Sidetrack Adventures Season 1, Episode 6: Exploring the Appian Way

1

Crossing the Mojave Desert on a Road No One Can Explain

A dead-straight road slices 50 miles through the Mojave, eerily aligned toward Palmdale, its purpose unknown, its origin debated, and its silence unsettling.

34 min

2

Exploring Abandoned Highway

Opened in 1933, the Ridge Route Alternate carved a scenic path through Piru Gorge, once a vital highway, now partly submerged beneath Pyramid Lake, its past hidden in the desert.

19 min

3

The Strange Mystery of the Mojave Megaphone

The Mojave Megaphone looms over the desert, a strange steel structure with no known origin. Was it for railroads, or something more mysterious?

17 min

4

Discovering Highway 395 in California's Remote Northeast

Highway 395 winds through California’s remote northeast, where sparse towns and quiet landscapes reveal deep roots in the state’s pioneer past.

52 min

5

Exploring the Ghost Town of Two Guns

Once a lively Route 66 stop, Two Guns, Arizona is now a haunting ghost town, its ruins, abandoned zoo, and the eerie Apache Death Cave echoing its dark past.

19 min

6

Exploring the Appian Way

The Appian Way, Rome’s “Queen of Roads,” began in 312 BC, an ancient highway of empire, lined with ruins and history, still echoing the footsteps of the past.

22 min

7

Abandoned and Forgotten Highway Stops in the Mojave Desert

Once vital desert stops, Halloran Springs and Summit now lie abandoned, faded relics of old highways, forgotten stories, and hidden history along today’s Interstate 15.

18 min

8

Finding the Exact Center of Nevada

Deep in Monitor Valley lies Nevada’s true center, a remote land of hot springs, wild horses, and forgotten roads where history and isolation quietly endure.

21 min

9

The Strange Tale of the Mojave Phone Booth

A lone phone booth in the Mojave became a global obsession, drawing callers to the desert, where abandoned mines and strange landscapes tell its story.

23 min

10

Visiting the Remains of a Top Secret WWII Army Camp

In WWII, Camp Bouse hid a secret mission in the Arizona desert, where soldiers tested a mysterious “Gizmo,” leaving behind traces of one of America’s most hidden camps.

18 min

11

The History & Secrets of the Ortega Highway

Ortega Highway winds from San Juan Capistrano to Lake Elsinore, a scenic yet perilous route through mountains, waterfalls, and historic Southern California landmarks.

22 min

12

Crossing the Mojave Desert on Cadiz Road

Cadiz Road once linked Los Angeles to Phoenix, but now lies nearly forgotten, its vanished towns and desert scars quietly marking a lost Mojave route.

25 min

13

The Most Mysterious Ghost Town in Arizona

Agua Caliente Road leads to Sundad, a mysterious Arizona ghost town, abandoned since the 1960s and now a canvas of desert rock art and unanswered questions.

23 min

14

Exploring Highway 395 in the Eastern Sierra

Highway 395 winds through California’s Eastern Sierra, a road trip of ghost towns, ancient monuments, and strange stories that feel straight out of the Twilight Zone.

100 min

15

They Tried to Build Earth in the Arizona Desert

Biosphere 2 in Arizona tested human survival in a sealed, self-sustaining Earth, revealing the fragile complexity of life inside a miniature planet.

21 min

16

Exploring an Abandoned Railroad and the Johnson Canyon Tunnel

The Johnson Canyon Railroad and Tunnel, opened in 1882, braved Arizona’s rugged canyons, marked by shootouts, accidents, and one of the West’s most perilous rail lines.

23 min

17

A Journey on Arizona's Historic Williamson Valley Road

Williamson Valley Road winds 70 miles through Arizona, tracing centuries of history- from Native trails to stagecoaches- past bridges, cemeteries, and timeless desert scenery.

24 min

18

Exploring the Nearly Forgotten Ghost Towns of Millville and Charleston

Nine miles from Tombstone, Millville and Charleston once thrived on silver, then faded by 1889; today, one has marked ruins and the other lies hidden.

28 min

19

Exploring the Ruins of the Clanton Ranch

Near Tombstone lie the ruins of the Clanton Ranch- once the stronghold of the notorious Cochise County Cowboys, where outlaws and legends of the Old West collided.

20 min