Europeans. They are going to have some stories to tell their friends back home. I been told that the Germans especially like to find places their friends have not been. I think this experience will qualify as one their friends didn't have. I can't believe the roads were not marked at closed.
They must all get great vacation time at work i guess to be traveling to the US every year lol. Thats cool though, never would of thought.
Ive been to California and i loved it. I wanted to visit some more places on the west coat, as on the south east US, but then covid hit...
Id also love to visit Germany and other places in Europe as well.
I'm from Germany and have already visited death valley. almost all germans who visit the west coast stop at death valley and the grand canyon, these are very popular travel destinations for germans visiting the USA.
Death Valley and cocky German tourists, name a more iconic duo!
I noticed, on hikes in the summer in national parks, most foreign visitors the first 400 yards are Chinese, by 1 mile in it is a mixture, by 3 miles in, it is almost all Germans.
I understand visiting Death Valley during the summer is popular for Europeans, especially Germans. There's an infamous incident referred as the Death Valley Germans where a German family disappeared in July 1996 and it took until 2009 before their bodies were found.
Death Valley is no joke. There was a family of Germans in the 90s who went missing and presumably perished. I don't think Europeans realize it's not exactly just a stop to check out
I'm glad you took the extra scenic route!
It was definetly extra extra scenic this time
So are are quite a few people, European or not.
After years of watching you, you'd think I'd see that Altima joke coming 😂
Well next to being a perfect setup it is one of the most popular rental cars in CA for Europeans. I must admit I rented one too.
As to all those europeans in mid-summer Death Valley, I have an idea why. I once worked alongside a slightly older Austrian engineer whose childhood during WWII was a bit harsher than mine had been in New England. I am a SoCal resident like you since before that job. He told me, in the english he had learned from the radio chatter he listened to, from the British and American bombers overhead, that the winters back then were very cold, and that he loved Las Vegas and the desert. He could not get enough of that heat. It seems to have become a challenge since that time to say that they have endured "Death Valley" at its hottest.
Wow, you never hear about Allied aircrew jawing away on the radio. Always portrayed as highly disciplined, etc. But I guess when the Germans are shooting at you anyway, you don't really need to worry about being radio located.
It's the time of the year most folks get time off from work
I've been there in September, it was still scorching hot 🥵
@@Wannes_ i forgot you guys get time off over there lol
Thank you for helping my fellow country men. The video reminded me of the German family that got stuck in the 90s in a remote spot and got killed. Sad story.
Greetings from Germany!
Love the call-out for Matt's TH-cam channel, his wrecker build is almost as much fun to follow as your builds!
Would've loved it if the guy didn't commit tons of insurance fraud and bootlick cops
@@JH-tc3yu excuse me, what are you talking about
@@JH-tc3yu What are you smoking?
@@JH-tc3yu Show us on the doll where the bad man touched you.
Who gives a crap about the insurance fraud? He was simply trying to help average people whose recoveries wouldn’t have otherwise been covered by their insurance plans. God forbid the poor insurance companies lose a few hundred dollars, I know they’re really hurting for cash 🙄
As for bootlicking cops, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Are you saying that because he coordinated with his local police department in order to raise money to build an all-abilities playground for disabled children in his area?
Because if that’s the case, then screw off. Cops do shitty things, but Matt and his local PD have some good for the world.
Thanks Matt for filming all this human interaction. So glad you were able to help people and have a camera to tell us the whole thing.
I'm glad you're ok and that your day was fine eitherway.
"Successfully liberating another German" ROFL, brilliant Matt! Great job saving a bunch of Tourists from what could have been a genuine tragedy.
1:45 i absolutely LOVE that amazing shot of you literally driving into clouds! So cool, so breathtaking!
Damn, America seems so vast, rough, wild and awesome. Looking forward to visiting death valley too one day and thanks for rescuing some fellow Germans.
Much like it's people. :)
America is a lot like Australia in that way, important distinction though America has a lot more people.
If you break down in some parts of Australia you won't be lucky enough to have someone drive past and save you
@@TheNightshadePrince yea especially the vast part
@@sb-di3of Your thinking of Mexico! :)
Wait till you see Detroit.
Well done Mat. You just raised our reputation in the eyes of at least some Europeans.
I’d imagine the high amount of tourists has to do with summer holidays and the fact Death Valley is super unique, especially if you’ve never seen any deserts before at all.
Yea alot of these europeans here have only seen deserts in movies. Had a real good time showing a German friend visiting the west coast our desert landscapes, he marveled at the wide open deserts in Nevada.
@@tiko4621 exactly! Many Germans also have a thing for Westerns, in general, so it figures they’d be a hot spot….pun intended.
I would say there are many other roads through the desert…don’t take one of those through Death Valley in the middle of Summer! Go south to Imperial County and see the sand dunes. 🙂
Speaking as a Brit - I was kind of aware Death Valley's there but thought 'Well, its just somewhere hot and barren'.
Now I know its *interesting and includes some great folk*
I think I might like to go there after all 🙄
WOW REALLY!? WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?!
Im from Germany, and coincidentally we were also there, had to turn around at another spot because the street became impassable, even for highly modified 4x4s.
Thank for posting this video updating other fellow tourist/adventurers about the hazards/conditions. You are literally a lifesaver. Those people could have died stranded in the desert with no cell phone reception and limited supplies in the middle of the desert.