I grew up in Plainview, TX. Born 1946. I lived in Denver area for 23 years (1979-2003) and would drive to Plainview 3 times a year to visit my mom. So drove through Clayton many many times, BUT-- never stopped long enough to tour the town. Oh well. And never had a thought about visiting 3-corners. So thanks for making the journey for us folks too rushed to enjoy the journey. I very much appreciate it.

@artycat0811

Ай бұрын

@donsambol....Hello, I grew in the TX panhandle also, Silverton, and remember making the drive to Planview to go to the grocery store etc. It's disheartening to see what's happened to the area after the agricultural decline but I still love visiting and having that feeling ths sky could swallow you up.

@Heydrich43

Ай бұрын

Watch your speed in Clayton

@Daniel-fd3wp

Ай бұрын

@donsambol I never lived in Denver my Dad was was born there in 1949. He unfortunately passed he relocated to California in the early 70’s. Married my Mom In Salinas California. Long story how they met. They moved to San Diego and were married for 42 years. I still live here . I asked my dad what was the closest weather in Denver he felt 40 below . And he walked to School he told you didn’t ask your parents to drive. Not like these days. And he told me the back door was always open. Times have changed.👍

@butchsilk3145

Ай бұрын

You're a nut.

@halmcgowen2823

Ай бұрын

Did you know any of the McGowen family in Plainview?

I love the way you do not shy away from barren and abandoned sites. These places do evoke thoughts of the distant past.

These side trips are a great way to appreciate the vastness of our wonderful country. Thanks for your entertaining posts.

@SidetrackAdventures

Ай бұрын

Thank you. In person those volcanoes really stand out from how flat the rest of the area is.

@user-qj6fk9px8l

Ай бұрын

in 60s-70s, family vacation from Missouri-Oklahoma-Texas-Lousiana-Arkansas & back went thru this area............. In Oklahoma-Kansas area there is a desert & desert lake similar to Salt Lake, with car speed tests, "sail cars", bicycle-powered airplane tests (aka: Henry Kremer Prize broken by the Gossamer Condor) & a huge wide-shallow lake.

Very cool to document these towns and areas that aren't ever going to be on a TV show of their own. Good work.

@SidetrackAdventures

Ай бұрын

Thanks. I can definitely imagine one of those ghost hunting shows heading to Clayton. It seemed like every building had a ghost story.

I don't know how you do it Steve, but please keep finding these unique out of the way places. So many hidden gems of history are available to see and experience to those willing to look, and I thank you for looking!

I think it's cool that you did this. My three sisters and I took a great (ie fun) roadtrip a few years ago, checking out the areas most affected by the monstrous dust storms, and came across the last coffee shop in OK. We were the only customers which meant the owner sat and talked with us, drinking coffee, for a good long while. Among my best memories.

If you're crazy, Steve, you're my kind of crazy! I enjoy your video explorations immensely! Thanks for taking us along.

@kenbearsley8322

Ай бұрын

Yip. He's definitely the kind of crazy to be a great tourist guide. Steve is crazy enough to show the real parts of America. I live in New Zealand and love his out of the way places in America. The real places, not like Hollywood or other expensive tourist traps.

The triple corner of Nevada, Arizona and California is located just north of Needles , about a mile south of the Avi Casino on the west levee road. It's actually a reference point because the point is in the Colorado River.

hello steve, englishman kevin here...always had a fascination of the midwest...especially the landscape and those vast open skies...your history is unique to me as its not very old at all to us...but your history is still fascinating..from the pioneers, (american )civil war to the fiftees..i love those abandoned car garages etc..always eat my dinner watching these vids ..keep up it mate..

@paulayala4816

Ай бұрын

You should find and rent the movie "The Last Picture Show", which is one of my favorites. It provides some great insight into living in the midwest during the 1950's.

@timnell207

Ай бұрын

This would actually be called the southwest

@paulayala4816

Ай бұрын

@@timnell207 I'm from southern California, which is as southwest as you can get, everything else is the midwest or east coast.

@johngaither9263

Ай бұрын

Sorry mate but the Midwest part of the USA is about 1500 miles north and east of three corners. US geographical terms are confusing and reflect parts of the country two centuries ago now. This is desolate country and was considered desert until water well drilling and windmills made it almost habitable. Droughts, the dust bowl and the Great Depression put a stop to most everything.

@paulayala4816

Ай бұрын

Thinking about my comment and Hawaii would probably be considered the southwest.

7:11 Not only a cool theater sign, look how great the tiles have held up at the entry! And at the JC Penney entrance! Wow! Thanks Steve!

"They've seen ghosts... but I'M crazy" 🤣🤣 Great video! Literally exploring every last corner

Thanks for the visit. I haven't been through there in over 20 years. My dad was born in Dawson (a mining town near Cimmaron) in 1921. There will be a Dawson Reunion and picnic on Labor Day weekend this year at the sight of where the town once stood. The town closed when the mines closed in 1952. My dad's family came out west from Arkansas to Dawson in 1907 where my grandfather worked on the railroad. They moved to Trinidad, CO in 1929 and to Dalhart, TX in 1930. My parents met in Dalhart after WW2. They got married in Clayton and came out to California in 1949.

😂. I’m dying “They’ve seen ghosts and they think I’m crazy “ Haha

@Pablo_Del_Norte

Ай бұрын

4:58 I loved it too!

@SidetrackAdventures

Ай бұрын

No problem, thank you for watching!

@MrApollonox

Ай бұрын

Kinda disrespectful imo. Not necessarily a believer in ghosts myself, but there’s plenty of unexplained things that happen that wouldn’t lend towards someone being crazy for developing a belief in ghosts. Bad etiquette to insult your host.

I live west of Clayton. I leased the grazing rights in the field in NM. I too took time to look at and place my hand on that very place. Thanks for the interest in my home turf.

@user-yy3om6he2m

Ай бұрын

I have family in that area and property on west side of union county

Made the identical trip last year. I was able to hit the other three corners that same day: OK/NM/CO, which is even more off the beaten path. Pretty mesa-country. Safe travels!

@gdroege44

Ай бұрын

We visited this place too, with a group of motorcycles riding around the border of the state of Oklahoma. 👍

@SidetrackAdventures

Ай бұрын

I saw a picture of that marker. It looked much cooler than this one. I might try to get there when I'm back in the area later this year.

@Barbara-pe2jf

Ай бұрын

I didn’t know it was accessible! It’s now on my bucket list. I’ve been to the Tex/OK/NM spot and am planning to go to the KS/OK/CO spot. Now I have another goal!

@Rfk1966

Ай бұрын

@@SidetrackAdventures if it has been raining, be sure you have 4WD. The last 1/4 mile isn’t paved and gets extremely muddy

@GrasslandsG81

Ай бұрын

​@Barbara-pe2jf , I will be hitting up the KS/OK/CO spot in a couple of weeks... going to be staying in the Cimarron National Grasslands for a few days... then the Comanche National Grasslands in Colorado, then down into New Mexico. I'll probably be hitting up Tucumcari on the way back. It's nice to see that other people travel like i do... not a fan of cities and Interstates, lol.

Love it! Driving back from Tucson to Chicago, we took our young daughters to the Four Corners. My daughters being gymnast's, took a great photo doing a backflip with a foot and hand in the four different states. Was saddened to hear in the news years later that apparently the exact location was determined to be off by a little bit.

@Ekatjam

Ай бұрын

After posting my comment, I did a search on the Four Corners controversy. NOAH has a great detailed write up on it. Long story short is that once the government makes an official marking and it is accepted. That is the official location.😊

@SidetrackAdventures

Ай бұрын

We stopped by there about 10 years ago and have a cool picture of our son as a baby in all four states, but haven't been in the area surprisingly since.

@davidroman1654

Ай бұрын

We went to "Four Corners" a few years ago and it was closed for updating. Never been back. Maybe someday

Tucumcari is kind of a sad town to me. There's a lot of empty, decaying buildings. I had a friend that had a vacation home in Logan right on the lake. It was beautiful. Thanks for showing us this only slightly traveled part of New Mexico. It was a fun trip down memory lane.

@Rfk1966

Ай бұрын

Was surprised how many empty buildings there are, even though it’s on the freeway. Businesses on I-40 seem to be doing ok, but less-so the rest of the town. Hope it turns around.

@sandyzalecki1145

Ай бұрын

@@Rfk1966 Me too. I lived in Deming, New Mexico for 11 years until my husband passed away in 2017. I miss it. I have friends in Tucumcari and they are having a hard time keeping their business afloat. I hope it turns around for them.

@wtxrailfan

Ай бұрын

I used to regularly visit relatives who lived in Tucumcari. I was around when the I-40 bypass finally opened in 1981. It seemed like the town went from boom to bust almost overnight. The once bustling main drag had become all but deserted. It was really quite shocking to see how fast the transformation occurred. There's simply little reason for most travelers on I-40 to actually take the business route through town unless they're Route 66 buffs.

@SidetrackAdventures

Ай бұрын

It looks like a few businesses are doing a good job leaning into Route 66, but its hard because not every place can be the Blue Swallow. Hopefully they can figure something out.

@ROGER2095

Ай бұрын

There's a college there, but otherwise, there's not a lot to do there since the Interstate took all the Route 66 business away. Businesses close, people leave, and don't come back.

A bad Wednesday, is made MUCH better due to a Sidetrack Adventure.

I lived in Texline when my dog ran away. Was easy to watch him the first two days. Standing on a milk crate, was able to watch him 2 more.

@SidetrackAdventures

Ай бұрын

That's pretty funny.

@KillerRabbit1975

Ай бұрын

I haven’t heard that joke in 30 years! Thanks for the chuckle and the memories.

@johnkeith2450

Ай бұрын

@@KillerRabbit1975 My twist on it

Brings back a lot of memories from when our family was stationed in Amarillo. Dad used to say it was nothing but miles upon miles of miles in all directions. That part of the country is so flat that back in the 1960's at night we could get radio stations from Chicago.

Thank you for letting us come along with you on your adventures.

Thank you, Steve, for making the drive and sharing it with the rest of us!

Well, if it's crazy that you came to this spot in America, then you can call me absolutely nuts. I really enjoy these little adventures you take us on.

Drove through the western corner of the Oklahoma panhandle, Delhart, and Guymon area. I had just read the book Worst Hard Time, by Timothy Egan, about the brave people who stayed and rode out thr Dust Bowl years when lots of people left for California trying to eke out a living as sharecroppers. Still dusty, hot, and dry during my summer road trip. Went to the XIT museum, Panhandle State University Museum, then drove south through Lubbock to Wink, Texas, near Pecos, to visit the Roy Orbison Museum. Love Roy's music. It wasn't open, but just walk next door to the city hall and ask if anyone is working there because I just drive 2,000 miles to see Roy. They'll ask someone to open it for you. Simple one roommuseim of memorabilia, including his famous preacription sunglasses. Speaking of JC Penneys, the mother store, the firstl store where James Cash Penney started his department store is located in Kemmerer, Wyoming, and it is still operating as a store.

I stopped by this Tri-State location 15 years ago. I was delivering a propane truck upfitted in Flint MI. The delivery was in Southern California. To break the monotony of the long drive I would plan rest stops in interesting places. The driving across the Oklahoma Panhandle is fascinating but at times frightful. Tremendous thunderstorms would loom up on the horizon far out in the distance. I was always glad to arrive in Rayton NM. Your video captures the high and very dry climate in this part of the southwest. Thank you.

I was there in 2022! My next goal is to get the three states at the Kansas, Colorado and Oklahoma mark, then find the Colorado, NM, and Oklahoma mark (although I don’t think it is accessible. ) there is also a three state mark at the Oklahoma, Kansas, MO junction. The Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma Tri mark is in the Red River. 🤷🏻‍♀️I was at Four Corners in 1989. The mountain you saw are called Rabbit Ears. They are a very familiar landmark for Texans and Oklahomans heading to the mountains both for skiing and summer fun. Loved your video! Edited to say, there are travel people out there who badmouth these wide expanses of sky and land, but you were so respectful in this video. The people who stayed through the Dust Bowl were tough. My grandma gave birth to my mom during the Dust Bowl, in July, in Western Oklahoma. She was a tough lady.

Steve, I love watching your videos from Perth, Australia. I always say" it's not the destination but the journey is the most fun part"

Oh man, Steve! I absolutely love this video. I used to travel many of those lonely roads in New Mexico and I thoroughly enjoyed passing through all the many small towns and forgotten places. Being from Southern California, it's nice to get out in the wide open areas of this great land and leave the congestion and crowds behind!

@michaeljimenez1203

Ай бұрын

Amen, biscuitboy.(born in ELA, former Palm Springs resident)

I remember the National Geographic special "Love those trains". The phrase that came up" It's got to be the going,not the getting there thats good". I have enjoyed your journey, thanks for taking us along.....RF

@garryferrington811

Ай бұрын

With American trains, you'd better enjoy the going, because it takes a l-o-o-o-ng time to get anywhere! 😆

Excellent addition to your saga! It never crossed my mind that such a place exists, your humor is at its best, and I learned many things. Hahaha! "They've seen ghosts but they think ..." Many thanks for your uplifting KZread posts, Mr. Adventures!

I JUST finsihed this exact same trip only from Wichita back to So cal...very cool towns out there...thanks for this video !!!

@SidetrackAdventures

Ай бұрын

Really cool. Did you stop at the three state marker?

@jeeper5264

Ай бұрын

@@SidetrackAdventures no and glad that you posted it as I wanted to go but the weather was a little sketchy when I was in the area and chose to push on

And I grew up in Friona, about 165 miles south of Clayton. We spent the bulk of our married lives in Beaumont/Houston/Baytown but love to trip up to Colorado and New Mexico so yes, many gas/motel stops in Clayton. The picture of the sandstorm approaching brought back many memories. Standing at a north facing window (after hurriedly getting a load of laundry off the clothesline) watching it approach. A roar, the sound of the sand hitting the windows, the darkness suddenly bringing visibility down to about a fifty feet for a few minutes with gradual clearing, the little deltas of fine sand accumulating at the corners of the windows. Happened many Springs in the fifties. The thing I liked about that country was being able to SEE forever.........

@user-lh5re8jh7u

Ай бұрын

My dad's side of the family lived in Friona. My family probably knew yours.

I love this kind of thing. Wish I had the time to go see stuff like you do.

@SidetrackAdventures

Ай бұрын

I wish I had more time myself!

I've been to the "Three Corner's Triangle," where Utah, Colorado and Wyoming meet. It's about 15 miles NE of the John Jarvie Historic Ranch

Hello from New Jersey. Excellent tour and background music.

You do great work. You have inspired me to go to some of these places.

@SidetrackAdventures

Ай бұрын

Thank you. Hope you are having fun getting to them.

Your videos are wonderful: no agenda, no politics, only a simple love of forgotten history. Much appreciated!

@SidetrackAdventures

13 күн бұрын

Thanks!

Born in Kansas City, Kansas, raised in Las Vegas, New Mexico lived in Albuquerque 17 years and currently live in Phoenix, AZ. I’ve passed the area many times never knew there was a 3 Corners. That’s awesome!!!! Thank you for sharing!!! I’m looking forward to subscribing to your channel and hoping to find things about AZ on your channel.

You found those white squirrels so fast i figured i was gonna see a ghost on this video!

6:47 - Definitely recognized that building as a JCP. There's one just like it in Astoria, OR as well. Today I learned about the border screw up. Thanks for sharing, Steve!

Love your channel and your adventures. I've lived my live in the Southwestern US. Arizona and California are home but I've traveled through just about every state in the Union. Its a treat to see you bring back to life the Mother Road and the way life once was.

Great destination for a video. Please keep up the good work!

The high plains have a certain feel. A stark beauty too

Great stuff. I’ve come to really appreciate your video excursions into the obscure, off the beaten path sites and the history you weave into your narratives. 😎👍😎

I was born and raised in Clayton. The town has declined since the late seventies and early eighties. I miss the town I grew up in. Great video.

Hey! I've been to that spot! Drove to the triple-point as well. Good dirt road. Took the wife & son and each of us stood in a different state. They mowed. The grass & weeds were high when we went & we had to hunt for the marker. There's another triple point where Michigan, Ohio and Indiana come together too, very accessible. Not crazy at all to drive to such things.

The spot where three administrative boundaries, such as US state lines, intersect is known as a *tripoint.* _That_ tripoint is called *"Texhomex".* There is another tripoint not too far from there called Preston Tripoint between New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Colorado. Preston is far more interesting than Texhomex, being in a forested volcanic canyon (Blacksmith Canyon) and with a small monument bearing the names of the three states on its sides.

@scottsmith5165

14 күн бұрын

Don’t know where you get your information but there’s definitely not a forested canyon at the marker between Oklahoma, Colorado, and New Mexico.

@jul1440

14 күн бұрын

@@scottsmith5165 You are looking at the wrong monument. (I tried to put a picture URL to show you, but YT keeps deleting the comment, so Google Image "Preston Monument"; all images of the monument show the canyon in the background (or use Maps to look for "Blacksmith Canyon, OK"). The green color in it are trees, i.e., a forest).

@scottsmith5165

14 күн бұрын

@@jul1440 that marker is in our old pasture

@jul1440

14 күн бұрын

@@scottsmith5165 Then you know what I'm talking about; those flat green hills that surround it are Blacksmith Canyon. Further west are North Canyon, South Canyon, and Trail Canyon.

Thanks again Brother Steve! Always makes my week! 😀🙏

Content like this is why I love your channel! Thank you!

This had become my favorite youtube channel... Thanks Steve!

I've been to four corners and even the final remaining boundary marker for the Republic of Texas. Didn't know there was a three corners, I'll have to check it out. Good video.👍

One of your best videos ever. Well done and very interesting!

What an interesting video! You have a knack for finding those out-of-the-way places. Great job!

Really good one. Loved it. Thanks Steve

Another great vid, thank you , Steve.

Many times, the journey is the best part. Can't tell you how many times on a road trip, I found the journey better/more interesting than the destination. Over the past 2 years I've travelled a lot from California to Arizona and New Mexico, and your videos are showing me things/places/areas that I've driven past without any knowledge of their existence. Needless to say, my next trip will at a much slower pace to enjoy what you've highlighted. Thanks for bringing them to us!

Man, another good video. I appreciate your videos of SoCal and the Southwest. Thanks man! Wishing you and your channel the best!

I always enjoy your adventures. Thanks!

Thanks for taking us along. Never really thought of the three corners. Fun stuff.

Always enjoy your videos!

I live in the 4 corners part of the state and never thought about the 3 corners. Happy to see you do it. I'll keep it off my bucket list. Read up on Dawson NM sometime. Dried up towns on US 60 have some interesting history. As does Tierra Amarilla.

Great video!!!!Thank you for sharing!!!❤

The journey makes any trip worthwhile. Like your videos!

Great work as always.

Awesome field trip as always Steve! It never gets old seeing the old towns still hanging in there! We can all agree that on Rt.66, a person will see colorful marquees, cool motels, really Boss vehicles, some still running too. I have been to Four Corners myself and all three times it was very busy too. Sorta sad in a way that "3 corners" doesn't get some love but it really is in a desolate area and truth be told, I wonder how many people have actually driven by and were not even aware! Strange that The Eklund Hotel is only open on weekends! Grew up in a 1908 Victorian house as a kid and anytime we heard creaks or a door slam or strange noises, Mom always told "George The Ghost" to be quiet and behave. LOLOL MOO From COW-lumbus, Ohio

As always, wonderful video and very informative. Thank you.

Love living your adventures through your videos, Steve. Keep those great postcards coping in!

Thanks Steve for the video! I really enjoy every location you choose to visit and look forward to each one of your new videos you release. Thank you for all your effort and thank you for this channel😁

love those back roads . now that’s cruzin ❤️ thank you Steve . another banner show 👍🏼

Thanks! Your sidetrack journeys are inspirational. Keep it up. Here's a little gas money...😊

@SidetrackAdventures

Ай бұрын

Thank you. I really appreciate this.

I lived in the Oklahoma panhandle for 8 years. Previously i lived in eastern Oklahoma, for about 50 years. With a few of those in southeast KS southwest MO and OKC. So things were somewhat different out there, but the people were still good folks. What a person has to realize is, change in altitude, landscape, etc. all changes weather patterns. The wind blows quite fast and frequent. What is fascinating, is driving out there at night. You can see a town's light for 30 miles ! ! You can see the turbines on the wind farms 25 miles away. . . . I'm back in eastern OK now but want to go back out and visit. It was a good time in my life and will remember lots of people that were very good to me.

I love your adventures! Thanks a million. -Jim

That was a really cool adventure. Thanks for sharing!

Great video! Keep up the good work

Really a wonderful trip. I always feel like we're right there with you guys. I can't wait to visit those small towns myself. Thank you.

Love this! Thanx for sharing

Another classic sidetrack adventure, thank you MrSteve☺️

This is awesome! Thanks for sharing Steve

@SidetrackAdventures

Ай бұрын

Glad you liked it!

Thank you for spending 4 hours to take us to 3-corners ! Always enjoy your videos ! Of course, we have 3-corners much closer,,,(California, Nevada, Arizona)

I've lived in the land of entrapment for almost 30 years. I've seen more of the backroads of this state through your videos than I have on my own. Time for me to get out and drive I guess. Thanks for the videos.

First time viewer. We love getting off the beaten path, too.. really enjoyed this adventure.

Well, Steve, I'm also one of those weirdos who deliberately chose to go visit that spot a few years ago. I even took the same route from Tucumcari that you did! And to further add to the geography nerdiness, I visited the southeastern corner of NM on my way back from Texas last winter.

Another great video!

Really cool trip, Steve. You sure have a lotta fun traveling around and recording your adventures. Thoroughly enjoyable, thanks!

Thanks Steve, glad you took us there...

Thanks for taking us to that remote place!

Steve, another interesting video. Thanks for all your hard work.

Great tour of everything Thankyou

I’m glad you had good weather to make this journey. I like doing this kind of thing too. Thank you.

Cool love this stuff and absolutely loved video!

Cool spot. Thanks for taking us there.

Some of my favorite parts of this country, thanks

The music that you include adds so much to our enjoyment of the video. Thank you.

A very fun and relaxing video. Thank you. 👌

Steve, Thank you for my weekly history lesson! I look forward to your videos each week.

I truly enjoy all your journeys. Thank you

I love anything that has to do with history and the his obscure out of the way play place and other places like it are road trip heaven! There are loads of links and videos, etc online pertaining to the four corners but ya gotta love stuff like this this that doesn't get the same publicity! Really awesome and thanks for taking us along. Regards from LA. Lastly, Clayton seems like a serious YIKES!!!

Just wanted to let you know that you do a great job with these videos. The stuff you talk about is weirdly interesting (and I'm not even a geography or history buff) and I appreciate your editing, especially having the music underneath, which really gets the mood right. Also one day you should take your hat off and do a head reveal. It'll be as dramatic as when other people do face reveals 🤣

@SidetrackAdventures

Ай бұрын

Thanks. I appreciate it. There's nothing to see under the hat, just a bald head. I think you can see it in a few videos, but the hat is there to stop it from getting burned mostly.

I really love your quirky places videos. I look forward to watching each week and it is interesting to learn about the places you find. Thanks foe sharing.

Well done we love the nm and tx videos Thank you very much