Planning for The Oregon Trail, Friends Living on the Road, and Upcoming Videos

I’ve had a few people ask how they can support my YouTube channel financially.

Since I have a full-time job, I’m not “in need” of making money on YouTube, but I have set up an Amazon Affiliate Program account. It’s a way to help the channel make money without spending any more than you normally would.

Here’s how it works: Go to any of my videos and click on the description. It will have links to products I use to make videos. Click on any of those links (you don’t have to purchase them), and then buy any other products from Amazon. I get a small commission on whatever you buy (usually 4%). So, if you buy $100 of Amazon products, I’ll get $4 for the referral.

Please don’t feel any pressure to do this, but if you like my content and want to contribute, this would be the best way for now. In the future I may try some other ways to generate revenue, but nothing at the moment. Thank you for any support you give!

Planning for The Oregon Trail

I am planning to drive The Oregon Trail (in a car) in July. Since it’s not an actual road, it’s been a challenge to figure out exactly where the route goes. There is an official road trip route you can take, but often it stays on highways and bypasses many of the small towns I’m usually most interested in.

So, I’ve begun to map out my own route that goes as close to the original Oregon Trail as possible, passing through every little town or community along the way. I’m definitely excited to get the trip started and try to experience some of the views of nature the pioneers did.

Where exactly does The Oregon Trail go?

The Oregon Trail starts in Independence, MISSOURI (just east of Kansas City). The trip through Missouri is very short before entering Kansas south of Kansas City. In KANSAS, it goes through Lawrence and Topeka before heading north to Nebraska. Once in NEBRASKA, you’ll head northwest until you hit Kearney and I-80. You basically follow I-80 west until Ogallala before heading northwest to Scotts Bluff, which is almost to WYOMING. You continue northwest in Wyoming until you reach Casper. From there it is a west and southwest journey through very sparely populated areas for the rest of the state. From what I can see, there aren’t very many drivable roads in that area, so you have to go around where the pioneers went. The trail enters IDAHO through the southeast corner and heads northwest to Pocatello and then west to Boise near OREGON. Once in Oregon, you go straight north to Pendleton before going west to The Dalles. Here there are multiple ways to finish the trip into Oregon City.

What took the pioneers 4-6 months, I will do in 2 weeks.

I’m also planning some side trips along the way and have already spotted some potential ghost towns in each of the states. For me, one of the most enjoyable things is doing research on a bunch of possible places so I have a little knowledge before I arrive. Then once I’m there I can fully appreciate the areas a little more because of that knowledge. Should be a fun adventure!

Cole and Rachel living on the road

A couple of my friends, Cole and Rachel, recently decided to buy a camper and live on the road for the next several months. Cole used to be the head track coach at Friends University in Wichita, and we frequently chat about traveling. I’m definitely jealous! They also make YouTube videos, so make sure to check out Working for the Wild to see their adventures!

Upcoming videos

I’m almost to the end of the videos I filmed months ago. I’ve edited all but one, so that means I need to get back on the road soon! The track and field season has been very busy, and I haven’t been able to do much. That’s why I film so much in advance and release them once week at a time.

Here’s what I’ve got coming up:

June 9 – Kansas Ghost Towns #10 – Bloom, Lexington, Sitka, Englewood

June 13 – Bonus Drone Video – Wichita State University

June 16 – Red Oak II, Missouri - The town that's an incredible art project

June 23 – Missouri Ghost Towns #5 – Hematite, Goldman, Mineola

June 30 – Kansas Ghost Towns #11 – Aetna, Sun City, Lake City, Mingona

July 7 – Missouri Ghost Towns #6 – Bacon, Old Franklin, Lock Springs, Far West

That’s all of the videos I’ve filmed that haven’t been released yet. These are all tentative dates. As I film new projects, I often switch around the release dates. For example, The Missouri Ghost Towns #5 and #6 are only two weeks apart. I might put something else in there to spread out the geography.

I really enjoyed making the two Kansas Ghost Town videos. Englewood and Sun City are very interesting places to visit. And at the end of the KS GT #10 video, there is some rare bonus footage of yours truly.

I’m making a quick trip to Ohio for a family reunion in two weeks. There are a few places I’m wanting to make videos about during that trip. If so, I’ll release them in July. One other video I’m trying to do is a story about the Wichita Monrovians (black baseball team) and a game they played in 1925 against the KKK. It’s a fascinating story that happened right here in Wichita!

No matter what I do or where I go, I’m definitely looking forward to the summer and finding some interesting places I’ve never been. Hopefully you’re doing a lot of the same! Happy Travels!