The Mysterious Circle of Evelyn, California

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@jimrook5726 10 ай бұрын

I grew up in Shoshone and now 87 years old. We used yo drive around this circle as a teenager and see how fast we could go. The circle was used to mix cold mix asphalt with a road grader to patch holes in hwy 127. They used the circle material to make the asphault. The reason for the circle was to avoid turning the grader around during the mixing. It required many circuites to get it mixed properly. The stripes were just practice for the striping crew. I hope this helps. Jim 11:25

@elamanvetta1685 10 ай бұрын

Mystery solved. Thanks, Jim!

@preluded 10 ай бұрын

Wow this is awesome! Thanks!

@AScottB 10 ай бұрын

@@opalsongsyou are

@GetOutsideYourself 10 ай бұрын

Damn that's so mundane. I was hoping for something like toll-plaza for the red light district.

@warbirds57 10 ай бұрын

Jim...how fast did you go?

@JB-tr4lg 10 ай бұрын

The metal pillar is a well. Environmental use these to test the water sources on a regular basis. They have many of the same thing on military bases. Steam engine trains needed water, so water tanks were probably located here at one time. Nice explore!

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

Are you talking about the one towards the beginning or the older one off in the brush towards the end?

@krishankochar3059 10 ай бұрын

That was my guess thanks for clarifying!

@timothyripp3211 10 ай бұрын

The 'scientiffic device' at the beginning looks like a groundwater monitoring well for an environmental investigation. It looks relatively modern and very well maintained. These are called 'stovepipe' wellheads. The round one later in the video looks like a much older stovepipe well. Perhaps these were for environmental assessment of the ashpalt plant someone else mentioned in their comment. Loved the visit to Evelyn! Thanks for sharing.

@davewaters2841 10 ай бұрын

@@timothyripp3211 I agree! And I used to install em too..

@kimberlybronson717 7 ай бұрын

It’s so the trucks could turn around after unloading

@Ro6entX 10 ай бұрын

I found this is brief history of the town. “All that remains is a paved loop of road next to the old railroad grade. The California Department of Transportation uses this area to store paving materials and test equipment for work on California State Route 127 and other area roads.”

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

It looked like the railroad grade was on the other side of the highway. I was hoping to see some railroad ties to confirm but I flew the drone over and didn't see any. But in the drone shots you can see the raised area a couple hundred feet from the highway.

@Ro6entX 10 ай бұрын

@@SidetrackAdventures Yeah it’s a odd one even after reading what I did 🤔

@strix.1 10 ай бұрын

Before reading this, I was thinking maybe it was a turn-around for semi-trucks to use. But the yellow lines is a bit of a puzzle especially since it looks like some are not even laid in a useful pattern...maybe the paint-striper they used was testing there? Very interesting!

@Syncopator 10 ай бұрын

This comment suggests to me that it might be used for testing road monitoring equipment, such as traffic monitors, or speed monitors. Test vehicles could drive around the track for monitoring equipment to record the speed and/or weight or other factors of interest to the DOT.

@Rfk1966 10 ай бұрын

We checked this out on the way to DV. I’d guess caltrans maintenance area/pavement test area. There was a small pile of gravel on the edge of the circle back in July

@fredmanicke5078 10 ай бұрын

The circles exist in Montana in about every highway department district as a place to mix asphalt and gravel to make patching for highway repairs. They lay a stripe of gravel around the circle then a grader berms it up into circular strip. A hot oil tanker sprays asphalt on the gravel and then the grader rolls the berm over to mix it, several times.

@rochelle586 10 ай бұрын

That’s what CHiPs told me when I was looking for it

@johnthomas1422 8 ай бұрын

That could be true or complete bs, I dunno which.

@henrytowne7463 8 ай бұрын

Yes, that is a service road and right-of-way access for an asphalt batch plant. My father was a highway engineer for NYDOT They'd install mobile plants if the local existing plants were too far or inadequate. Stagger your trucks for the next batch in the ring. When the batch is ready, load and go til gone.

@wildraconteuse2272 10 ай бұрын

I live in Tecopa California. There is another "circle" worth looking at - off Excelsior Mine Road East of the Kingstons North of Hwy 15 called Valley Wells Smelter - There is a "glass dance floor" it's where they smelted copper for years and dumped the slag on the ground. There are remnants of the town too.

@ryklatortuga4146 10 ай бұрын

I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: A single vast Circle of asphalt and stone Clings to the desert. Near this, upon the sand, Half sunk, no shattered signage pronounces this town, Just half eroded lines painted by hand, The direction of travel informs without being said Which yet survive, stamped on this lifeless things, The hand that mocked them and the heart that fled: And I wished for a pedestal and some words to appear: "My name is Evelyn an asphalt loopy thing: Look on my start and find the end!" Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal flat disc, an infinate bend The lone and level sands stretch far away.

@justinfleming3551 10 ай бұрын

I like your poem. That was quite creative. Thank you for sharing that. 😎

@deeexxx8138 10 ай бұрын

Shelley is smiling somewhere

@jasonschmidt9844 10 ай бұрын

I certainly did not expect *that* reference in a KZbin comment section.

@idontknow2293 10 ай бұрын

Mr or Mrs or Ms Tortuga. Such an unexpected pleasure. You truly are a poet and you know it. 😅

@DarrylFerrucci 10 ай бұрын

Awesome.

@JulieHoffenberg 10 ай бұрын

If you return to Baker in the future, I would imagine you'd have a grand time exploring the history of Otto's cave... the mountain just aside Mad Greek I believe is now called "Otto's Mountain." I've only been up there once, and it was boarded up with some metal to prevent people from going into the cave, but Otto lived there many decades ago, mining his own rock by hand and living in the cave. He was also a "gem" of a guy and my wife's family knew him growing up. Every year they'd get a package of sweets from Otto and she still has some stones he gave the family. Anyway, that's the start of it but I am sure you could interview locals and do quite the video. Careful up on the mountain, lots of glass and some sketchy folks go up to party. Go in daylight with someone. Have fun!

@AllyMcFancysp1xn 5 ай бұрын

You had me at "maybe even the site of a secret government experiment to see who will waste several gallons of gas to drive out there?" My son texted me this morning to say he's a subscriber of yours and I should check you out. Since my name is Evelyn, he suggested I start here 😁. I'm 76, and I've spent a lifetime exploring, mostly in the Gold Rush country of northern CA when I lived there, and now Oregon, still going strong. I'm impressed, youngun', and I look forward to binge-watching your channel. Be careful out there!

@SidetrackAdventures 5 ай бұрын

Tell your son thanks for spreading the word and welcome.

@CarsandCats 10 ай бұрын

Steve, you make everything interesting. Even just a circle in the desert! I think you need to do more Google Map searches, it would be fun.

@siegfriedschudel7024 10 ай бұрын

Yes, I like it too very much! So cool what Steve discovers for us. Thank you 👍

@wmjohns881 10 ай бұрын

As I have previously mentioned, I really like Steve’s presentations. His voice and delivery is excellent. I don’t have to try and filter through a heavy accent or rapid speech. 🤠

@CarsandCats 10 ай бұрын

He's such a peaceful, calm man. I wish everyone acted like he does.@@wmjohns881

@wendylcs4283 10 ай бұрын

Yeah my thoughts as well

@roywhitman7109 9 ай бұрын

Steve, you might think this is the middle of nowhere, but from a guy in the Midwest that follows your adventures, the scenery, to me, is spectacular! And thanks to the comments that explain what the circle represents!

@Skyfire_The_Goth 10 ай бұрын

I'm a huge railroad fan and model railroader, as such I've read a lot of books and magazines about railroads. If memory serves, Evelyn was founded about 1905, incorporated in 1907, abandoned in the 1940s, the center of the circle was a park area, the raised flat part in the center of the circle was flattened to make a picnic area with a stone statue of Mr. and Mrs. Smith in the middle. Looking at the satellite images of the area you can see the remnants of old road system, even some of old highway/towns main street, still paved, with the white dashed lines still on it to the east of 127, there are faint lines that show where some of the old roads were, even the one that went across the main street and curved to go to the circle and on the southwest of the circle you can see the remnants of the road that went away from the circle and town. In the 1970s CADOT started using the circle to store, maintain, and resupply their equipment when repairing/maintaining that section of 127, the lines are part of that, they would clean and test the painting equipment by painting lines on the circle. Unfortunately a lot of info about lesser known stuff like Evelyn just isn't on the internet and can still only be found in books, if I had the books or knew what ones to look for I'd point people in that direction, but sadly, the books and magazines I read were library books and magazines, so I do not have them, and I can't remember the titles of all the books I've read about it over my 46 years of life.

@briancisco1176 10 ай бұрын

For what it's worth, the "Kiddle Encyclopedia" website claims, "The California Department of Transportation uses this area to store paving materials and test equipment for work on California State Route 127 and other area roads."

@heyoldman2003 10 ай бұрын

i thought sand piles for when the roads get icy 😎

@Celebok 10 ай бұрын

I just recently discovered your channel and started watching your videos. Your visit to the mysterious Evelyn Circle is a prime example of what I love about this channel. Taking several hours of your day to drive out to that location, for ten minutes of, "What the heck is this place?" so that I don't have to. Love your commentaries, too!

@elisaorozco9494 10 ай бұрын

DITTO!!!!!!

@keithrosenberg5486 10 ай бұрын

For me the Evelyn T&T Station is much more interesting than the much more modern paved circle. My dad and his parents lived there for a time in the 1930s. My grandfather worked for the T&T and was the Bridge and construction foreman.

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

Wish I had more info on the station. Someone mentioned one of the old T&T buildings from Evelyn might be in Shoshone as a house now.

@paulcalhoun6339 8 ай бұрын

If we are guessing, that metal box sorta looks a camera stand…..I seen them where large cameras would be place in the desert to capture photos of the night sky in area with no light pollution

@tedkerr2230 10 ай бұрын

Steve, I think you were supposed to drive around it 3 times and make a wish!

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

I would have but I was worried about it summoning a monster or something. haha

@confuseatronica 10 ай бұрын

@@SidetrackAdventures just make sure to drive deisel not widdershins :P

@heyoldman2003 10 ай бұрын

but doing it in reverse increases your chances of them happening 😎

@CarsandCats 10 ай бұрын

You can tell he's not a Southern boy because he went the wrong way!

@dhughes6710 10 ай бұрын

But never go anti-clockwise or something bad might happen.

@nbk9372 10 ай бұрын

Those metal strips were used on top of wooden strips that were used as tracks for mining ore carts during WW II and the original metal tracks were repurposed for the war effort. The metal contraption appears to be a ventilator or possibly an exhaust pipe for a motorized air compressor to pump air into the mining shaft. If you were to venture further up the draw, you would probably locate a few enclosed mining entrances. I'm old enough to remember wooden strips with metal straps were still in use into the mid 70's, it was cheaper than using metal tracks. The circled ring, my guess is a turn around (round about) for unloading ore carts using the gravity delivery system and using an engine for the return up that compacted path shown in the drone video. Just ole timers observation. TY and take care y'all.

@cdd4248 10 ай бұрын

Good Observations!

@bajadogs 10 ай бұрын

I think the yellow lines are probably just remnants of the road crews practicing with their painting equipment. Thanks for all the great videos.

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

I think you are right there, because when I started walking, there was just the center lane, but once I got past the dirt road there were lines everywhere.

@drmichaelshea 4 ай бұрын

Based on modern archeological theory, I would have guessed the elevated center of the circle was an alter for sacrificing politicians, but I would have been wrong - sadly.

@jpgabobo 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for showing places I explored in my youth, The desert is a big place full of amazing things, you will never run out of interesting content.

@tristanflores1069 10 ай бұрын

Thanks Steve, loved the desert landscape driving footage, also appreciate how you value less known relics of the past. I really enjoyed this one. Look forward to watching next week.

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

Thank you, I really appreciate it.

@melissaa.7970 10 ай бұрын

No matter how long or short your videos, they are all appreciated!! Thank you… go Pads

@erikmutthersbough6508 10 ай бұрын

The box mounted in the concrete pad. Is a ground water monitoring station. It's used to take water samples for contamination testing. You can also see booms and silt socks "tubuler socks" along the inner edge of the traffic circle. They keep rain runoff from eroding the dirt and washing it away.

@jdubvdub 10 ай бұрын

Also could just be used for water level monitoring to determine groundwater water flow direction

@lisacolbert5987 10 ай бұрын

It actually rains there ?

@dawnmaclellan7831 9 ай бұрын

Wouldn’t want anything washing away 😂😂😂

@gloriataruc8371 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for the history of the giant thermometer! I’ve had my pictures taken a few times throughout the years but not knowing the history behind it!🙏🙏🙏! Keep informing!

@trent1984 10 ай бұрын

Definitely one of my favorite episodes of this show, your show reminds me of California's Gold with the late great Huell Howser

@kurtgally526 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for taking the time to drive all the way around to check this place out.

@Neil-ru7kw 10 ай бұрын

Anyone with a c.b. radio could contact BunBoy and place an order , mainly truckers . They always had strawberry pie ! 👍👍👍👍👍

@emt0199419 10 ай бұрын

Occasionally, the algorithm treats me well. Instant sub, my man, and I'm gonna start tearing through your other videos. I'm leaving on a motorcycle trip in a week, headed south on the NV BDR to AZ/CA/UT for a few weeks, and I'm looking for exactly these sort of relics. It's clear your videos resonate with a wide variety of folks, and the stories of those who get nostalgia or have emotional ties to these places are incredible. You're doing something truly special here!

@petehealy9819 10 ай бұрын

I'm purposely *not* reading other comments before I offer this one, Steve, because you've blown me away again. From your down-to-earth narration to your choice of music to your editing, your videos are fascinating and contemplative in a way I see nowhere else. So amazing! Thank you - and now I'll read those comments from other fans of Sidetrack Adventures!

@georgehernandez9420 10 ай бұрын

I agree

@sidnzrael2433 10 ай бұрын

Gave a thumbs-up, from New Zealand.

@justayoutuber1906 10 ай бұрын

But it misses the whole point - it doesn't answer the question!

@senthilnathanviswanathan4924 10 ай бұрын

nice

@HumbleAshe 10 ай бұрын

The desert always seems to be a strange but quirky place with weird places like this. Sometimes cool, sometimes unusual or unnerving, but all interesting.

@ChrisW-17 10 ай бұрын

Couldn't agree more!

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

There is no shortage of weird places in the desert for sure.

@ChrisW-17 10 ай бұрын

@@SidetrackAdventures And not just places, but interesting and quirky people as well!

@larryhernandez76 10 ай бұрын

The desert 🌵 is just like meditation 🧘‍♀️ One has to look closely to see it’s beauty. . . . . . .

@UniusPoenitentis 10 ай бұрын

Hey, thanks for this adventure, Steve! Gotta love the Mojave Desert. I'm very familiar with Baker and the famous thermometer there. Boy does it get hot there in the summer! I enjoyed learning about Evelyn and I thank the viewers who had some knowledge of the circle road there. Thanks again Steve for taking us along!

@jerroldkazynski5480 10 ай бұрын

That circle was used by the horse-drawn wagon teamsters to practice drifting, back in the day. After it was paved, the steel wagon wheel tires got worn out too quickly, so the sport died out. Thanks Steve, for another great side trip!

@Sam97979 10 ай бұрын

I think the circle may have been a training spot for the highway boys to practice laying down lane paint, or for testing different types of paint to find the best one to use in the area. That would explain all the random lines painted all over it. I'm sure there was more paint in the past, but it's eroded since then.

@joeyspizza8 10 ай бұрын

This was my thought as well

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

I thought about that too, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was it, but why build this so far from anything else? You'd think they'd want to do their training closer to where they keep their equipment.

@joeyspizza8 10 ай бұрын

@@SidetrackAdventures Just a thought-- around 9:43 in the video, left side of the screen and west side of the circle, that sandy clearing looks to me like there might have been a small building there at one point. Perhaps the DOT had a small garage/building/outpost there?

@ginoperretta373 10 ай бұрын

the highway dept. probably wanted a out of the way location so local nitwits would not vandalize the experimental materials and ruin the tests

@heyoldman2003 10 ай бұрын

thank you Steve . oh how i wish i was in that neighbor. i love that warm California sunshine 😎. and how cool to take us up to the “ high ground “ man .., what a view 😎 thanks again. your doing good 👍🏼

@kevinmshort 10 ай бұрын

Steve, here's an idea for you that doesn't require you drive hundreds of miles: Mt. Calavera is an ancient volcano located in Carlsbad (CA, not N.M.!) nr. Cannon Road. I saw a local geologist's KZbin video on this a year or two ago, and if you can find that he makes interesting explanations of the different rock formations there. If nothing else it makes for a decent hike. Keep up the good work sir!

@foxykc 9 ай бұрын

It's a very popular hiking destination Been to the top of it many times.

@SpanishEclectic 10 ай бұрын

I like that you just took a chance on this adventure. Thanks for checking it out. Glad "Shoshone Jim" could solve the mystery for us. I do wonder if the restaurant owner really thought he'd break even after spending $700,000 on that big thermometer. I suspect he just wanted to build it, like so many other desert people who get an idea and want to 'GO BIG'.

@hazcat640 10 ай бұрын

Steve, You're not crazy, you're curious. And we appreciate it! 👍

@dennisk5818 10 ай бұрын

This is awesome. I just booked a 7 day, 6 night vacation to Evelyn, CA, to see all the sights. 🤨 It's interesting to see the remains of places and try to establish a history around them. I see this a lot here on the East coast.

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

Not sure a week is enough time to take in all Evelyn has to offer.

@pamostman516 8 ай бұрын

🤣🤣🤣

@louispaparella5766 6 ай бұрын

I spent a week there, one night!

@DrLumpy Ай бұрын

I upgraded to the Cruise Ship to Evelyn package.

@volocty Ай бұрын

There is nothing like the deserts of the West! Thanks for the journey to Evelyn. There's something about just wandering around the desert that soothes the soul.

@GringoLoco1 10 ай бұрын

I'm told if you drive the circle counterclockwise 3x at *precisely* 88 mph you'll go back to the future! 🤪😉

@heyoldman2003 10 ай бұрын

i was told to do it in reverse to make sure it works 👍🏼

@dynoreed7235 10 ай бұрын

I enjoyed this video and people's comments about their memories and theories. Very mysterious indeed. All the best to everyone.

@susanphoenix74 10 ай бұрын

I love your videos. And I hope you take them to the next level by looking beyond Google as a source, such as interviewing locals, local history books in libraries etc. You could start with people in diners, post offices etc. Thanks for your work! ❤

@TheSmokie55 10 ай бұрын

Love your adventures an this one is right up my alley. i love it when people find anomalies that are seemingly unexplainable. Hell I dont know what it is, dont care. But it makes it fun to see and imagine all the possibilities and theories. I been watching videos for awhile. TODAY I subscribed and liked. Good work.

@danielevans4884 10 ай бұрын

Video thank you Steve for the video was very informative and fun

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

@elaineclguerrero5592 12 күн бұрын

I kept wanting to walk out into the circle; I’m glad that you did 😅. Thank you for your interesting videos!

@RetroRobbin59 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for adventuring Steve! Even if it was to nowhereland 😂 We stopped and ate at Bun Boy for years onour way to Vegas. Good memories.

@FRANKMSM321 3 ай бұрын

My favorite part of this channel is imagining the stories his kid is eventually going to tell about his crazy dad and the “adventures” he’d take his family on. Thanks for sharing your joy 🤩

@28Josereyes 10 ай бұрын

Interesting video Steve. I have a theory about that circle ⭕️ I think the California Department of Transportation used or uses it to test and adjust the “striper” (the vehicles use to paint the highway lane lines). They might have designed the circle adjacent to the highway to use it as a test area where they can adjust or regulate the painting machinery in the striper. That’s the reason of the lines painted on the circle they’re just tests done by the striper to make sure it is well adjusted and working properly before they start painting the lines of the highways.

@plantfeeder6677 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for if nothing else your highlighting the history of the Baker thermometer. Iconic is the only word I can use to describe it.

@oldgandy5355 10 ай бұрын

My first thought was an old gravel pile used in construction and maintenance of 127. I considered the possibility of a railroad turn table for turning locomotives around, but the lack of historical artifacts (aka junk) suppressed that idea. Then I read the comments. I remembered when I was in my Single Digit Years, the local city street department used the street beside the back of the Elementary School I attended to mix their asphalt for street repairs. They would close the street for a day or two every month and lay down gravel, oil it and mix with a grader. I think several of the comments here are dead on. Good report.

@andreabell9194 10 күн бұрын

This might just be the most obscure thing you’ve found yet. I like it!!

@stevenwalls6366 10 ай бұрын

This awesome vid comes under the category of, it’s not the destination that counts as much as the journey getting there! Kind of like life itself.

@nickmorrow3829 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for showing else the circle and as usual one of your subscribers new the history. So kool. I road by this on my motorcycle and wondered what the heck it was.

@michaelsimonds2632 10 ай бұрын

Fascinating. There is an awful lot of "nothing" out there, and it's important acreage even so. Thanks for going out of your way! Now I don't have to go there. :)

@jardila15 Ай бұрын

Hi, I really appreciate all your videos. You definitively are a curious guy. And I definitively respect that because curiosity is the most important feature of being an intelligent human being. I was wondering about the circle. Maybe it was done for a movie set in the past? Please keep doing your work. I always learn a lot from them. Thank you.

@funzeevanzee 10 ай бұрын

You could check with county records or ask the county Professional Land Surveyor.

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

That eliminates half the fun!

@funzeevanzee 10 ай бұрын

@@SidetrackAdventures 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 true

@MySteamChannel 10 ай бұрын

Dear Steve, i love all your video's and especially the rail related ones. It's also just nice to see all that amazing desert scenery. very best regards from South Australia.

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

Glad you like them!

@Bodiddly55 10 ай бұрын

Looking at Google Earth there is another area on the same side of the highway about a mile south where you can see two perfect half circles on top of the hill and evidence that the area was bulldozed, the mystery deepens.

@lovebaja 10 ай бұрын

I can’t find additional circles a mile South. More info?

@monas.6839 10 ай бұрын

@@lovebaja Paste this into Google maps: 5J2J+QXR Evelyn, California…just a wild guess, but the other 2 circles resemble perhaps old, dead volcanoes.

@RobRoy2012 10 ай бұрын

Fascinating video, Steve. You certainly find some interesting and quirky places to visit. Very enjoyable and much appreciated.

@chaos88 8 ай бұрын

Wonderhussy Adventures added to this story.

@SidetrackAdventures 8 ай бұрын

Pretty cool. I watched her video a few minutes ago. It's funny to think how this place was largely forgotten for years and is now getting all of this attention.

@ScottDLR 10 ай бұрын

Good trip. Steve. Thanks for taking us along.

@paul9156c 10 ай бұрын

Pipe is probably a water well, circle is where the water storage tank once sat on elevated ground. Would be my only guess.

@cecilboatwright3555 7 ай бұрын

BOY, you make me MISS THE DESERT!!!! ❤ ....and it NEVER ceases to amaze me how much STUFF has been abandoned out there!!!

@SoloPilot6 10 ай бұрын

It's a CalTrans testing area. They picked it because it's not going to be disturbed, and because of the wide temperature swings in summer and winter. Materials and paint are put down then periodically checked for deterioration.

@donalddodson7365 10 ай бұрын

Thanks, Steve. Always enjoy your presentations. You have a gift.

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

Thank you very much, I really appreciate this.

@humunguswarrior 10 ай бұрын

My dad used to haul asphalt and aggregates out of in San Bernardino county. He said that circle was so the trucks could bottom dump their loads and save it in large quantities so that when road construction occurred they would lessen their time on lane closures, since they didn't have to wait for the trucks to bring it from far away. He thinks it was made in a circle because a parallel strip of road, which is more common for such activities, would of been at greater risk of washout and damage whereas the circle was on a more secure bit of land and water could be diverted around it easier.

@sandyfields9933 7 ай бұрын

This video is so good. Great choice of music & just the perfect amount if silent rolling & observing 🤗

@chrismccall2122 10 ай бұрын

It’s pretty simple to surmise what it is… It’s The Circle of Life! Or The Circle of Death….Valley? Now I’m not sure! 😅

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

Hakuna matata!

@SunLightFawn 10 ай бұрын

Really interesting, and the "lone beer can" is an antique!! ;-)

@pigeonpallz1733 10 ай бұрын

I enjoy your videos thank you

@mawi1172 10 ай бұрын

We love it that you really take us places, Steve. 😅😂😂😂. And a spin all around Evelyn too!?!? Sweet!😂😂😂😂❤

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

@procabAD 10 ай бұрын

Evelyn California, site of the first traffic circle in the western hemisphere!

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

Truly a historic site!

@gusrubio489 10 ай бұрын

Loved it! These videos are a rabbit hole of things to go look up and marvel at!

@vladimirchernov5866 10 ай бұрын

Is it a semi truck turn around? Yeah, so the trucks can turn around without driving to the next town. Another of the mining trucks run two trailers. Anywhere else to turn around? Or a place they would be going currently?

@admiralnelson4225 10 ай бұрын

I doubt it. It has a dirt patch before it gets to the circle

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

Its possible but I'm not sure there would be enough trucks turning around out there to need something so big.

@AbandonedMines11 10 ай бұрын

Great video, Steve! I never knew about this Circle despite having driven up and down Highway 127 so many times. Thanks for pointing it out. Nice job reviewing the big thermometer, too. Definitely a landmark. Never knew it had blown over. I didn’t know Highway 127 was still closed at this late date. Just the other day they finally opened Death Valley Road at the north end of the park just east of Big Pine off Highway 168. It had been closed since August!

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

I actually cut through Death Valley the next day, and hadn't been in a few years. You could really tell they've had to do some pretty major work on some of the roads through there.

@timmyvarvel9196 10 ай бұрын

It looks like theres some pretty extensive earth works both in the center and in a larger circle around the paved circle. Possibly for drainage? I wonder if this was some kind of railroad infrastructure at one point that got repurposed as a truck turnaround. Maybe there was small trains or vehicles with multiple trailers that needed a turnaround and offloading location

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

I wondered if maybe mine equipment was off loaded there.

@garthbutton699 10 ай бұрын

Your curiosity really got the best of you,thanks for going the extra "mile"🤗😎🤗😎

@confuseatronica 10 ай бұрын

i didn't realize the SOUTH road to Death Valley was still closed- I thought it was going to be the north west and east roads that would be hardest to fix. I guess its because its the lowest flattest route, it got more washouts

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

I cut through Death Valley the next day to get to Highway 395 and can confirm the other roads were open.

@almdelgado9133 3 күн бұрын

I thoroughly enjoy your video logs. . Keep up the good work. You should have a T-shirt made up with the logo "Sidetrack Adventures". I know, I would buy a couple. Anyway thanks for videos. ALM Delgado from Carson, CA

@Yormsane 10 ай бұрын

Wondering if this circle started out as a navigation marker for the Air Force, like those giant arrows in the AZ desert? Maybe later, it was paved and used by CalTrans to park highway maintenance vehicles during works in this far-flung corner of CA.

@strangerous1313 10 ай бұрын

Those arrows were not for the Air Force. They were for postal aircraft.

@SeventhSamurai72 9 ай бұрын

In the 80s we did a lot of off-roading on the Dumont Dunes near there. Good times! Seen pretty interesting things in the night sky there too

@osiner4 10 ай бұрын

Another banger video, Steve

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

Thank you.

@phydeux 10 ай бұрын

I knew what it was as soon as I saw the lane lines. There are 3 hints to it's purpose. 1) The paving is an inconsistent patchwork. 2) The lane lines are all over the place and don't follow the path of the circle. 3) The piles along the edge look to be assortments of gravel, asphalt, and other road-making materials. This told me it was a test track of some sort before I scrolled down to Jim's excellent explanation.

@avnostlga 10 ай бұрын

It could be a grift? Re-establish a town on paper to gain state funding for road maintenance. Pave a circle, paint a few lines and pocket the rest.

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

This is also a likely guess. I wouldn't be surprised if they had some extra road money left over and instead of giving it back they made this circle.

@joefoltz4297 10 ай бұрын

Another fascinating video, a place doesn't have to be historical or have some special meaning to be interesting. I have a suggestion for future exploration, just South of there on the 127, if it hasn't washed away, is Renoville, which has a sad but fascinating history. Thanks again.

@mozart2jazz 10 ай бұрын

Hey, Steve, a question for you (that I'll bet you've already been asked, and have answered before): What drone do you use? I'm always impressed with the quality of the footage you post using it. Thanks!

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

I'm using a DJI Mini 3 Pro.

@dankaufman5594 9 ай бұрын

Greetings. Another excellent side track adventure. From the comments we learned something about a spot we have passed by so many times. Just to add a little side track, there is a train crash site about three miles south of Evelyn siding and a couple miles north of Shoshone on the eastside. There is a short dirt road and a horizontal cut in the low foothills to the east as the only markers. August 9, 1908 a Tonopah & Tidewater steam engine #13 crashed, killing three, during heavy rain and flooding. We found metal pieces, boiler bolts, and old glass from the engine. When you look to the west you can match the foothills in the picture. We wondered if they topped off with water at Evelyn. Found in (maybe at the museum as well) Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California, pp. 570-71, by DF Myrick. There's also camel and Mammoth tracks in the town of Shoshone. China Ranch is nearby and a really nice spot especially if you love dates. Keep up the good work and interesting videos.

@sjs1965442 10 ай бұрын

Very strange but interesting

@JohnCouch-m4f 10 ай бұрын

Another place that I have driven by many times but I have never even seen. Two guesses, 1) Used by Caltrans or the county for road maintenance uses. 2) Used by the military as a way to calibrate airborne cameras both high and low altitude. This area is directly under the military low altitude corridor between Edwards and Nellis that is used for training. Back in the day they used known targets of known size to train photo readers on how to figure out actual sizes from high speed cameras flown over targets. There are plenty of areas out in the California and Nevada deserts that were used back in the day. Of interest to note, there is a SR-71 crash site just a mile outside of Shoshone and a RF-4 crash site near Death Valley Junction, both camera carrying aircraft. Just a thought! Thanks Steve for another great episode!

@บัวสีโรเจอร์-ศ9ฝ 10 ай бұрын

CIA, aliens and Bigfoot, yeah, I think you got it spot on there. Great video Steve.👍

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

Its the most likely explanation.

@jdc1979 3 ай бұрын

Just for the record i don’t think you’re weird for driving 3 hrs just to see this. Its exciting to discover things and i love history

@ghodgeco 10 ай бұрын

I'm thinking it was a roundhouse for the railroad to turn locomotives around. Who knows??

@ladyjedi3D 10 ай бұрын

I really enjoy your channel! Always something interesting and memorable. Thank you for this video! Pretty cool even though it’s simple. Found it so interesting regardless.

@77Sunsetstrip 10 ай бұрын

Need to take a metal detector next time. Bet there is treasure.

@oscarzepeda1558 8 ай бұрын

Great video Steve!!!! I absolutely love your style, going the scenic route just for the sake of curiousity!! My first guess was for the long semi trucks to be able to turn around and also to test out the line painter with the multiple double yellow lines that was across the road…. I also thought it could’ve been to practice “ drifting” like Fast Furious but I don’t think drifting was a thing back then, then I thought it could’ve been for the kids racing in their go-carts and had races…. I just now read Jim rook’s comment !!!!! Mixing asphalt !!! Of course !!!!!!

@TheStuport 10 ай бұрын

I could not wait to see and read the comments from The Loyal Sidetrack Adventures Posse about Evelyn's Circle! 😂 So many different avenues "to drive on" in determining the actual intent of this yellow lined circle. I myself am going dizzy as my mind races around in circles as to the answer!🤣 My Uncle Jack from Corona Del Mar shared a story about The Baker Thermometer when I was a kid while he was taking the Temperature of his pet Poodle, Mr. Cuddles! This really happened because his wife (Aunt Laura) was laughing and telling him to stop. One of the Best memories as a squirt that years later I so very much appreciate! Every Trip with you Steve and Family is A Keeper! Cheers and Blessings From COW-lumbus, Ohio MOO 👋

@SidetrackAdventures 10 ай бұрын

Its funny that a few people have mentioned that type of thermometer in relation to the Baker thermometer! Thank you for all your support.

@enriquelandaf 6 ай бұрын

Thank you very much Steve. For these videos, that remind me of so much my childhood. Of Southern California and the rest of that area Nevada, Arizona and by inplication Baja Cal Mex. my Origanl Turf.