I have a challenge for anyone who is into Google maps and wild-goose-chases: it involved the last 30 seconds of a video I posted over 4 years ago already, back then it was called Episode One [above] of Project Pedal, but now, being that this video - along with the four episodes that followed - doesn’t smoothly tie into explaining FToM and its making-of, this video has been long-since collecting dust in the archives of Vimeo.

But, where was I?, right; the last 30 seconds of this video show a road bending slightly right, then slightly left, revealing a long, long stretch of desert highway somewhere between Goldfield and Los Angeles; more or less near Death Valley.

I need to find it.

I’ve been looking off and on for the last few months in Google maps / Earth for this exact stretch of road [update: road is running north to south, shot was filmed just before sunset and is actually playing in reverse: meaning we are looking dead north once we hit the straight shot] with little luck. So, the challenge being, if you haven’t guessed already, please help me find this lost place! I’ve marked down in Google maps the route between Goldfield and Los Angeles, and I also created a highlighted-boundary of where the above road almost certainly has to be hiding. 

I don’t know what the person who finds this stretch of road will get just yet - I’m trying to think of something really special… it might be something I have to announce in private with said person; but that depends on a few things. In any case, I will try to make it worth your while and effort. And even if you don’t end up finding the road, please let me know you tried, and I will be sure to thank you for making an effort. I set the map to public, so, technically, people could add markers to the map letting others know an area has been looked at and nothing was found - maybe with a few people working to limit the search area this road will turn up after-all. 

Update: 

So, the very talented Ann Arbor based designer, Alex Jacque, was the person who tracked down the road [pictured above] seen in the last 30 seconds of Episode One - I owe a huge, huge thanks to him for helping me find this spot… on top of this road being very sentimental and symbolic to me, it’s a road that will play a part in FToM. I’ll be taking a road trip to Daylight Pass Rd. in the next few weeks and when I do, I have something special in mind as an extra thanks to Alex. Also, I wanted to say thanks to Eric Buist for looking as well. […]