Thank you for sharing this location. Many of us know the story, but few of us can make it out there to see the cutoff. I always recall the words of fourteen-year-old Virginia Reed, a surviving Donner Party member, in an 1847 letter. “Don’t let this letter dishearten anybody and never take no cutoffs and hurry along as fast as you can.”
back at the top of the canyon, where you pulled off, talking about the sign that was just put down, (near the possible grave) if you followed that road off to the left, you could see the paths they dug into the hill side to make it easier on the wagons coming down it, the paths they cut are called Dug ways, and now you know how dugway got its name.
Thank you!! I’ve listened to endless hours of Donner party documentaries. I’ve always wondered what the Hastings cutoff actually looked like. Fantastic!!
I'm getting Red Dead Redemption vibes watching this. But in all seriousness it is a beautiful landscape, and it is a tragedy that so many of the Donner Party didn't make it.
The "plant" visible from the overlook is one of the toxic-waste incinerators built to take advantage of the clean air ("airshed") in the W salt desert. Even if the combustion is a tiny bit incomplete, it will still meet standards because of the huge area of non-polluted air.
@@ryanlogan2911 yup that's it--the deposit is an ancient "black smoker" (hydrothermal vent) from when the ocean lay over the area for a couple billion years-
one more thing... I like to see roads and trails on maps... maybe you could add something like that to your videos... show a little map of where exactly you were. Thx!!
Hey Kevin, do you ever get up into Montana? We have some pretty spectacular areas to see as well. If you would ever be interested could take you out on an ATV ride in our area. Took a guy from Minnesota out last year said it was the best trip he's ever been in. Appreciate the time and effort you put into your posts.
Kevin, I like your videos. They’re very informative. But dude, you gotta scan your camera less. I get sick watching your videos scan from right to left then from left to right and so on. Just hold it on an area so we can see details. Well, you know what I mean.