This video follows I-15 North thru the Virgin River Gorge, one of the most stunning engineering marvels along the Interstate Highway System. Includes a 1 minute introduction about the Gorge, itself.
Another superb video FreewayBrent! I traveled this road for the first (and so far, only) time in September 2008 - the hardest part of driving it was keeping my eyes on the road! The scenery to the sides as well as ahead of you is incredible, mile after mile. And if you think YOU got dirty looks for driving within 5 mph of the 55 speed limit, imagine driving this at 55-60mph in a black 2007 Shelby Mustang convertible (see my profile pic); it was my rental car on that last trip to Las Vegas.
wow, this was one of the most amazing lengths of my first road trip to california from Ontario, canada. How awesome to be able to share it with my friends.. thanks so much!
When I drove I-15 through Arizona, I wasn't expecting much because of how short the distance was through the state. But once I got to the Virgin River Gorge, I ended up driving the shoulder most of the way down so I could take a bunch of pictures! This is easily the most picturesque segment of Interstate that I've ever driven on. (The waitress at the restaurant in St. George, UT was very nice too.)
Brent - Excellent work! One of your best videos. Fascinating scenery through that part of the country. I look forward to more of your videos from the mountain states.
....that's one great vid Brent - luvved the start - a bit mysterious - made me want to keep watching - amazing road engineering, beautiful countryside....great job...
I have to say, I shouldn't have watched this, I should have drove it or ride thru it before watching this! But watching this lowers the chance of me fainting in stun due to the magnificent views offered by this stretch of I-15. This is just... STUNNING!
Nice! I'm OTR trucker. I had NO idea what was coming. 1st time out west. Blown away. I missed that flooding last Summer by a week. Phew. Great to see again through your vid.
Wow, now THAT is awesome! I can't get over how awesome the scenery and rock formations are! I liked the new warning signs you included in this video. No doubt that this is one of your best.
Great video! We drove through the gorge a few months ago (end of April 2012). I just wanted to add to anyone else watching this that if you are impressed with the video, you will be blown away by actually driving through the gorge yourself. The views to the side multiply the "wow" by at least an order of magnitude. Just try to keep your eyes on the road enough to avoid accidents :)
Very nice. Being A flatlander out of the Delta I sure white knuckled it the first few times thru. (had just relocated) now I totally enjoy driving this stretch of hwy!! Great video. Thank you, enjoyed being A passenger for A change. :)
My God, Brent. You and Jim always amaze me with your videos. You make me want to upgrade my license, stop driving buses and just see what you guys show us with my own eyes. Great work.
It’s been a few years. I was in a lightly modified 2014 Ford Focus hatch 5 speed, and a random civic si passed me as we entered the gorge. We raced like jackasses between 70 and 135 mph by the end of the gorge, felt amazing hugging the concrete barrier around every bend. I’d never pushed a vehicle that hard before. I’ll never forget the experience.
After I retired as a law enforcement officer I spent years on the road... The Virgin River Gorge is most definitely the most beautiful piece of roadway in the nation. I loved the fact bubbles you made, kinda like "Pop Up Video." In St George, twice there were local pickup truck drivers who got angry with me because I was slow reentering the interstate toward Salt Lake City, and they pulled around in front of me and stomped on their brakes... Both times karma paid them back. The first one, his radiator blew as he was pulling away. The second one he blew a tire, got out of his pickup and threw his fist in the air, cursing at me. Like I caused his flat tire. At the 4:10 mark you pull up from behind, on a truck who, that company was who I worked for. They fired me after an injury and wouldn't tell me why. Karma again... Someone else sued them 4 years later, the EEOC got involved, they went through the records of that company and found that the company had fired me under similar circumstances, and 7 years after that company illegally fired me, I received a very healthy settlement check. Such craziness in the USA. I like being retired to the mountains of Mexico. I stick to myself with my wife, my dogs and my weapons... And enjoy life. There are some beautiful places on the roads in México, too, but nothing like the VRG.
The first time I took this was at night, and it was like a video game for race-car driving (with the inertia force for all the winding). Later on, I got to take it during the daytime I be in awe at its beauty.
I drove through here in 2003 for the first time and as soon as I got the St George side I turned around and did it all over again. Then in 2005 I drove over the Beaver Dam Mountains, towing my Airstream Trailer via Cedar Pockets and landed back on the highway, awesome. wild horses and wild flowers. There is a short clip up on my RU-vid site, the begging of a film I am making as I explored the American West.
The first time I drove through here was my very first delivery as a truck driver from Colorado to California. I'll never forget such a beautiful stretch of highway.
Glad you enjoyed! I plan on eventually replacing this video with footage from a camcorder that is much better and stable, as well as a much improved edited all-round presentation. Anyway, thanks for dropping by!
@kitme: Cracker Barrel is the bomb-diggity! I tend to dislike the majority of chains, but I must have gained a few pounds last summer, eating at Cracker Barrel restaurants in Tennessee and eventually the rest of the eastern U.S. (my friend who lives in Nashville, introduced me to Cracker Barrel for the very first time).
@wentsurfing: My first time was actually in 2006, and I was completely blown away by the engineering that went into place in constructing a high-speed, modern freeway thru such narrow quarters. 4 years later, and now I have a video of the whole thing. :-) I'm hoping to get out to Colorado next month. Stay tuned...
I drove there a couple of days ago. The scenery is truly amazing and inspiring. It was also a fun drive (downhill) as well due to its steep grade and large curves. Thanks for capturing this wonderful moment and share it!
Hey there Kim! Thank you very much. Truth be told, a few other video producers have released much better videos of the Virgin River Gorge. Check out FreewayJim, my RU-vid partner and personal friend, for starters. In the mean time, I've been releasing much better videos in recent years. If you want, check out my newest release from yesterday, showcasing the freeways and tunnels in Sydney, Australia.
@0marigolds: I've never driven thru the Gorge at night, but I'll definitely take your word for it, seeing how the stars really do seem to be more intense in the desert sky, once you're far away from the light pollution of Phoenix or Las Vegas. I had no idea you've been thru the Gorge before; I'm glad you were able to relive one of your favorite drives, thru my video. Thanks for watching!
I drove south through it just as radio warned of a deadly thunderstorm. We had rain 3" deep on road within secs and no delay between lightning and thunder. Also high winds, it was 1am, power was out at Littlefield! Scary scary..
@smith23kevin: That's one of the purposes of my videos; I hope to inspire others to travel to the places that I've been able to visit. I'm glad you enjoyed the ride.
@VaFreeways: I know, right? I can't believe they actually succeeded in building that incredible stretch of Interstate, thru an area where there was previously no road at all.
As usual, wonderful stuff here. One point of contention though. While the lower elevation regions of the Arizona Strip and Washington County in Utah *can* be classified as the Colorado Plateau, they are still technically part of the Mojave desert. The soils, amount of rainfall, and vegetation (Joshua trees and Creosote bushes) are indicator features of the Mojave, as are the elevations, being less than 4,000 feet. The Plateau proper really begins to the east, where such things disappear.
@JcBrooks651: It's perhaps a bit strange that I grew up, taking all the scenery out here for granted, mainly 'cause I was exposed to it all at such a young age, but as I started venturing out to other parts of North America, I only began to appreciate just how majestic the American West really is.
@Bbgunn325: Thank you, thank you, thank you! There really are a lot of fascinating landscapes in this country; the internet and the explosion of both high-speed access, RU-vid and easy-to-learn home video editing software is allowing people like Jim and I to present these videos to the general public
@firenewt95: The American West is basically the equivalent to a huge inventory, full of fascinating landscapes. Thanks for watching; I really appreciate the feedback, too. By the way, where exactly would I be able to locate the M62 in the UK, on a map?
Was this section of I-15 built by 1986? Going down memory lane here. I seem to recall travelling the entire length of I-15 from the Canadian border to San Diego back in 1986-87? I seem to recall driving through the gorge,but saw very little due to concentrating on the road and the traffic around me. This video shows what I missed, beautiful landscape. Next time just a passenger!!
I think you might find that the Glenwood Canyon Project in Glenwood Springs. Colorado. Is the most expensive project on the Interstate Highway system. (const from 1989-1994)
@Universal1011: Thank you so much! I feel the same way too; I really spent a decent amount of time, editing this video. The extra time and effort spent really resulted in a well-presentable video.
@FreewayBrent Indeed. Cars don't run too well in the heat, even worse when they break down on a busy street. Of course, the trucks might have needed to rush based on any cargo. By the way, the annotations are even better now, with roadway signs included.
@rockersk08: Ahh yes, about the passing traffic. My 2009 Corolla is pretty smooth, but like most cars, when the outside temperature is 107 degrees, the tires are going to ride harder, no matter how advanced your suspension is, and I did not want to ruin the footage by having my tripod bouncing around inside. I settled for 55 to 60 MPH, although in the 2nd half of the video, I decided to kick it up to 70 MPH to pass the RV and two 18-wheelers, who had previously passed me before.
@ChrisK529: I know exactly how you must have felt; I was pretty much shell-shocked when I first drove thru here in 2006, on my very first long-distance road trip (7,000 roundtrip miles to Denver, KC, St. Louis, Chicago and Detroit). I had no idea just what an engineering marvel I-15 was (and still is) thru Arizona, nor could I have guessed what I was about to encounter.
@Kyukanbun: Overall, the traffic volumes really dont necessitate a widening to 6 lanes, and it would be almost physically impossible along some parts to widen this freeway, without requiring further modifications to the physical landscape. I drove this on perhaps the busiest driving day of the year for I-15 in Arizona (July 3rd); traffic is usually very light thru there. It's probably too much of a hassle for the Arizona Dept. of Transportation to consider.
