Ep. 114: Mirror Lake Highway | Utah RV travel camping

[@m.e.9974]

😅a real professional narration.Perfect balance of visual and sound as well. Your info is a goldmine for out of state travelors,and as well enjoyable to us that reside here.67 yrs for me,and many yrs,and different areas of exploring,camping,leaving and hunting for caches,fishing,etc.Have pretty much camped at most of your mentioned lakes/campgrounds,and they all look so familiar from your footage.Even as a scout at the now closed [camp steinar] in the late 60s....Our favorite area is Christmas Meadows for many reasons. Tnxs for your super production.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you so very much for your kind words! The Uintas are such a special place, especially as you've enjoyed them for so many years.

[@selbyjones1840]

Loved those lanterns... Will have to get me some, thanks...

[@GrandAdventure]

We use ours all the time and love them!

[@dianedarcy4812]

Drove by here on the way to Glacier and glad I saw the video. I want to go back there!

[@GrandAdventure]

It's definitely worthy of a visit.

[@LaCatLady]

I really enjoy your drone shots. You pan slowly so we can experience the beautiful views and, at my age, I don’t get nauseous getting spinned around so fast, lol. I miss your blond pup. Beautiful baby.

[@GrandAdventure]

We miss Maggie too, Cat Lady😢 although perhaps no one more so than Mrs. Grand Adventure. We try to go easy on the sticks when recording drone footage, for we don't like being spun around either. 😉

[@GrassRootsLiving]

About 4 years ago, we were the campground hosts at Trial Lake. It still ranks as one of our favorite workamping jobs!

[@GrandAdventure]

Great spot for a workamping gig!

[@mormonslayer71]

I'll save this video and watch it again and again and again in the dead of winter. Why can't it just be summer year round. I was up there just last weekend and it was gorgeous, freezing at night but so comfortable during the day. Thank for sharing.

[@GrandAdventure]

One of these days we've got to get up there when it *is* winter. As you already know, access in winter can be difficult. We've skied off Bald Mountain Pass several years on the first weekend that the road opened. One of these winters, though, we'll park at Soapstone, unload a couple of snow machines and take those into the heart of the Uinta High Peaks for a day of backcountry skiing. On the North Slope, there are three yurts in the area of Lily Lake that we could reserve and use as a basecamp for backcountry skiing in that area, too.

[@ISOAdventureLife]

Thanks for sharing. So many great options in UT.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks for watching!

[@chrislonsberry4571]

As always, great content and information. Thanks!

[@GrandAdventure]

And as always, thank you Chris!

[@sandratessem9980]

Beautiful campsite. Love the flowers

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you, Sandra!

[@ericmoore6934]

cool camping video. Zoe is having fun and making new friends. Love seeing all the lakes and cool camping spots. Notice your Alta sweet shirt, guess its getting to be that time again.❄️☃️⛷ Heard the Uinta's got some snow in the past day.

[@GrandAdventure]

Closer than you think, Eric! Take a look at our community tab for a photo from today taken just a few hundred yards from where we're camped in this video. Hint: it's white. 😁

[@ericmoore6934]

Yep, your right with respect to your community post. I missed seeing that before I watched your video. BTW, it's still warm temps in my neck of the woods.

[@williamkeil8414]

Wow, mountain beauty for sure............ outstanding video

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you so much as always, William, and thanks for watching!

[@thehikingsenior1921]

Man oh man, great video! Love the aerial video. Thanks for sharing!

[@GrandAdventure]

And thanks for watching and sharing your feedback, Alfred!

[@lorih379]

We are new to rving and dont have a generator so we havent boondocked yet. But we like your style away from the crowds and more remote. Excited to try it.

[@GrandAdventure]

Once you do, Lori, we promise that you'll never look at a campground the same way again.

[@maryfromthemountains]

I live full time at Manor Lands just off highway 150. This was fun for me to watch. Thanks!

[@gavinstreetie1473]

Lovely scenery great way to spend your time and Barbecue steaks at the end. Can it get any better! nice one Marc

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks as always, Gavin!

[@DownsizingMakesCents]

Perfect timing, came across this video just before bedtime, we can dream about Boondocking with Marc. Thanks

[@GrandAdventure]

That sounds more like a nightmare. 😁

[@rexcarlson3464]

I was up there.spring canyon in Sept,they where doing control Burn(prescribed burns)helicopter was doing sorties .with a hella torch attached starting fires (P.s. mirror lake is super busy During fall colors.

[@GrandAdventure]

That must've been something to see!

[@torralf9926]

Thanks for so many grand tips! Greetings from Germany, Tom.

[@GrandAdventure]

Glad to see you here again, Tom -- thank you!

[@susansaunders6899]

Love your videos.... Grew up camping in them mountains.. To old to do it now. But you sharing brought back many wonderful memeries. Thank you!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thrilled that we could bring you back, Susan! (But you're never too old.)

[@skpjoecoursegold366]

love the drone shots, beautiful area.

[@GrandAdventure]

It's gorgeous up there, Joe. Thank you!

[@duanewilson3941]

Great video and might I say your killing it (in a good way) with the music selection. I'm really enjoying it.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you, Duane! We're glad that we could deliver for you. We've been fortunate that the company we license our music from has been broadening its selection a bit, offering some tracks that depart from the electronica that fills most of their catalog.

[@TheTracystella]

That was a very inspiring video. Thank you again for sharing.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you as always, Tracy! ❤

[@GoodNewsTravelers]

Beautiful area. Thnx for sharing🤓😎👍

[@GrandAdventure]

And thank you so very much for watching!

[@spellmadam2947]

Thanks for another great video. Sept still has great outdoor dats ahead. My favorite month. Getting out more before the snow.

[@GrandAdventure]

We agree, Spell Madam. Kids are back in school, too, so many folks park their RV for the season.

[@hitchport1192]

We were just in Utah. Can't wait to go back. @hitchport

[@alkalineandorganic]

Beautiful place and damm good steak 😄.. just a perfect day! Good for you guys. Thanks for sharing Marc 🙏😊

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks for watching, Leila! (And yes, it was 😉)

[@scenicdriveways6708]

Sorry I missed this live. I got caught up in a western I was watching on Amazon Prime. Jo-Ann and I are watching it now. :)

[@GrandAdventure]

Ha! Great to have you two here any way that you find a way.

[@alansorenson6608]

Great video check out the video at the 12.22 time on that ridge about middle of screen a little more to the left is that a person standing there then turned around and walked off looks tall and brown color?

[@GrandAdventure]

Yep, those are people on the ridge up at the top of Bald Mountain Pass.

[@laughingram7287]

Might not have been your ideal camping condition, but it looks like you had the best spot in the area. 👍🏼

[@GrandAdventure]

We were happy, and we love Bald Mountain Pass. It was just a bit too crowded for our taste.

[@kristiejacobs4854]

Beautiful spot! Thank you for sharing!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks as always for watching, Kristie!

[@lcpinco2783]

I’m shocked at all the beetle kill in the forest. So sad!

[@gorrdd]

Marc, I thought I had seen all your past videos... until this one popped up. Wow... you really spent some time on this one. I loved the water shots allot. You seem to have a real eye for those kinds of things. Your panning and zooming are just the right speed and duration. Great job on production. Thanks. Incidentally, make sure you archive all your prior stuff in case KZbin decides to demonetized and shut down channels after December 10. Gord

[@GrandAdventure]

😆 We're not losing any sleep over here at Grand Adventure world HQ over the pending December 10 "adpocalypse". KZbin has clarified that what they meant by that clause in their revised ToS is that they reserve the right to discontinue services (like, for example, KZbin messaging) if KZbin solely deems that service to commercially nonviable. That's always been the case -- KZbin, and the greater Google, is constantly declaring end-of-life on services. But to answer your question, Gord, everything is archived and backed up, including even the raw editing projects, which enables us to make even minor changes to existing videos. If something were to eventually happen to our relationship with KZbin, we could be up and running somewhere else in a matter of days. We already have the ability to host our videos on our own web server at www.GrandAdventure.tv if we want, we'd only need a big boost in disk storage on the server as our current videos (plus the next 2 episodes) presently take up 525 GB. I wish that our viewers could see some of these videos in their full original glory, for KZbin's compression is pretty obvious, even at 4K resolutions. Our original video files are in the 6 GB size range for even just a 15-minute video, whereas KZbin squeezes them down to just a few hundred MB. And thanks for your kind words on this edit! We had a lot of fun making this one. Oh heck, who a I kidding? We have a lot of fun making each of them.

[@gorrdd]

@@GrandAdventure Marc, sounds like you have it all under control. Thanks for all the details. It doesn't seem to be something you are very concerned about... Even if you did migrate over to your own server, you could carry on with annual or monthly subscriptions together with your own ad program through online video ad agencies. Gord

[@GrandAdventure]

@@gorrdd yup, very true. Just like camping, always have a Plan B...and C, and D...

[@gorrdd]

@@GrandAdventure Indeed... Marc!

[@TomSpurlock]

Nice Marc, great destination. It's on my bucket list now!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you, Tom! Hit it midweek. 😉

[@LifeWithMikeandMJ]

Amazing footage

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you so much, folks!

[@slimbeaux]

Thanks for sharing. I can see a little more research coming up. Lovin’ It!

[@GrandAdventure]

Always!

[@slimbeaux]

@@GrandAdventure We are going to be heading down your way in a couple of weeks. By way of Idaho, Yellowstone, and Grand Tetons. And I have to get to Vernal before the cold weather kicks in.

[@GrandAdventure]

Here's wishing you a safe trip! There are lots of wonderful things to see, and places to camp along that route. While you're here, we'll be on a 4,000-mile journey outselves, heading southeast.

[@bertkelly7650]

Mark, what's killing the pine trees? Looks dead out there.

[@GrandAdventure]

Bert, unfortunately the pine beetle infestation across the West has reached the Uintas: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_pine_beetle

[@merlin1477024]

Like always Marc, another great video. Can't wait to get to Utah!

[@GrandAdventure]

And like always Mark - thank you!

[@markreynolds9570]

Marc, there are a lot of dead trees. Previous fire? For a cooler outdoor experience us yankees have to go north, while you westerners just have to go up. Truly God's country. Great video as always. Thanks again.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks as always, Mark! It's actually kill from pine beetle infestation, which has unfortunately been spreading across the Western US for many years now. It became prevalent in the Uintas about a decade ago.

[@markreynolds9570]

@@GrandAdventure That's sad.

[@GrandAdventure]

@@markreynolds9570 indeed it is. Some of the numbers are positively staggering: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_pine_beetle

[@scenicdriveways6708]

Fantastic video Marc , nicely done!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you, John & Jo-Ann! I'm sure that many of those shots looked familiar as you just drove that road a few weeks ago.

[@scenicdriveways6708]

@@GrandAdventure Yes they did. Very nice area to boondock. Utah sure i pretty.

[@wanderingweederspapa7878]

Great stuff. Hello from North Carolina

[@GrandAdventure]

Greetings, and thank you very much for watching!

[@WildCaptures]

Do you know if the road will be open in early November?

[@GrandAdventure]

That all depends on the weather. They'll close it once it gets snowed in.

[@spudbono5747]

Yike, I'm trying to look at the pretty stuff but my eyes are blinded by the massive forest fire fuel!

[@GrandAdventure]

It's not a popular opinion in some circles, but our opinion is that they really need to let folks go in and cull all of those dead trees before they become matchsticks from a lightning strike.

[@spudbono5747]

@@GrandAdventure yah, looks several years too late to salvage log. That's unfortunate, and all too common. But great video anyway, as always!

[@NigelNaughton]

Looks like a beautiful place but WOW!!! The crowds! ;-0 I've used a version ( I think there's a handful of companies selling basically the same lights) of those lights and yeah, they work pretty well. Not a concentrated light source but good for overall illumination.

[@GrandAdventure]

Take 2 million people, put them an hour away where it's 30 degrees hotter, and you've got a recipe for weekend crowds. By Sunday afternoon our boondocking meadow was nearly deserted. The Uintas are indubitably a playground for Utah's population centers along the Wasatch Front, but it's nevertheless one of our favorite regions in all of northern Utah. The sheer number of small lakes is unmatched anywhere for hundreds of miles in any direction.

[@NigelNaughton]

@@GrandAdventure Thanks for the added info! Your channel is superb!

[@GrandAdventure]

As are our viewers like you, Nigel.

[@angusmaciver4242]

Great video. Sorry I missed the premier.

[@GrandAdventure]

LOL! What's that, the first one that you missed in 6 months? Thanks, bud!

[@angusmaciver4242]

Grand Adventure something like that. Took the youngest out for her birthday dinner.

[@GrandAdventure]

And you freakin' apologized for missing the Premiere!? LOL!

[@1drible]

I spend a lot of time off grid in the Unitas and was wondering what you do for cell service. Some times it's an hour and a half before I get service. Any idea what I can do?

[@GrandAdventure]

Aside from satellite not really anything, for the Uintas are a giant cell dead zone. We're using Starlink and wifi calling.

[@thetravelingmyfundsarelow1693]

Do u attract bears when you grill those steaks? What do u do to keep the bears from coming over and saying there’s Wendy’s around here?

[@GrandAdventure]

We've never had an issue. That said, when in bear country we'll remove the grill once it cools and stow it away.

[@bruceh3786]

You keep finding those beautiful high country camp sites! Again I am impressed with how well the drone flies in such thin air. I am glad it does because we get some nice views. The lanterns look interesting. One part of the Amazon listing says 12 hour battery life and elsewhere it says 30 hours. Do you have a estimate?

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks, Bruce! That "blind squirrel" phenomenon once again. 😊 That drone still has plenty of headroom, too, as its operating ceiling is around 16,500 feet. As for the lantern's battery longevity, we haven't gotten there yet. But if I were a betting man I'd put my money on 12 hours rather than 30, just because of the 30 LEDs those 3 AA batteries are powering.

[@bruceh3786]

@@GrandAdventure Those lanterns are good candidates for rechargable AA batteries. Go with Ikea LADDA 2450 batteries. They are Ikea wrapped Panasonic Eneloop Pro, a most excellent battery for a lot less money at $6.99 per 4 pack. It is best to use an intelligent charger.

[@GrandAdventure]

@@bruceh3786 excellent idea! I actually tend to buy batteries when I go to Ikea, but didn't realize that their 2450s were Eneloop Pros. Thanks! I may need to stop by Ikea during my lunch hour tomorrow.

[@MrGottaGo]

Thank you and curious if you noticed that every other tree there is dead? Is this just a normal cycle, or something else?

[@GrandAdventure]

Pine beetle, it's unfortunately rather prevalent across much of the West.

[@j.larrylivengood9755]

I'm newly retired and am looking to explore various parts of the country with my RTT camper. The biggest hurdle I'm experiencing thus far is camp site availability. You pointed out in this video that reservtions have to be made in many cases a year in advance. Any chance that you would start creating videos that would prompt your followers with travel reservation links along with a suggested itinerary for various trip you highlight. For the inexperienced camp traveler like myself, it's trial and error and I am missing more than hitting.

[@GrandAdventure]

Larry, yours is an interesting suggestion. I don't think we're the right candidate for it, though, for two reasons. For one, we're seldom in a campground so we seldom have a reservation -- we're usually boondocking on public lands, as we were in this video. We also seldom have an itinerary -- when we were on the road for 6 months last summer we rarely knew where we were heading next until we packed up the previous campsite and hit the road. We're not advance planners, we're more spur-of-the-moment type of folks. That kind of spontaneity is admittedly easier to pull off in the US West than it is east of the Rockies, simply due to the fact that most public land boondocking opportunities in the US are in the West. Our upcoming travel is a bit different for us. Because of a need to work our jobs from the road, we have to ensure that we have good cell service at each stop. We also actually have to stick to a schedule for once. Finally, we're heading into a part of the country with precious little public land. So although the majority of our campsites for this 6-week trip are still boondocking, we actually have made reservations in a few key locations like Big Bend National Park and San Antonio. Even then, we only made our reservations about 4 weeks in advance. In other places like Austin the reservable spots in campgrounds we were intererested in (we prefer State Parks/county parks/COE campgrounds over private RV parks) were already full. Hopefully our Austin episode won't be filled with us driving all over the place looking for a place to park.

[@j.larrylivengood9755]

@@GrandAdventure Thank you for the prompt reply. Sounds like when I travel out West and through big sky country that my camp site availability options will improve. I am enjoying your KZbin posts and have learned much from them. However I don't think there is a real substitue for direct experience so I better hit the road --- LOL. Thanks again. Live the feral life my friend ... Larry

[@ejacs8077]

Your videos are head and shoulders above the rest in the travel genre.In Utah can you fall dead timber for firewood,I saw a lot of dead standing trees in this video.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks so much! I was of the understanding that the Mirror Lake Corridor is a NFS special permit area for harvesting dead timber - is that counter to your understanding?

[@bhuff123]

Hello from Santa Rosa, Ca

[@GrandAdventure]

Greetings, Clark, and thank you for attending the Premiere!

[@karenzebra1]

Great video. What’s with all the dead trees?

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks Karen! Pine beetle. They're destroying forests across most of the western U.S. It's really moved into the Uintas in recent years, but I still think that it's far worse in many parts of Colorado.

[@spellmadam2947]

Gypsy moth is showing up on west coast. We are north Idaho and have pine beetle. Not too bad, yet. Sad to see

[@lynnburks7635]

Another pretty and great video. This is Darryl Lynn’s husband. Do you run your fridge on inverter or propane? What elevation is common in your travels? Thanks

[@GrandAdventure]

Hi, and thank you! We run our fridge on propane, unless we're on hookups. Our camping elevations have ranged from sea level to nearly 11,000 feet.

[@lynnburks7635]

Grand Adventure my owners manual for dometic fridge states do not use propane above 5000ft. Due to not enough gas pressure to cool properly.

[@GrandAdventure]

@@lynnburks7635 yes, they act a little flakey above 9,000 feet, that's for sure. However, we'd be kind of screwed if our Dometic didn't work above 5,000 feet, because our home here in the valley is at 5,000 feet. We pretty much couldn't go anywhere.

[@lynnburks7635]

Grand Adventure have you tried the inverter to test the amp draw on you system.

[@GrandAdventure]

@@lynnburks7635 we haven't actually measured the draw, but I can tell you that it's substantial for the fan on the 1500W inverter kicks into high gear the few times that I've momentarily forgotten to switch it over. We'd go through our batteries in a hurry.

[@SFDearing1]

Hey Mark...quick question...is the large number of dead pines due to bark beetle infestation?

[@GrandAdventure]

Precisely, Stewart.

[@SFDearing1]

@@GrandAdventure sad...won't regrow in our lifetime.

[@GrandAdventure]

@@SFDearing1 sad, but true.

[@Snowblogguy]

More footage of those steaks please 😂

[@GrandAdventure]

Says Mr. Keto! Sorry, no Mongolian BBQ in the Uintas.

[@Snowblogguy]

@@GrandAdventure Deal breaker right there. 😥

[@timhaley8942]

Thanks for all the tips and loved you video last week as well about "Safe Camping". I am an Architect that has been inspired by your Channel and we just ordered our new Teardrop Trailer! We also started a new You-Tube Channel titled "Solaris Architects" and was wondering if you can check it out and maybe mention us. Thanks for helping those of us just getting into RVing !

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks Tim, and we'll definitely check you out!

[@JauntJunkies]

If you get a chance to get to Ticaboo Utah we would highly recommend it. Had such a good time this spring. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKG5oKijrLichpo

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks, we'll check out the video! We've been in the area numerous times, either passing through, or on one occasion for a 3-day kayak camping trip on Lake Lowell paddling upstream from Bullfrog.

[@zencowboy315]

great videos but, think twice about parking next to dead standing trees.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks! Yes, we initially thought about that when we pulled up to the spot, but judged that the tree had not been dead long enough to pose a hazard. Excellent point, however!

[@craigcardwell7118]

Very nice! It's a shame the number of dead or dying trees. Is this from the bark beetle infestation?

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks Craig, and you're correct on the cause.

[@donmccall9038]

Less music...more narration please!

[@woody6773]

Way to many other campers

[@GrandAdventure]

Can't really say that we disagree, Woody. It was definitely busier than we would've liked. We rationalized it, though, because our intent in heading up there was to get a walk-up site in one of the lakeside campgrounds. They were all full, but if we had scored one of those walk-up sites we would've had less room from our neighbors than we had by boondocking where we did in this video.

[@SevenBears1]

Whats up with that guy complaining about the lights.. His mom must have been on his csse today so he took ot out on you.. Get all kinds on public platform..

[@GrandAdventure]

LOL! Hey, we've learned to expect it, and we appreciate your response, J. What I think some folks don't realize is that it costs us a ton to make these videos. In camera gear alone we're into it for north of $5,000 only because of KZbin, plus of course there are the significant travel expenses. As I responded to the commenter, this started out as a hobby but has morphed into a business as video entrepreneurs. To expect folks to produce videos without trying to recoup their losses, or even earn a little bit on the side and somehow end up in the black, is unreasonable. You and I have discussed this backchannel in the past. And as we advised the commenter, while Vont did provide the lanterns we received no financial compensation for mentioning them. That's not to say, though, that we would refuse a brand deal or a video sponsor from the right company, but it has to be a good match. We won't include any product that we wouldn't feel comfortable endorsing ourselves, and we make that clear on any offers that we entertain. Vont was told up front that if we weren't impressed with the lanterns, we had no obligation to mention them at all, and they agreed to those conditions. And that's the only way we'll accept these proposals.

[@SevenBears1]

@@GrandAdventure I'll probably adjust my Amazon opinion based on your statement about these lights and other products.. Again i follow GA and traveling robert out of the many rv channels..

[@SevenBears1]

@Just Some Medic it will be my first trip there with my 5th.. Drove up from car show in solvang last Saturday.. They had a band playing on the patio ! Spot 34 looked like a winner...

[@SevenBears1]

@Just Some Medic area is great and varied. Bought my 5th wheel couple months back and looking for places within 3hrs drive. Gaviota beach looks good . friends gave high score for flying flags but i found it over crowded and no room between rigs. Thank you for your military service too..

[@GrandAdventure]

+1 on on that thank-you.