[FADE TO BLACK, CHANGE TO ME IN THE CAR WITH HEADLAMP POINTED UP TO CEILING TALKING IN A LOW VOICE, GRAY BUTTON-UP SHIRT ON]

The only thing that beats the sunset, are the stars. The Salt Flats are one of the few places left in the US where there is zero light pollution. And because it's so wide open out here, if you come back at night, you can get shots like this. If you do want to come out here and get some astral photography though, you're going to want to come to a different place than where I was earlier. Because of the way the rest stop is situated, if you try and drive out on the flats to shoot, the highway traffic will ruin your shot, unless you actually venture out onto the flats and shoot away from the highway. A little bit down I-80 on the right hand side, you'll see a Sinclair gas station. You'll always know its Sinclair because of the green dinosaur. Go past the gas station, and there is a long road that spans the flats, with plenty of places where the road dumps you out onto them. Just make sure you drop a pin on your GPS to mark where you entered the flats, because you will NEVER find your way back, especially at night where it’s pitch black. But there is no light pollution from the highway or the rest stop, so it makes for great photos. Just make sure you're not facing west, because there is the Nevada line like a mile down the interstate, and as soon as you cross into Nevada, its nothing but casinos and resorts, which means tons of lights, which means tons of light pollution, and your camera will pick it up and it'll make your shots really hazy. But even if you're not a photographer, I guarantee most of you have never seen the night sky like this. You can actually see the milky way with the naked eye. You'll spend hours out here and not even realize it, but damn it's worth it. Anyway, back to the hotel, now, because tomorrow starts really early. (starting engine)

[FADE TO BLACK]

ANTELOPE ISLAND

[BACK IN THE HOTEL BLUE COLORADO SHIRT ON, CLIP OF HOTEL ROOM LIGHT FLICKING ON, AND ME THROWING CAMERA BAG ON BED, THEN CUT TO ME SITTING ON BED TALKING INTO CAMERA]

Recently, Antelope Island was awarded their 'Dark Sky Certification', which means they are officially one of the few places in the US where the night sky is unpolluted by the surrounding cities, so it makes for great pictures. I admit, I've never gone there at night to take pictures of the night sky, because somehow, I never really thought about it until now. The guy said they close the gate at 10pm, and I don’t know if that’s true all year round, but you can always find out what time they close the gate. It's supposed to be cloudy tonight anyway, so tonight is a no go BUT next time I come out here, I will... BUT don't worry because the place I'm headed now instead... GREAT views of the city.

ENSIGN PEAK

On the north side of the city where the capitol building is, there's a spot up a suuuuuuuuuuper steep hill called Ensign Peak. Google it to get directions, and you'll see it will drop you off in some random neighborhood, and at first you'll think Google is messed up, but don't worry, it's right. When you get here, find somewhere on the street to park, and you’ll see the sign for Ensign Peak. Up this steep path is a lookout point, and don't worry, it's literally like a 5 minute walk, so you don't have to bring hiking gear or anything. Just remember, this is still a neighborhood, and people DO live here, so be respectful. But when you get to the lookout point get ready for some of the best views of the city. And guess what

[SWITCH TO NIGHT TIME]

because it's open 24/7, it's even better if you go at night. Even though the city is right there, it's actually really quiet up here. I love to just bring my coffee, sit and watch the city down below. It’s like watching a movie on mute.

DUTCH BROS!!

[SHOOT INSIDE HOTEL ROOM, PUTTING ON BLUE HOODIE SO IT MATCHES THE VIDEO]
The biggest problem I have every time with coming to SLC is that everything here is so pretty, all the stuff to see is so awesome, it's so hard to decide what to do. I know it sounds weird, but it's like everything here is my favorite thing. It's like when you're standing in front of the refrigerator hungry, and everything looks good, and you just want to eat it all. I've been saving today for the perfect day, and I lucked out big time. The sky is nice and blue, weather is cool, so first things first - breakfast at Dee’s Diner…
[CUT TO SHOT OF EATING AT DINER, THEN CUT BACK TO ME]
And yes I know what you’re thinking- if Dee’s Diner started a nut company, you’d have Dee’s Diner and Dees N— [BLEEP WITH COLOR BARS AND TONE],
[VOICEOVER]
after breakfast, it’s a quick hop over to Dutch Bros to grab a coffee, which if you’ve never been to Dutch Bros… they’re all over the west, they have awesome coffee, the friendliest staff… you gotta go.
[SHOWING CAMERA YOUR PHONE TALKING]
I actually have the app on my phone I go so much
[HOLD UP PHONE WITH APP OPEN]
[VOICEOVER]
Coffee in hand, it's a quick trip into the east side of the city, and the entrance to Cottonwood Canyon, where today's adventure begins, the Alpine Loop.

ALPINE LOOP

[Watchhouse - Old Ties and Companions]

[SHOOT FROM PICNIC AREA OR SOMEWHERE SCENIC, START WEARING GRAY FLANNEL DRIVING 55 – OVERLAY SOME VIDEOS OF DRIVING TOWARD KAMAS, MIRROR LAKE SHOTS, ETC]

This drive is closed from around early November until around April, because it snows and ices up here really bad, and you can check their website to see if the road is open or not, but the absolute BEST time to come see this, is in the fall.

[VOICEOVER WITH FOOTAGE OF ME LOADING THE ALPINE LOOP INTO GOOGLE MAPS]

You can google the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway, and google will get you started no problem, just make sure you don't close the app, because the signal disappears almost as soon as you get into the canyon. Even though there's pretty much only one way through it, you’re still gonna need your GPS to get back to Salt Lake City.
[INSERT VIDEO OF FALL LEAVES IN STORYBLOCKS IF NEEDED]
[FADE IN NATURE SOUNDS, THE CREEK SHOTS, THE FALL LEAVES IN THE WATER SHOTS, CUE MUSIC]

[GET VARIOUS SHOTS OF ME DRIVING, VIDEOING OUT THE WINDOW, FILLING UP WATER BOTTLE ON TRUNK, PUTTING ON HOODIE, USE THE SHOTS YAZ TOOK AT CAMPSITE, COTTONWOOD, JORDANELLE STATE PARK SHOTS]

You may want to dress in layers, because it does get a lot cooler as you go up the mountains, especially if you come here in the fall.... but check this out...

[CUE MONTAGE]

[HOLD UP BACK OF NIKON LIKE YOU'RE SHOWING THE PREVIEW SCREEN TO THEM, ZOOM INTO THE NIKON SCREEN AS A TRANSITION TO THE MOUNTAIN VISTAS AND WINDY ROAD CHRISTIAN LIKED]

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Just like what I said about St. Louis in my St. Louis video, this city is packed with tons of stuff to do. Don’t worry about trying to see everything, because you just won’t be able to. Utah is absolutely gorgeous from one corner to the other, and instead of trying to see it all, just take your time and enjoy it little by little. There are a couple places I haven’t mentioned in this video, because you’re just better off seeing it for yourself- the Salt Lake City aquarium is HUGE and if you have kids or you just like stuff like that, it’s worth the money. Same with the planetarium. That place is absolutely incredible. And there’s WAY more than just the planetarium part too. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but trust me, you will be very glad you went.

AQUARIUM

CAPITOL

MORMON TEMPLE

PLANETARIUM

CITY CREEK SHOPPING CENTER

[CLOSING]

[SITTING ON HOOD OF CAR W/ COWBOY HAT AT TIMPIE SPRINGS WILDLIFE REFUGE WHERE IT ALL BEGAN]

[RECORD WITH LAPEL MIC, READ ENTIRE SECTION FROM THE SCRIPT LOOKING AT PHONE TO HAVE THE FULL DIALOGUE. RECORD A SECOND TAKE LOOKING INTO THE CAMERA READING DIFFERENT PARTS TOO. TO KEEP IT FROM BEING ME STARING INTO THE CAMERA TALKING THE WHOLE TIME, CUT AWAY TO FOOTAGE OF SUNSETS, CAT TAILS, BOATS ON THE DOCK, PUTTING THE BLACK SAND IN A BOTTLE, BASICALLY FLASH BACK TO DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE TRIP, SO THE CAMERA CAN CUT AWAY FROM MY FACE SO I DON’T HAVE TO MEMORIZE THE ENTIRE SCRIPT AND READ IT FLAWLESSLY INTO THE CAMERA]

[VERY VERY GRADUALLY FADE IN INSTRUMENTAL NEIL YOUNG - OLD MAN INTO BACKGROUND AND TIME IT TO END WITH THE ENDING OF THE CLOSING SCENE]

So it’s become a tradition of mine that every October I take a trip for my birthday. For a good part of my life, I was financially in a hard place, and never really had extra money to do stuff like that. Well back in 2017, I landed a job that paid me better than I had ever been paid before, so I decided for my birthday that year, I wanted to go take a trip somewhere. I could have picked anywhere, and honestly I didn’t really know where to go. But for some reason, Salt Lake City popped in my head, and it just sort of became an idea that I couldn’t shrug off. I don’t know exactly how to explain it, but something cosmic just sort of made me feel like it was somewhere I needed to go. Like fate had something waiting for me there. Some deep down gut instinct just told me to go and don’t ask questions, and when I got here, this place just… did something to me.

Have you ever been to a place where as soon as you get there you just feel… belonging? Like there’s just something about the place that feels like… home… but on a deeper level. Almost like you just look around and even though the scenery is unfamiliar, or even though it’s a new place, you just feel like you’re back home. Almost like your soul has been reconnected with something it didn’t even know it was looking for. It’s hard for me to explain, and believe me, I have been thinking for months about it, trying to figure out a way to explain it to really convey how it feels, and the best thing I can come up with is that it feels like you’re homesick for somewhere you’ve never been, but then when you finally get there, you feel that calming peace of just being back home to the place you’ve been missing so much. I know that sounds weird, and trust me, it’s weird for me too. I’ve been all over the west out here- Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, South Dakota, and everytime I come out here, and I’m back in cowboy country with the mountains, the prairies, the plains, I just feel… like I’m back. Almost like when you go back to visit the house you grew up in after being gone for like 20 years and everything looks the same, but different too. That’s kind of what it feels like. Everything out here just feels familiar and natural to me, and it has from the minute I first came out here. I’ve talked to a lot of friends and different strangers about it, and a lot of people have told me I am probably experiencing something from a past life tugging at me, and I don’t know how I feel about that. But for whatever it’s worth, Salt Lake City definitely does feel, and has always felt like home to me… [PUT HAND OVER HEART] like home. This is actually my last day here, I’m flying out tomorrow, and every time I come here, on the last day, I always come to this same spot in the middle of nowhere outside the city to watch the sun set one last time, and it just… it just does something to me. I honestly hope you make it out here and enjoy this place as much as I do…. that’s it for me for now. Thanks for watching.