England YouTuber “Ajdpadbury” is my guest host on this video, about our visit to Hoover Dam, which sits on the border of Nevada and Arizona, not far from Las Vegas. The video also shows how construction   more...is progressing on the bypass highway that will one day speed motorists past Hoover Dam, instead of having to do the “snail paced” crawl across the dam that currently occurs on the narrow two lane road.

Hoover Dam was constructed between 1931 and 1936. It cost $165 million to build and took 4,400,000 CUBIC YARDS of CONCRETE!! The dam is 726.4 feet tall.

The Lake Mead water level “crests” at the dam at a height of 1,232 feet above sea level. The current water level is only at about 1,110 feet high. Rapidly expanding Las Vegas gets 90% of its water from Lake Mead. If the water level were to ever drop below 1,000 feet, then Vegas would be in HUGE trouble, since the water intakes for Vegas are set at that level. Here’s an interesting website that charts the water levels of Lake Mead: http://www.arachnoid.com/NaturalResources/index.html and here’s a website with more statistics about the dam: http://www.usbr.gov/dataweb/dams/nv10122.htm

The song is “Trip Around the Sun” by Jimmy Buffett and Martina McBride.  less

Here's a short video clip of the volcano show that happens every 60 minutes nightly at The Mirage in Las Vegas. One of my YouTube friends from England, "Ajdpadbury" (Anthony), and I saw this   more...the other night.

The song I added is the circa 1967 hit "Fire!" by Arthur Brown . . . it's hard to believe it's already been 40 years!! since this song came out! GEEZ!, "tempus fugits"!! LOL  less

My England lady friend and I met up with YouTube friends Dominika (YTer "Nika441") and Anthony (YTer "Ajdpadbury") to ride on the London Eye, and wander around London for the day,   more...so we saw some great street performers at the Thames River area near the London Eye. It's also fun to look at the expressions of the people as they pass by this performer :)

The song is “Relax, Take It Easy” by Mika.  less

The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is located just a few miles west of Las Vegas and encompasses 197,000 acres within the Mojave Desert. Red Rock is an area of worldwide geologic interest   more...and beauty.

The most significant geologic feature of Red Rock Canyon is the Keystone Thrust Fault. A thrust fault is a fracture in the earth's crust where one rock plate is thrust horizontally over another. About 65 million years ago, it is believed that two of the earth's crustal plates collided with such force that part of one plate was shoved up and over younger sandstones. This thrust contact is clearly defined by the sharp contrast between the grey limestones and the red sandstones. The Keystone Thrust Fault extends from the Cottonwoood Fault (along the Pahrump Highway) 13 miles northward to the vicinity of La Madre Mountain, where it is obscured by more complex faulting.

Rock art within Red Rock comes in two varieties, petroglyphs and pictographs. The difference between the two types is the manner in which they were made. Petroglyphs were pecked into the surface of the rock. Pictographs were painted on the rock. In Red Rock Canyon a coating of dark "desert varnish" on lighter sandstone provides the perfect medium for petroglyphs, which are the most common of the two types of rock art found at Red Rock. If you want to discover some petroglyphs firsthand, the Red Spring area has a wide variety of different styles on the cliff faces and fallen boulders.

(The above information was taken from the following websites:
http://www.desertusa.com/redrock/ and
http://www.redrockcanyonlv.org/ )

The song is “Lost Highway” by Bon Jovi  less

YouTubers “LifeJourneyGuy” and England’s “Ajdpadbury” (aka Anthony) headed out from Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago to check out “Grand Canyon West” and the “Skywalk”. We had a GREAT time!!!! Here’s   more...the info on the skywalk from the official website (http://destinationgrandcanyon.com/skywalk.html):

“The Glass Bridge Construction of the Skywalk began March of 2004 and will open March 28, 2007.

“Upon completion, the Glass Bridge will be suspended 4,000 feet above the Colorado River on the very edge of the Grand Canyon. On May 2005, the final test was conducted and the stucture passed engineering requirements by 400 percent, enabling it to withstand the weight of 71 fully loaded Boeing 747 airplanes (more than 71 million pounds). The bridge will be able to sustain winds in excess of 100 miles per hour from 8 different directions, as well as an 8.0 magnitude earthquake within 50 miles. More than one million pounds of steel will go into the construction of the Grand Canyon Skywalk.”

- - - - -

To get to and from the Skywalk, it requires you to drive on 28 miles of VERY dusty dirt road with sections of fairly deep gravel and “washboard” surfacing, so after again reaching the “land of paved roads”, I pulled over and wiped the dirt off my SUV, and we visited with two really adventurous Harley riders from Alaska who had done the dirt road on their big Harleys! I’ve been a motorcyclist for 38 years, but would only wanna do THAT road on a off-road type DIRT bike!!

No cameras of ANY kind are allowed ON the Skywalk, and it’s difficult (and becoming INCREASINGLY difficult) to even film the Skywalk while OFF the structure, so just be aware of that if you plan to visit this unique structure, because most of your memories of your visit will be IN your memory!! You can tho’ buy commemorative photos, taken by Skywalk employees, of yourself on the Skywalk, but, if I recall correctly, those photos start at around $26, so Anthony and I stood off to the side of the Skywalk, and used our camera zoom lenses instead! Also, it costs a minimum of $74.95 per person to walk on the Skywalk, so we considered it a “once in a lifetime” kinda experience, but the view FROM the Skywalk, and the view THROUGH the TOTALLY “SEE-THROUGH” type WALKWAY SURFACE of the Skywalk below your feet to the ground thousands of feet below was WELL worth it!, altho’ we noticed that quite a few people experienced a DEFINITE fear of heights once they’d look down and see “nothing” supporting them! LOL

The song is “You Can Go Your Own Way” by Chris Rea.  less

England YouTuber "AjdPadbury" (Anthony) and I went for a drive along the Las Vegas Strip the other night. I drove (and watched out for OTHER sightseein' motorists! LOL), as Anthony worked the   more...camcorder. Thanks Anthony for sending me the half hour or so of camcorder footage from that drive, so I could then edit it down and make a five minute LifeJourneyGuy video out of it.

The song is the ZZ Top version of "Viva Las Vegas".  less

I interviewed British vlogger Anthony Padbury to learn all about England over a couple of pints of porter in a San Francisco pub.

Thanks to Anthony:
http://uk.youtube.com/user/ajdpadbury
and to Cat:
http://uk.youtube.com/user/21stcenturycat

Please think twice before meeting up with your online friends, it doesn't always go to plan.

Featuring Anthony Padbury:
http://uk.youtube.com/user/ajdpadbury

Meet “Baby” . . . this goat has SO much personality!

The song is “Give Me One More Shot” by Alabama.

Compound bows are a great way to get an upper body workout (it takes 70 pounds of muscle pull to draw back the bow string to fire each arrow, which leaves the bow at a speed of 270 feet per second).   more...The rear sight on this bow is an aperture type and the front sight is a fiber optic “bead” type. Some of my friends think I’m nuts (which isn’t atypical for me LOL), but archery is much like some forms of meditation, because you have to clear your mind and have a singular focus in order to shoot well.

I’ve got an indoor “shooting range” in my home, which consists of standing at the far end of one room, then shooting arrows thru’ that room, then thru’ a hallway, then through a bedroom and into the target bag LOL, but this video footage was taken at my friend’s ranch, where I can have fun shooting at distances up to around 150 feet.

The song is “Hard Workin’ Man” by Brooks & Dunn.  less

It's Harbor Seal Pupping Season in San Diego, California, so here are some video clips I took yesterday.

The song is "Trip Around The Sun" by Jimmy Buffett and Martina McBride

This video gives my thoughts on my theory that “Humans often migrate solely for the purpose of arriving at places of entertainment” LOL . . . I think that type of “migration” behavior is unique to humans   more...(for instance, you don’t hear about huge gray whales migrating somewhere just to be entertained by watching penguins play! LOL). Anyway, watch the video if you want more clarification of this latest, seemingly bizarre, theory of mine :)

What got me thinkin' about this, was that I'm watchin' the INCREDIBLE "Planet Earth" series on the Discovery Channel every Sunday night, and they often talk about "migration" of mammals, fish, and birds . . . there are only four episodes of this great 11 part series left to watch, so if you haven't watched any yet, please DO!! You WON'T be disappointed!

. . . and DANG!! . . I only NOW realized, after uploading this, that I didn't spell "Hawaii" correctly in my video!!! . . . so much for my "graduated with honors" advanced university degree diploma I got back in '74! LMAO

The song is “Everybody’s Talkin’ “ by Nilsson  less

I have an annual pass to nearby SeaWorld here in San Diego, so today I decided to test out a theory . . . (any of my close friends will tell you that I ALWAYS have theories spinnin' around in my head   more...LOL)

I've always known that little kids focus "solely in the moment", whereas older kids, and particularly adults, usually lose that ability as they grow older. It's understandable, because the older you get, the more that your thoughts are consumed by your responsibilities, worries, problems, and commitments, etc.

My theory is that one of the best ways to force your brain to "shut off" the worries of the day for a while, and TRULY "live in the moment" again, is to take thrill rides :) :)

So today when I went to SeaWorld, I decided to head over to their "Journey to Atlantis" ride and test out my theory :) , and YEP!!, after watchin' many boatloads of people drop down the steep slope durin' this park ride, I saw that almost EVERYBODY had a smile on his or her face, so for those few seconds of the steep dropoff, I'd be willing to bet that NOBODY had worried about their car payments, upcoming income taxes, work problems, or anything OTHER than the ride itself, so for those few seconds, the people had "re-learned" how to truly "live in the moment" and were happier as a result :) :)

So sit back and enjoy the ride for 2:41 seconds :) :) and listen to Lovin' Spoonful's "Summer in the City".

Thanks for watching this video :)  less

The vid title pretty much says it all :) :) . . . and yeah . . . . . I'm EASILY entertained!! LOL

I always enjoy knowing what goes on “behind the scenes”, so here is a video of the crew who do all the daily maintenance of the fountain jets and lighting for the “Fountains of Bellagio” shows, to assure   more...that everything is in perfect order for the wonderful water fountain shows, which please visitors from around the world.

The song is “Shiftwork” by Kenny Chesney and George Strait.  less

Here’s another video is my “Fountains of Bellagio” series. This water fountain show highlights the great Broadway classic “Overture / And All That Jazz”, sung by Catherine Zeta-Jones. The Bellagio’s   more...“extreme shooter” water cannons blast water columns 460 feet into the air!  less

The music for this Bellagio, Las Vegas water fountain show is “This Kiss” by Faith Hill.

Here is a lighthearted video highlighting the two ends of the spectrum when it comes to overnight lodging accommodations . . . well, at least in terms of those lodging facilities that provide running   more...water and electricity! LOL (In my life I’ve stayed at places WITHOUT running water and electricity as well, but those places AREN’T in this video :) )

The song used for the video is “Hotel California” by the Eagles.  less

Here are some more of the video clips of the majestic Kings Canyon National Park, located south of Yosemite National Park and east of Fresno, California. While I was motorcycling through the park, there   more...were several hundred forest fires burning around California, so you’ll see how much smoky haze there was around the park.

The song for the video is “Believe In You” by Canadian singer Amanda Marshall.  less

Here are some of the many video clips I took of the park on a recent motorcycle trip. Kings Canyon is located south of Yosemite, and east of Fresno, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I’ll also be doing   more...a YouTube video of the Giant Sequoia trees at some point, with video footage I took of the MASSIVE old trees inside Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.

The song for this video is “Ballad of Easy Rider” performed by The Byrds, from the counterculture 1969 biker movie “Easy Rider” starring Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper, with a 32 year old Jack Nicholson in a highly entertaining role as an alcoholic lawyer, for which Jack got nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. It was arguably this movie role that got Jack his “big break” in Hollywood, and spring boarded him to later fame and fortune . . . but, I’m obviously now digressing from the topic of this video! LOL  less

Not to be confused with Morro Rock (with TWO Rs) in Morro Bay, California, this is a video of the fun hike to the top of 6,725 foot high Moro Rock, located in Sequoia National Park in the Sierra Nevada   more...Mountains of California.

The two “mountain” songs used in the video are: “There Is A Mountain” by Donovan, and “Go Tell It On A Mountain” by Peter, Paul & Mary.  less

Here are some video clips I took of the peaceful solitude that can be found at 6:30 AM at the 2008 Hollister Motorcycle Rally in California. This tranquil time of day is obviously BEFORE approximately   more...130,000 bikers and spectators arrive at the event!

The photos of the bikes and bikers that follow the video clips are ones I took at the Hollister Motorcycle Rally in 2003. The two songs I used for the video are “Solitary Man” by Neil Diamond and “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf.

The Hollister Motorcycle Rally is known worldwide as “the birthplace of the American biker”, with bikers attending from as far away as France and Australia. The vendors at this event make Hollister the largest motorcycle marketplace in the west.

This event got its historic birth on the 1947 Fourth of July weekend, when approximately 4,000 motorcyclists descended on the sleepy little town of Hollister, California and created havoc. This invasion was the spark that eventually led to what is arguably the quintessential outlaw biker movie of all time, entitled “The Wild One” in 1953, starring Marlon Brando as “Johnny”, and Lee Marvin as “Chino”. At one point in the movie Johnny is guzzling beer and dancing with some of the ladies in the bar, and one female dance partner questions Johnny: “Hey, Johnny, What are you rebelling AGAINST?” While tapping out a jazzy beat on the top of the jukebox, Marlon Brando raises his eyebrow and drawls his amorphous reason for rebellion: “What’ve you GOT!?”

For more historical perspective on the 1947 biker riot, here is an account from the time from the San Francisco Chronicle: http://www.cestcop.com/chron1.htm

and a followup article from July 6, 1947: http://www.cestcop.com/chron2.htm

Here is an excerpt from the articles:

HOLLISTER. July, 5 1947

State Highway patrolmen tonight imposed informal martial law in downtown Hollister to curb the riotous activities of an estimated 4000.

Almost 60 persons were injured, three of them seriously. Several more arrests were made and a special night court session was convened to punish those charged with reckless driving and drunkenness.

The outburst of terrorism - wrecking of bars, bottle barrages into the streets from upper story windows and roofs and high speed racing of motorcycles though the streets - came as participants in the annual "Gypsy Tour" sponsored by the American Motorcycle Association converged on Hollister for a three-day meeting.

Armed with tear gas guns, the officers herded the cyclists into a block on San Benito street, between Fifth and Sixth streets, parked a dance band on a truck and ordered the musicians to play.

Hundreds of individuals who invaded the town yesterday for the motorcycle show, about 10 percent of them women, halted their riotous "play" to dance. Their formal ball at the American Legion Hall was canceled by police orders.

The dancers scuffed their way through inches of broken glass, debris of bottle barrages thrown during the day. The officers stood almost shoulder to shoulder along the curb.”

The "tour" brought the largest amount of transients in recent history to Hollister. Hundreds slept in "haystacks" according to police and in the city park and squares.  less

I always enjoy the thrill of jets taking off, so yep, that's the entire purpose of this vid!

The song is "I Can't Drive 55" by Sammy Hagar

Dolphins & Killer Whales splashing visitors!

The song is "Vertigo" by U2