We accidentally drove in no man's land East Germany during the cold War. Never saw my mom so scared. She screamed at my father to turn around. 😅

Truly the wild west

That sign for Okla and Colo is really old because (well not so old) I remember when the abbreviations of states went from 4 letters to 2 letters. I'm not going to say how old I was,, just that I remember it changing. Interestingly enough - I JUST watched your video on Boise yesterday. I left a comment. I remember when I first traveled on the "Black Mesa" It was 1990 and my husband's family lived in Raton, NM and he was showing me where his mom & dad lived in Folsom when they first got married (we had just been married). To get there we had to drive up the really curvy and steep roads up the Black Canyon and then down another steep and curvy road to Folsom. And then he showed me this ramshackle small cabin where each room had a different foundation level as each room had been added on by someone who was not a builder. It was interesting to look through as an abandoned building would be. And then he said "We could live here." I don't cuss, but I said "Oh Hell no!" And that was one of our first major arguments. Thankfully I won.

I love the hiking! It really adds something. Don't be afraid to produce longer videos!

The old photos you included are precious, did anyone else read the caption to the photo at 7:45? "Lew Bush, the town marshal, who was shot-gunned to death by Madam Pussy Cat Nell, sits next to the standing fiddler" Loooove it! This was so much fun, John, thank you. A very nice rabbit hole you opened for me, I appreciate it. Safe travels, sir.

I love that country, the best thing is that, there is very few people 😅.

Hiking with a Wiseguy 👍👍👍

Thanks John, what a fascinating video! Great history, really worth a good listen. I'm not a livestock farmer in the USA and immediately wondered why cattle ranchers flocked to the area, so much so, I would have said there was little to feed cattle (well this time of year at least) and then you go and show us livestock scratching a living! It must cost a fortune in supplementary feed and ensuring enough water. Please remember I'm an English ex farmer used to verdant cultivated ley and pasture through out spring, summer and autumn and used to stocking rates of up to 20 to 40 cattle per acre. I wouldn't entertain livestock in what we have seen. Your ranchers must really be a hardy breed! I can't imagine cropping wheat or any other cereal on land we have seen, although you tell us they did. This kind of video fuels my imagination in all directions, all I can do is tip my hat to the settlers of this district! Once again, thanks John.

My husband has family in Felt, OK. They’re farmers in that area. Ever since he was a kid he’s loved going out to visit them (we live in Wichita) to play on the farm and see the panhandle. He really enjoyed this video and is looking forward to part 2!

That's the first time I've seen the fake youtube part included. Just like I thought it would be. I've been through Boise City many times driving truck but always just in passing. Thanks for taking us on the tour.

The outtakes are great!😁😆 Safe traveling and Thumbs up!😎👍

Part of Cimarron County is in the Mountain Time Zone.

What a unique area

The farmers are jumping up and down about that big rain cloud.

EXCELLENT Vid! My Mothers family homesteaded near Cimarron Ks ca. 1880. I have great memories of Grandads childhood home in the middle of NOTHING. There were still “Buffalo Wallows” visible in a draw that had never been tilled.

Wow that's a wild looking area. Thanks for the history lesson!

My grandparents owned a general store in Wheeles, OK in the 30’s (not sure of the exact dates). Legend has it (family story) that “Baby Face” Nelson and crew stopped for gas one night and my grandmother held them at gunpoint with a shotgun as my granddad pumped the gas. They later moved to settle a Ranch West Northwest of Clayton, New Mexico, where my dad was born.

I lived in Tulsa and what amazed me was how soft the dirt was. To build a house you need dig out dirt say 5-6’ and fill the area with better dirt for house foundation. Then thought of wagon trains and how the wheels would make ruts and how difficult travel must have been.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK COACH 😅

I can see why it's called No Man's Land. It's really wild and beautiful but has very little to recommend it as a habitat. I'm so glad you got out with the donut tire. Bet it was good to get back on a paved road for awhile. Great video and history lesson. Thanks!

Your first video that popped up on my phone was 10 smallest towns in Florida, and since I live in Florida, it got my attention and started watching and enjoyed it very much. Been watching your videos and really enjoying them so much. Thank you and stay safe! 🙏💖

I live in Oklahoma and love the state! Welcome!

I’ve been to the Tri-state marker of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. The Colorado, OK, and KS stop is on my bucket list.

Black Mesa is a stunning park. I found it purely by accident.

I’ve climbed Black Mesa many times and it is so beautiful out there Kenton. I recommend exploring Optima Lake near Guymon and the Beaver Dunes State Park in Beaver. Anyway I’m so fascinated with exploring small communities, geography and cartography and love your content. Keep up the good work.

You get a HUGE "E" for effort, Coach! What a neat video! I've traveled into and through the Oklahoma panhandle hundreds of times, and I can honestly say I never took time to stop and smell the roses. (Did you see any roses???) 😂 Thanks once again for taking us along, and I trust you didn't encounter that pesky rattler! 😲😲😲

Coach, I never lost faith in you...I knew you would finish the hike! 🥾🥾

Thank you for your work. I live in Burlington, CO, about 200 miles north of Kenton. My wife and I were on a flight to New Orleans from Denver. I had a window seat and observed the rocks and trees of the Black Mesa and commented several times “where are there mountains southeast of Denver?” After returning home, I consulted several friends that had grown up in SE Colorado and I discovered the Kenton area. My family and I try to make an annual camping trip to the area, including Picture Canyon and the dinosaur tracks south of La Junta. We walked to the Black Mesa summit often.

Really love this video. To show the contrast of Oklahoma landscapes, please do a video of southeastern Oklahoma especially the Talimena area. Keep on traveling!!

Your best video format and content to date. Great work!

Both the history and the scenery are amazing. Thank you so much! Quite a hike!

John, really appreciate you traveling to the Panhandle of Oklahoma. Made my first trip there in August, 1973 and 2 more trips in May & July of 1974. Looking forward to your visit to Kenton! Hope the Old Store is still there and you can get access to it because it used to be stocked full of Indian artifacts (Arrowheads, etc.)on the shelves inside, a Mammoth Tusk, Bison Skulls, old Bottles; a multitude of things to enjoy seeing!! In 1973, there was a ninety year old man still operating the Store! You must go to Lake Carl Etling (Black Mesa State Park)!! There are Rock Formations such as Camel Rock, Daniel Boone, Shepherd’s Rock Cabin under Canyon Ledge, a formation of Petrified Wood, and 3-toed Dinosaur Prints in Creek Bed near the entrance ro ad to the Park, Dinosaur Prints inDry Creek Beds around the area, the Wedding Party and the Old Witch formations east of Kenton on Okla. Hwy 325 going to Boise City. If you search on top of the Mesa you might find Fossil Prints as I did in August of 1973. I found Paw Prints of a Prehistoric Cat imprinted in solid rock on top of the Mesa which had to happen when the rock was still soft! Also, I found a fossil of a Plant or Bone on a rock and I took pictures of both items. In 1974 at Fort Nichols, there were still deep ruts of the Santa Fe Trail in the ground. The Fort is located South of the Lake down dirt roads on Ranch Land. John, l’m going to try to send pictures to your GMAIL but not sure if they will go through since I don’t have your Email address; but will try anyway with the Website Address.

As a young boy I spent many summers in OK. My dad was born there in Caddo county specifically Kiowa Township. So, I am hopeful to see you do a video on that area one day. I like your style.

You call it No Man's Land and you're right but it's cattle's land. Ha! Beautiful place and such an interesting history. The dog at Hitching Post was adorable and I would've made friends with it as I love dogs. Thank you for the lovely trip. You should've pick a time when it would've been cooler. Guess you should've got a vehicle with tougher tires so you wouldn't have had a flat. Oh well guess that's part of traveling in No Man's Land. About the dinosaur tracks. I would've thought after several thousand years those tracks would've been washed away by rain and covered over by the winds blowing dirt. Happy trails to you and God bless.

John, I really felt for you when you had the flat. Would have loved to hear the conversation between you and the AAA operator if you had called for Roadside Assistance. Early on you mentioned the Tarbox family herding cattle. Their grandson, Elmer Tarbox, is in the Ring of Honor at Texas Tech in Lubbock. He was an All-American half-back and safety in the 1930's and a true hero in World War II. He was shot down flying the "Hump" between Burma and China. I believe that his name is next to some fellow named Patrick that plays for Chiefs.

Fantastic video - really liked the aerial shots. I hiked the Black Mesa twice - it is in my top 2 of favorite state highpoint hikes. It was only a few years ago that they did trail work there so kinda surprised how the switchback looked.

Beautiful scenery. I love the log cabin.. Great video John

No man’s land jerky is so tough and hard to chew. But sooo good 😂

Born in Beaver… Great video… fascinating area… part of Comancheria.

I’m an Okie and have always known this area as the Bad Lands.

Hello, im the guy who told you about the star party. The hitching post has also has been used by our guests from time to time. also the cimmaron heritage center makes out meals for Okietex during it. BTW Camp Billy joe the place where we host it is around a mile to the east of Kenton on the south side of the road . dont know if you can visit it right now though

I laughed at the ending. Totally can relate, uphill hiking in 90 degree temps at higher elevations with a back pack, lol. I would pop partially filled water bottles in the freezer and put cold water to fill before I left on the hike. Ice cold water on a tough hike makes a difference. And trail mix. I thought this area was gorgeous. Similar desert areas to parts of Southern California. Quite impressed that you changed a tire in 100 degree heat in the boonies. Full size tire, properly inflated, as a spare would have been nice, huh? My mom moved out to a rural area and was often changing tires. Beautiful scenery. Interesting places with all the history. Loved the states markers.

Excellent video. Beautiful scenery. Little cabin would be a great way to end a super 1st part adventure. Setting of sunset is such a peaceful feeling for a good night sleep.

I've been out there and seen the dinosaur tracks. I don't know if the store is still open in Kenton but they had dinosaur bones in there. It's very interesting out there. I use to live in Guymon back in the 80's. I hauled cattle. I like your channel.

thanks for making video , I’m excited and thank God for the chance to visit there next month!

Thank you Wiseguy! I’m loving the longer vids. Stay safe out there.❤️🙏😎👍

In Lucas, KS there’s a diner called the K18, there’s a runway out back where people with personal planes land to have brunch. The wife and I were there a few years back and a guy had a stunt plane and did 15 minutes of crazy maneuvers to literally three people watching. It was an amazing show. If you check it out you have to say hi to Nina, owner’s daughter, she is the best. Get the steak and eggs, you won’t have better.

I'm on my way to Albuquerque today, will be driving through here.

Enjoyed your experience! Good presentation of the history. Thanks! My 21 yr old daughter and I hiked it 10yrs ago, I was 49 and NOT in the best shape either. She beat me back of course, and was blasting the theme to Rocky to inspire me the last qtr mile. Core memory for sure ❤ Start early even on cool days!

I was terrified of running out of gas when we drove through the panhandle headed west in the 70s.

Nice video. You are out near the Santa Fe Trail Cimmarron route memorial, I dont know about summer time bc of the grass but in winter you can see the ruts very clearly with a drone!

Another good video. Love all the history.

Thank you love it 🙏🏻

What a Great video, Coach! 👍😀 that looks nothing like my part of Oklahoma. So many Great scenes …. My favorite was the sunrise at the cabin (that one could have been much longer, if I may say), and the drive up the wagon track, where you may have got the tire puncture😢😨😃👌(glad you made it back to town to have it fixed). Yeppers, this episode should make your Hall of Fame! 👏🤟😁🎊

Thank you for respecting the land owners.

Another great adventure sir. Thank you.

Comanche land. Enjoyed watching. Love those wide-open places.

As you drive east you can literally see the "wall of Humidity" by the time you get to central Ok its much more humid.

Excellent video and narrative. Thank you for doing it.

Love that landscape and great history . Hope it dosent become a wind farm

What an interesting part of our country! The blue roofs at the hitchin post were very photogenic. Thanks for sharing.

One of my favorite Wise Guy videos to date -- the Oklahoma Panhandle is fascinating and beautiful. It is hard to believe that it was not that long ago that we had Indian Wars in the U.S. .

Great video! Love the History!

I enjoy all your videos. This one was excellent, the hike and history of the area. Cool cabin. Ive driven thru several times and never knew, interesting! Fun video😀

Awesome video. I really enjoyed the scenery and the history you provided. Very nice job. I did subscribe to your channel hoping to see more like this one. Thank you!

Loved it! If you ever get the chance to go back, I highly recommend trying to find Mexhoma. It’s a ghost town, but I believe there’s still a cemetery near the old townsite.

That little cabin was really cool. The panhandle is really cool environment in my opinion.

This is the kind of drive I like doing.

Watching from Tahlequah...

Cimarron County is nearly twice the size of my State (RI), with only a tiny fraction of the population.

Great video!! Like I told you previously, I hope to make this trip too. Thanks for video and showcasing some of the sites I will see at somepoint. Looks like photography heaven!

Great outtakes John . Love the video. Be safe.

This was timely for me as I went through Boise City on the 13th and 18th traveling to Taos (another interesting area). I hadn't heard of Black Mesa before and you saved me some research time. Someone mentioned Russian Thistle, and there is a stretch of it in New Mexico not far from Oklahoma. Very wierd looking when it takes over pasture land.

Great video and story of no man’s land. We’ve actually visited the state marker you showed in your video. 👍

Nice tour, will be waiting for next one.

Hi John, I loved that this video is longer than normal and hope that you may be able to do more of the same, as always all the best from Oz.

Steep hill, 100 degree temperatures and reality rears it's ugly head. A flat tire in the out back and plenty of furry greeters. What more could a video have to make a great representation of no man's land. That beautiful sunset wrapped it up nicely.

I never knew…. Thank you for the wonderful video!

Great video Mr Wise!

Love those wide open spaces. Loved hearing that wind blowing. Those were truly some cattle trails, wondering what flatted your tire way out there. I would like to spend some time on that ranch, really nice little cabin. Thanks for taking us to some interesting places, I always enjoy your videos. Stay safe and GOD bless

Cool dinosaur tracks!

What a great video- very cool

I'll say a prayer you get a sponsorship!!😁

Just finished watching. Another great one. If I ever get to that area I’ll have to try the Hitching Post for lodging.

I absolutely love Black Mesa! I have a trip out there planned next weekend. Thanks for all the great content, I thoroughly enjoy it!

This area of the country is spectacular. Further north from there is the Comanche National Grasslands with the amazing Carrizo Canyon. I took a whole week exploring the western Panhandle of Oklahoma, NE New Mexico, and SE Colorado. Basically, the canyons you could see from edge of the Black Mesa that you showed in this video. Saw herds of big horn sheep, coyotes, prairie dogs, and vast array of bird species along with reptiles of all sorts. The canyons and rock formations were mesmerizing. But be sure to go with a full tank of gas, a high clearance vehicle since it's mostly dirt roads, plenty of water and food because there are no towns to speak of in this vast region. Just unspoiled wilderness. There were a couple of days I saw no one nor any other vehicles. And download a map before you head into this part of the country, there is no cell phone reception for a few hundred square miles. If you are an adventurous hiker, you can hike through this area since much of it is public land. There are few trails, but most of the hiking is "pick your own adventure". I ran across petroglyphs, and centuries old ruins of Native American dwellings. I am planning on going back in September to explore it some more. And if you camp out in this part of the country enjoy the breath-taking night sky since there is no light pollution.

Very interesting video. Thank You!

Very interesting, thank you

Thank You sir excellent job.

I was born and raised in that area, it really is as desolate as it looks. An interesting piece of history from the county I grew up in (Stevens Co, KS) are the county seat wars and the hay meadow massacre... it's worth a google search if you like that kinda western history. Other neat facts include those dinosaur tracks, which are real. Coronado traveled through that area with his army in the 1500's and a natural monument close to my family farm land is called "Point of Rocks" where you can find some names of the conquistadors and settlers carved in the rocks there. There are also still visible wagon wheel ruts from the wagons that passed through there on the Santa Fe trail.

Very interesting, thanks!

What a good tour and very interesting. I bet the shower felt good. Thank you.

An Oklahoman here, get yourself some tire plugs and a tire inflator. Safe travels

Great video.

Great job as always, I was hoping to hear more about the outlaw strong hold fort at Black Mesa.

Absolutely beautiful country. Definitely worth the trip. Be thankful it was only a tire. Can you imagine losing your water pump or blowing a head gasket out there?

Great video!

Outstanding video! Thanks for all of the research you put into this episode. It’s so interesting that I’m going to have to watch it twice. The area is very similar in appearance to the Trans Pecos region of Texas (the Davis Mountains).

Next time you’re in Missouri, go to Conway and find The Rocking Chair Restaurant. They have a cinnamon roll that is as big as a takeout box. The food is great, or it was when I went there a while back. I keep saying I’m going to go back. Motel is next to it.

Best place to be for star gazing.