The Empty Backroads of Roberts County, Texas

[@JenniferAlexander-yd6kj]

Such a neat area. So open and a free feeling with no fences, hardly, not even trees. Just a real wild west feeling. Fun area.

[@paulross9287]

And private roads, and no trespassing signs everywhere. 😂

[@pamlaenger6870]

I love the wide open spaces and big sky!!! Thanks for posting this!

[@diannaa7462]

Makes me wish I could have a little house there…off the main road…plant a couple of hearty trees…have a little, sturdy greenhouse to grow food…just live where it’s very quiet, no crowds, no traffic…I could paint pictures and enjoy peace. An outhouse would be fine, lantern light, must have well water…maybe a generator or 2 for cooling and frig. Sorry…this video sent me dreaming away. 😊

[@pamlaenger6870]

John’s videos send me dreaming too.

[@artiglesias9317]

Dreams can come true ya'll.

[@BlueFisher22-y2u]

​@@artiglesias9317 yep

[@Londubh1]

It's much better as it is without you or anyone else.

[@weirdshibainu]

Thanks for the video. I enjoy driving in wide open spaces. I spend a lot of time in Eastern Oregon and Nevada. The vistas are beautiful. Whenever I'm driving through these areas, I often wonder what the early pioneers must have thought as they journeyed to a better life.

[@CarolFelts-g9b]

Between you, Joe and Nicole I get to travel the USA and see almost every small town and big city and also go down roads I would never go down, all without leaving my couch. Really like both channels because I would love to be able to travel but can’t anymore. Thanks.

[@bradenkarber3352]

North river road is public road. Just don’t get off road is what the no trespassing is about. Quarter Horse road is one of the main oilfield roads in the county.

[@AtriumPrime]

Thanks for the information. From what Coach Wise could see and from what he was told from the closest law enforcement, the area still seems very intimidating. From what I'm reading from Dalbygriffis3611, there may be reasons why outsiders are discouraged from poking around. Personally, I'm surprised that Mr.Wise hasn't found more resistance in his explorations in the country.

[@philipkitchen3903]

How are the trespassing who owns all that land how do they buy it

[@AtriumPrime]

@@philipkitchen3903 I'm assuming its mostly ranchland which probably lets the oil companies drill for a share of the profits. Or maybe the oil companies just bought the land outright?

[@bgithens1]

I live 30 miles from there and yes when I worked in the oilfield down on south river road, a rancher would charge you $500 per tire track off of road.

[@AtriumPrime]

@@bgithens1 Sounds like an area you don't want to go "rambling" through.

[@janfeuerborn2707]

So open and beautiful!!! Peace and quiet.

[@artiglesias9317]

Thank you for an insight to the wide open spaces of the Texas pan handle area of Roberts County. Sure some rugged country wayout there.

[@UMtiger311]

Interesting video as always, John. Judging by your instagram stories, it looks like you’ve got some really good ones coming down the pipeline

[@Erinlogan-t4j]

The winding roads that you take remind me of my many trips from Windsor, Colorado to Greeley/Loveland, Colorado. Love the landscape there. I was born in Kaufman county (Terrell, Tx) Great video ❤❤

[@ToesToJesus]

Love these video's of just the wide open spaces!

[@raazel3]

Thanks!

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

So much appreciated! Wow thank you!

[@raazel3]

@TravelwithaWiseguy : what are the theme song used on your travels?

[@onrycodger]

Don't blame you for turning back. That was undoubtedly the smart thing to do. Merry Christmas!🎅🎄

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thanks and same to you!

[@justnerdystuff]

Roberts County looks like it would be really pretty late spring when the grass in green and there are leaves on the trees.

[@debbiestewart6756]

Loved the Coldfoot Camp shirt. This was a great video as always

[@juliogonzales5441]

GREAT VIDEO COACH 😊

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thanks, appreciate that!

[@lovedadonald.]

Oh hell no ! Quarter Horse road is a caliche topped road and when it's dry it's as hard as concrete, when it rains out there it's as slick as snot ! After it rains that road becomes rutted and bumpy as hell and you always hope to see a road grader on the Quarter Horse Road.

[@mosessupposes2571]

Fascinating place. Thank you!

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@dalbygriffis3611]

I delivered alfalfa hay in the early seventies to a ranch in that area, I had a number to call on CB when I got in the area, and a ranch hand met me at the cattle guard. Escorted in and out paid in cash, never went back. I still wonder what they were hiding.

[@artiglesias9317]

He was doing you a favor, makn' sure you got in and out safely; also the hay was delivered as promised.

[@thomaswayneward]

You will freeze there in the winter and burn up in the summer, plus the dust storms. So I would love it. What about snakes? Usually places like the are covered up with them. Where is the closest doctor? Grocery store, real grocery store?

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

I didn’t see any snakes. Maybe more in warmer weather? 🤷🏼‍♂️ they had a grocery/deli in Miami. Hospital in Pampa around 15-20 miles away.

[@jljordan1]

The mesas are beautiful

[@sandiewilliams238]

Coach, you're an accomplished drone operator and it is a skill I have long admired. Have you recently been anywhere near New Jersey? Jus askin...🛸

[@justnerdystuff]

LOL, I heard that the drone operators there all had battery issues while trying to check those big "drones" out. I also heard it's just not New Jersey anymore, they also had some in California. Which make sense because they are near the ocean and a lot of military bases out there as well.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

😂😂😂

[@tomneff7030]

You are in the area where T.Boone Pickens had his prop.and that huge house.Can you drjvr by it? Is that possible? Is there access? Thanks.

[@RonaldDailey-z8b]

I realized that there was no power poles or cellphone towers. You might as well been on the moon. Have a great weekend.

[@williammatzek4660]

Wise guy , here in south central Kansas we figure 4 acres of good grass will carry a cow calf pair for the summer. I wonder what that number is in Roberts county? Your river road sounds like a legal road. I don't understand how they can block it.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Good question!

[@philipkitchen3903]

They can block it because they're white

[@bglrj]

You are a good citizen!

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

😊

[@tinman7130]

Deep in the heart of Texas for sure John. A question, were you droning and driving? Asking for a friend

[@kd5inm]

Its not the heart of Texas, its actually about 7 hours from what is known as the heart of Texas. That area is more like the hat of Texas, like the brim of the hat.

[@Scott.Newmaster]

The 'road signs ' identify the roads for semi's (grain, tankers, cattle, etc) in advance to use to keep from having a 80k truck trying to turn around on a dirt road. Many also identify the land owners in the area.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Interesting point about the signs - thanks!

[@paulross9287]

It's very frustrating when maps don't show that a road is private, and you've made a special trip to explore it.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Agreed 👍🏼

[@robertodebeers2551]

I'm surprised to see such pretty country up in the panhandle. My long-ago trips across it years ago left me with memories of just brush and ugliness. Thanks!

[@GarrettKoval]

Pretty sure all the no trespassing signs were about the land on each side. As long as you stay in the right of way, you’re not trespassing. Any time you see a small cross on the side of the road, that’s where someone has died.

[@stevehilliard1495]

Glad you went so I don’t have to

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

😂😂

[@carlhunt6891]

Reminds me of parts of Wyoming, lol. This beautiful country. Thank you.

[@ronfullerton3162]

JñI find it amazing how much it resembles the western parts of Nebraska also. Seems like I have driven some of the same roads in Nebraska. Sure is fun to drive through the areas such as that. Especially when the roads are not any better!

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

I think there's something magical about the wide-open spaces in the West, no matter which state you're in!

[@ronfullerton3162]

@@TravelwithaWiseguy I think you are on to something there! Going north and west from south central Nebraska is a treat for me when on two wheels. The wide open expansion just seems even larger when you are out there on the two wheels with nothing around you. Such a great feeling!

[@justnerdystuff]

Is that the same Hwy 70 that ultimately takes you into Las Cruces, NM?

[@rmr24]

No, that is US 70, he was on Texas State Highway 70.

[@robchit1]

Going north, it hooks up with US 83 into Liberal KS. South it merges into US 277 south of Sweetwater TX towards San Angelo.

[@kristid9127]

Great video!! Robert’s County chose to give actual names to their county roadways instead of A,B,C…or 1,2,3…. Signs are erected by TxDot for the 911 systems. Enjoy your videos coach!

[@arailway8809]

I liked the people of Miami. I did not find a motel there. Had to go to Canadian.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Agreed - I stayed in Pampa.

[@sittinknittinNlistenin]

Fun video. Thanks

[@larryclark4791]

Wide open spaces

[@justnerdystuff]

Now I see why most Texans have a 4 wheel drive truck after seeing those dirt roads.

[@bigjimslade6250]

You were really close to Adobe Walls located a bit to the northwest

[@cynthiablagg3690]

I guess I'm the only one to notice that you called this town Parnell Kansas. I guess when you live in Kansas you automatically put Kansas instead of Texas. I lived in Texas for almost 51 years and never managed to go to Roberts county. Looks like there is not much there anyway.

[@kd5inm]

I noticed too

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Yeah I didn’t even realize it even after I watched it back a final time 😂

[@georgevan2589]

I lived in the Texas Panhandle for over 40 years and passed through Roberts county only twice that I recall; once to go to Canadian in the 1990s and once to Glazier in the 1960s. Most people don't have a reason to go there, but if you are looking for solitude or to live on a ranch, it should be perfect.

[@couerleroi1]

Did you have cell service?

[@deborahross9974]

In the one area you mentioned a place called Parnell, Tx but a note that was on your video mentioned Parnell Ks not Tx. Evidently those no trespassing signs were put up by the landowners in the area. They own so much land they can't have people watching so they put up the no trespassing signs to keep people out. You mention being on highway 70. Did you know there's an interstate 70 in Kansas? It goes East to West across the state. Nice area to visit. That one road was probably washout by rain and it might not have been a safe place to cross especially since it seems to go downhill. Definitely a lot of empty land. But Miami was an interesting county seat. Thank you for the trip, John. Till next time. Happy trails to you and God bless.

[@artiglesias9317]

I figure they are doing folks a favor putting up those signs, keeps others where they belong, off of their ranch; they will also not make a wrong turn on to their roads.

[@lobogary6990]

love the county

[@Agtech_314]

You can drive on north river road they are county owned and maintained signs there because last oil boom theft and land damages where frequent

[@madtrapper8301]

Hey you should come up to Roberts Co South Dakota and drive around and check it out also

[@justnerdystuff]

Parnell would make a great Western movie. lol🤠

[@slydale]

Why don't they call west Texas the "Panhandle" and the northern section something else? Just makes sense. The Smokestack? The Top Hat? How bout "North Texas Plains"? Or just North Texas!?

[@Cbcw76]

I agree. Lubbock is not West Texas. San Angelo is. Ft Stockton, Van Horn - West Texas. Ft Worth is NOT West Texas. But the real issues show in Kermit, Lamesa, etc - that whole Permian Basin - West Texas or Panhandle? "No, it's the Permian Basin." Ahhh.

[@Cbcw76]

Water rights. Tough issue, horrible consequences. This is part of those grasslands area, which is on a strip west of the Okie State Line. Every time you'd pass a washed-out creek-let bottom, I wanted to jump out with a bucket, shovel and sifter and see what minerals were there. Quartz... maybe not. I'd need to get the geology books first.

[@Cbcw76]

I'll bet those night skies are fantastic... for star-gazers. I'll bet the Moon is literally too bright in those skies.

[@nexttsar]

And they say there is no room in this country for prisons....

[@gazooberful]

very nice, if / when cletus gets the rambler put back together , we might visit here!

[@evanorthcliff2782]

I used to own a Rambler . My first car

[@gazooberful]

@@evanorthcliff2782 cletus spent all the money on new naugahyde seats and now theres no money to fix the timing chain 😡

[@HadleyHelton]

Looks like some well maintained roads, for the most part. Bet no damn crackheads.

[@kathyscoppettuolo4203]

Speed limit 75? 😮😬

[@bigjimslade6250]

Yes. I was out there once & drove those roads. It’s pretty awesome

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Not too much traffic 😂

[@justnerdystuff]

It is 75 mph on a bumping back road???????

[@allenantonio4389]

Badlands of Texas

[@AtriumPrime]

When you go to these small counties (especially the one with 40 something people), I have to ask, who's staffing them? Are these just political shell entities for commercial interests? As you show, they can't even maintain a school system or sherrif's department (at least when you called). As for the no trespassing, I think the local land owners simply took the once public roads for themselves with no one to challenge or maintain them. It's probably like where I live where property owners will claim and fence off alleyways, adding it into their own properties by denying their neighbors access.

[@jljordan1]

It probably that honestly. I bet they don’t mind the township maintaining the road though.

[@diannaa7462]

Wow…do you live in a sparsely populated area?

[@AtriumPrime]

@@jljordan1 I imagine that they wouldn't have enough population to support individual township governments. It would be interesting to know who does contributes to the county budget. The county does have an independant town, unlike some of the other counties Coach Wise has covered, so there has to be some sort of public representation in government. However, as what he found, it seems that the county provides few if any services, and may only be a board. From what he was told by the Sheriff's office from the next county, it seems that the real government is the next county over, but they are reluctant to intrude as if its a semi-autonomous region. I guess only someone who actually lives there would truely know.

[@AtriumPrime]

@@diannaa7462 Not particularly. It's a town of about 16-20 thousand. But you can see alleyways where a resident has cut the road in two by extending his\her fence all the way to the neighbor behind him. Whether they bought the property from the city, or just claimed it without opposition, I don't know.

[@AtriumPrime]

@@jljordan1 I just read a post by a local called BradenKarber who says that the sign only referred to the property alongside of the road. However, as Coach Wise discovered and as a post called DalbyGriffis added, he still might not have been welcomed exploring in the area.

[@mikechance3138]

Those roads are public. Just don't get off of them.

[@roberteshaw9520]

Hey Coach Good dinosaur territory out there. Drone is doing some good work,better than some over this way as of late.big landscape visible out there.That one badly eroded stretch of road you chose to avoid, could have changed up your suspension picture a bit, good choice.Keep on keeping on.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thanks for the comment! I was definitely worried about suspension damage!

[@empressvogt]

Government Canyon is the weirdest name of a canyon. What is the government hiding?! lol

[@GabeGarrett-t7s]

Great video Wichita coach 🎉

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Appreciate you watching!

[@CourtneyKing-ln7kq]

My aim ee? Got it.

[@mikerocks56]

Looks like the Google Maps vehicle was able to drive on North River Rd east of 70 all the way to the eastern Roberts County border in September 2024. The didn’t drive on it west of 70.

[@melissah4515]

Thank you for that, just took a 'ride'. Another commenter said they were county roads with old signage from the last oil boom. That would make sense, but the wells look abandoned now so probably not an issue anymore. I don't blame John a bit for making the decision he did, that was a good call. Glad to be able to see what's down there anyway.🌵

[@zachpercival9464]

I was here back in the Summer of 2021. I remember taking that road that goes west out of Miami.

[@lostribe5130]

I wonder how they have the money to maintain those roads with so little population.

[@paulrutledge6818]

Property taxes and the state would maintain the state highways.

[@paulyosef7550]

1970 US population 170 million. 2024 US population half billion. Welcome to the United States of South America.

[@Jody-kt9ev]

Very interesting video. I have been on roads north of Amarillo while on the way to Colorado. Similar scenery. Another Texas county with only one "census designated place" as the county seat is Crockett County, Texas. However, the population of this county is 3098, much higher than Roberts county. I have been through Crockett County and the county seat (Ozona) several times on my way to Big Bend and California. Ozona is a neat town also. As to the wide dirt roads, this reminded me of the KZbin videos I have watched about the Australian Outback. They have wide dirt roads for hundreds of miles!

[@thoward4051]

I was expecting, at any moment, to see a large herd of buffalo storming over the horizon and heading your direction. It certainly looks to be the kind of landscape they once roamed. Thanks for sharing Coach!

[@philipkitchen3903]

Buffalo they were all killed

[@kevincollins9894]

Did you notice the small bodies of water early on in the video? Those were playa lakes, wallowed out by the bison herds seeking relief from biting insects. Often times they go dry but you can tell where they are because of the different vegetation from the area around it.

[@lross]

Hello John. beautiful video. If you like empty routes you have to come to Patagonia in Argentina with thousands and thousands of kilometers of spectacular routes. Traveling Route 40 is a unique experience. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2LXlqKCe7aYsNUfeature=shared

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Would love to someday!

[@philipkitchen3903]

How can human beings on so much land and is homeless all over the United States why, where's everybody at

[@punktexas]

The sign didn't say "do not enter" , "private road" or gated so I might have traveled it.

[@rossbryan6102]

LOL, MAYBE SOME DAY, THEY WILL INVENT THE COMBINED AUTOMOBILE/ HELICOPTERS!!!

[@johndreker1613]

I love seeing these areas, even if there is nothing really to see.

[@philipkitchen3903]

You claimed as least populated but it's so much bones under your feet dead indians that was murdered for that land, I didn't see that one for sale sign up who does all this land belong to your driving through you didn't mention that

[@philipkitchen3903]

I wish you would give us some real history about who owned the land before the white man came and destroyed them

[@carlosedwardos]

You need to equalize the volume on your video, it should not go from blasting loud when your face is on screen, to barely loud enough to hear when rolling video of the area. Volume must remain the same throughout the video, or else viewers get annoyed and flee and don't come back! - Watch the finished video yourself, to check for this, before uploading it.

[@rayfair9279]

it's pronounced miame not miama. and cod man not codeman. were you born in cana duh?

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

LOL 😂 Actually it’s miama, not miami - that’s from people who actually live there. And you must’ve missed how I put *Codman on the screen acknowledging I misspoke.