I Went out West, as a Young Man does
"Go West, young man, go West and grow up with the country." - Horace Greeley
Posted From: New York, New York, United States
End of June Adventures in the American West
I spent six days in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah with a friend. We had this trip on our calendars for half a year, albeit the weeks were shifted two times prior. Third time’s a charm!
The goal was simple: visit a few National Parks + see the West.
We would camp a couple nights in his Tesla while circulating between hotels. Before I arrived at his apartment in Denver the night before we left, that’s all we had planned. We had not chosen a route, let alone lodging.
Given the hotter weather in late June, we decided to visit a few parks in a Northern Route - Bighorn, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Dinosaur National Monument. We would leave Denver Saturday morning, come back Thurday or Friday, in time for my Friday afternoon flight. With my duffel bag packed to the brim, we headed out to REI to pick up remaining gear and then set off for our route, leaving the 100 degree day in Denver behind.
We ended up car camping for four nights in a row (Bighorn, Yellowstone x2, Grand Teton), one hotel night in Vernal, and a sixth night back at my friend’s apartment in Denver. Along the way, we stopped at all the aforementioned parks plus a hot springs in Steamboat Springs, CO.
A Time Not to Be Forgotten…
… so, I made a movie about it!
If you are interested in my 13-minute reflection video, send me a message and I will send you the link!
This was the first movie I have made since high school. 10+ years ago.1 I used iMovie, which, to my pleasant suprise, did not seem to change at all since I last used it. I picked it up in 10 minutes.
The process to create the movie:
Determining a vision for my reflection (a straight-forward movie)
Taking almost 100 videos + 300 pictures (throughout the six-day trip)
Combining my videos with my friend’s in a shared album
Watching all videos + viewing all photos2
Making a new album for usable videos + photos
Starting an iMovie project
Downloading the cloud album and then uploading the media assets to the project3
Deciding the organization of the movie (chronological or theme-based)4
Creating the introduction + transitions (with sound effects)
Inputting the relevant media assets + determining the talk time I had within each movie section5
Drafting a script full of memories and reflections
Refining the script
Recording the script
Ensuring all recordings’ audio aligned, with each other and the sound effects
Reviewing the movie draft
Polishing for the final version
Documenting this process became a goal of mine after I realized the level of effort required to get to a 13-minute movie. And, the movie I made is by no means flawless! This process created a deeper appreciation for filmmakers’ work; their job requires precision, perfection, and patience.
In total, I spent around eight hours of dedicated time for steps 6-16. Fortunately, I had a few days off from work so I was able to start and finish the project within four days, spending a couple hours each day.
Additional reflections from the trip6
I can be very spontaneous
Showed up to the trip with no lodgings booked nor a route chosen.
Other trips, I ensure each day has a schedule to follow but on this trip, I was fine without one!
I can roll with the punches without concern
Sleeping in a Model 3 for 4 days straight? No biggie. Snow in late June? Enjoy it. Work blowing up a bit? It’ll be okay.
Discipline shows when you are out of your environment
I’d still wake up early, complete my daily activities, and be totally ready to take on the day!
Planning helps center, rather than dictate
A month before the trip, I developed a fairly intricate plan of how I would spend the days. Of course, if spontaneity ruled the day, you could bet that my plan would never be followed. But, creating the plan reinforced what I wanted the trip to focus on - and I made it happen!
America is developed, but not inhabited
Water rules rule the development of Western lands, usually with political interventions.
All that we saw for miles and miles was fenced in land inhabited by a few cattle and no people.
Dark green was the area we drove through - less than one person per square mile America used to build the grandest projects
Civil: The Buffalo Bill Dam was the tallest in the world (325 ft) when it was constructed in 1910, now, it is not even in the top 287 (and the US has none in the top 24).
Natural: Yellowstone is considered the first National Park created in the world (1872) (likewise, the first in the US).
Scientific: Close to 140 years of research in Yellowstone (original research from the US Geological Survey).
Tourism peddles great distances
There’d be no one but a handful of cars for dozens of miles and then, BAM! A town emerges, a landmark appears, and the roads become filled with cars.
Why are we all showing up to Yellowstone? And why that one hike in Grand Teton?
RVs and Campers are beyond my understanding
The lifestyle itself perplexes me - who is doing this? for how long? are they enjoying their travels?
Law of large numbers dictates there’ll always be people out with ‘em?
A wonderful, wildly, Western trip. Won’t be forgetting this experience anytime soon!
Post 18
Feeling my age a bit, here…
I did not view any videos throughout the trip (not purposeful). However, this was a risk - I had no idea if my video-taking would be acceptable to the standard I wanted in the movie!
A workaround needed given iMovie’s lack of updates
I chose chronological for simplicity
Broken out into days
Indexing on ones not discussed during the video