Instructions to Improve Viewing of Videos on YouTube and Some Other Thoughts about this Whole Effort

Here are some notes to help improve the viewing experience on the "Discovering America on 2 Wheels" videos on YouTube that are accessed from the links provided in the posts.

Please do the following things when the YouTube Video Screen comes up:

1. Move your cursor to the "360p" on the right side of the toolbar at the bottom of the video window.
2. Select "480p".... this will ensure that you view the video at the highest resolution available.
3. To enlarge the video screen, select one of the icons to the right of the "360p"... the 2 arrows will enlarge it one size and the 4 arrows will take it to full screen.
4. If you go to "full screen", click on the "X" on the Ad or Music Credit bar at the bottom to close it if it appears and then don't move your mouse or the video tool bar will come up at the bottom and may temporarily block the text on the slide being viewed.
5. Turn up the speakers and enjoy.
6. If you want to return to "Normal View" mode, just hit the "Esc" button at the top left of your keyboard.
7. You can pause the video at anytime by hitting the pause button - "ll" - at the left of the video tool bar.
8. You can then resume with the Play button - ">".
9. You can search for other "Discovering America on 2 Wheels" videos on YouTube by locating the "Search" window at the top of the YouTube screen.
10. Type in my YouTube Username "WillsOnWheels" into the search window and the list will come up.

There are a couple of segments of videos on YouTube where there are 2 versions:

• Leg 1 - 510 miles - Lake Jackson to Fort Worth Tx
• Leg 2 - Part 1 - Fort Worth Tx to Lake Mineral Wells State Park

As I said in an earlier post, I've been learning and experimenting with different ways to get the images and commentary on them into a video format that gives the best quality and viewing experience on YouTube.

The initial versions were done in PowerPoint and then converted to a video format.

I picked this path initially because I was familiar with the use of PowerPoint and thought that was the right direction..... but there are many time consuming complications to embedding the music and timing the music and the slide advance times....

I also experimented with image resolution vs file size and came to the conclusion that I have to maintain the high resolution quality of the original images and just make the number of images match to the maximum file size and length allowed (limited to 100 MB on Blogger.com - no problem on YouTube - it's 2 GB but limited to 10 minutes).....

So I ended up with a Leg 1 Lake Jackson to Fort Worth version done with Powerpoint and one down with Windows MovieMaker...

and a Leg 2 Fort Worth Tx to Lake Mineral Wells State Park version done in Powerpoint with "compressed" lower resolution images and one with the higher resolution images.

At this point, I've decided to leave these versions on YouTube because it has records of the numbers of views and ratings that I don't want to remove by deleting the original version of the videos.

Sorry for any confusion this has caused but as I've said before....this whole effort is a Discovery... doing something new.... learning something new!

I've learned more in the last 2 months about this country, the people and places in it and the technology of bringing those images and experiences to the viewing public, than I had learned in my whole previous 47 years.

And you're right there with me... through the struggles and the triumphs.... it's pretty much raw and uncut.

Am I doing this whole thing the Best Way? the Right Way? the Way it Should be Done? the Way it was Meant to Be? the Easiest Way? the Safest Way? the Way I Would Recommend Other People to Do It?

I think the answer to all the above is "No"..... I'm doing it My Way....

and that's one of the great things about America....

As long as I don't violate any Local, State or Federal laws, I've got the God-given, Constitutionally Protected Right to....

Do it My Way.... to Live and Die by my Own Sword.... to Crash and Burn.... to go where No Man has ever gone before....

OK.... I'm getting a little carried away.... but you get the point.

When you think about it....

"Discovering America on 2 Wheels" is a microcosm of what America is all about.

You have something you love to do.... your real passion.... and you want to share your passion with others....

And in the end, you want to continue to do it it.... and so you turn it into your profession.

Hmmmm.... sounds like America to me.

The video of images for

The video of images for Leg 2 Part 2 - Lake Mineral Wells State Park to Clovis NM - is on the Blog and YouTube now. Let me know what you think

Video for Leg 2 Part 2 - Lake Mineral Wells State Park to Clovis New Mexico

This video opens on the morning of 01/01/10 at Lake Mineral Wells State Park - Mineral Wells Tx and takes you through the beautiful sunrise introduction to a New Year and a New Decade.

The next 7 days were spent on the wind blown roads of West Texas bucking 20+ mph headwinds and 30+ mph crosswinds to arrive in Muleshoe Tx in the middle of a blue norther....

But blue skies lead me into Clovis New Mexico where I conclude this leg of my journey with the Best Margarita of the Trip.

Here' the link to the video on YouTube.... Be sure and select "480p" in the lower right hand corner of the screen so you view it in the highest resolution available.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08MbQuJuqlM

The video of images for

The video of images for Leg 2 Part 1 - Ft Worth to Lake Mineral Wells State Park - is on the blog and YouTube now.

Video for Leg 2 Part 1 - Fort Worth to Lake Mineral Wells State Park

This collection of images chronicles the 1st 3 days of the 2nd leg of Discovering America on 2 Wheels - from Fort Worth Tx through a Snow Storm on I-20 / Hwy 180 to Weatherford Tx and on to a 3 day stay at Lake Minerals State Park near Mineral Wells Tx.

But more importantly, it marked a big turning point for me....

Life slowed down....

I noticed that people wanted to talk.... just sit and talk.... and I wanted to listen....

That was different.... I wanted to listen to what they had to say about their life... their town... their heritage... their perspective on things.... their reason for being....

Yeah... people out West talk about things like that.... to total strangers.

Like an 86 year old gentleman and his wife I met in a Breckenridge Tx laundromat....

Turns out he was a WWII veteran who was in "the Great Raid" where US forces liberated 2300 American prisoners in the Phillipines in 1945.... Greatest Liberation of American POW's in US History....

Like a Lake Mineral Wells State Park Ranger writing a book on the Concept, Philosopy and Lifestyle based on the Oneness of Man and Nature....

The list goes on and on.... every town.... every pause.... every day....

Was a Discovery of People, Places and Things....

And Self....

It was a Sensory Overload....a Reset of Priorities.... a Hard Reboot on Life....

All from the seat of a Bicycle while I was....

Discovering America on 2 Wheels

Here are some notes to help improve the viewing experience on YouTube.

Please do the following things when the YouTube Video Screen comes up:

1. Move your cursor to the "360p" on the right side of the toolbar at the bottom of the video window.
2. Select "480p".... this will ensure that you view the video at the highest resolution available.
3. To enlarge the video screen, select one of the icons to the right of the "360p"... the 2 arrows will enlarge it one size and the 4 arrows will take it to full screen.
4. If you go to "full screen", click on the "X" on the Ad or Music Credit bar at the bottom to close it and then don't move your mouse or the video tool bar will come up at the bottom and may temporarily block the text on the slide being viewed.
5. Turn up the speakers and enjoy.
6. If you want to return to "Normal View" mode, just hit the "Esc" button at the top left of your keyboard.
7. You can pause the video at anytime by hitting the pause button - "ll" - at the left of the video tool bar.
8. You can then resume with the Play button - ">".
9. You can search for other "Discovering America on 2 Wheels" videos on YouTube by locating the "Search" window at the top of the YouTube screen.
10. Simply type in my YouTube Username "WillsOnWheels" into the search window and the list will come up.
    
    Here's the link to the video on YouTube:
    
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfXgqyMb5-k

Apology to Visitors to the Site

I changed some settings trying to get my blog posts to go to Twitter and inadvertently disabled the Videos I had uploaded....

But I fixed that....

I'll be uploading the 1st Video of images from Leg 2 shortly!

Article in the Brazosport Facts on my Little Adventure

My local newspaper, the Brazosport Facts, published an article on the adventure of

Discovering America on 2 Wheels.

It made the front page and all of the back page of the 1st section. I think John Loman did a really good job on the article. Special thanks to John!

Here's a link to the on-line article:

http://www.thefacts.com/story.lasso?ewcd=4afc2d9428d2686c

8 min Video of Images and Info of Leg 1

Man - the last couple of days have been exciting... and I haven't even been riding my bike much.

I've been straight up - vertical - w/ the throttle all the way down and afterburners at maximum thrust...learning, downloading, connecting, linking, thinking and putting together the images and commentary reliving Leg 1 from Lake Jackson to Fort Worth via the Hill Country.

Note: To improve the viewing experience on YouTube, please do the following things when the YouTube Video Screen comes up with the video:

1. Move your cursor to the "360p" on the right side of the toolbar at the bottom of the video window.
2. Select "480p".... this will ensure that you view the video at the highest resolution available.
3. To enlarge the video screen, select one of the icons to the right of the "360p"... the 2 arrows will enlarge it one size and the 4 arrows will take it to full screen.
4. If you go to "full screen", click on the "X" on the Ad or Music Credit bar at the bottom to close it and then don't move your mouse or the video tool bar will come up at the bottom and may temporarily block the text on the slide being viewed.
5. Turn up the speakers and enjoy.
6. If you want to return to "Normal View" mode, just hit the "Esc" button at the top left of your keyboard.
7. You can pause the video at anytime by hitting the pause button - "ll" - at the left of the video tool bar.
8. You can then resume with the Play button - ">".
9. You can search for other "Discovering America on 2 Wheels" videos on YouTube by locating the "Search" window at the top of the YouTube screen.
10. Simply type in my YouTube Username "WillsOnWheels" into the search window and the list will come up.

Here's the link to the YouTube video for Leg 1 - 510 miles - Lake Jackson to Fort Worth Tx.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OreLXBGv9n8

I put everything I had into it... just like I do everything else...

So find you about 8 minutes and some headphones (if you don't wanna blow the next door Neighbor's doors off... cause you're gonna wanna crank this thing up) and either get yourself a belt so you can strap yourself down to the chair or clear out a place in front of the computer for doing the air guitar or dancing...

If this don't get your blood pumpin' then go subscribe to Good Housekeeping or AARP....

Enjoy my little 8 min thrill ride

Discovering America on 2 Wheels!

Video of Leg 1 - 510 miles - Lake Jackson to Fort Worth Tx via the Texas Hill Country

Note: To improve the viewing experience on YouTube, please do the following things when the YouTube Video Screen comes up with the video:

1. Move your cursor to the "360p" on the right side of the toolbar at the bottom of the video window.
2. Select "480p".... this will ensure that you view the video at the highest resolution available.
3. To enlarge the video screen, select one of the icons to the right of the "360p"... the 2 arrows will enlarge it one size and the 4 arrows will take it to full screen.
4. If you go to "full screen", click on the "X" on the Ad or Music Credit bar at the bottom to close it and then don't move your mouse or the video tool bar will come up at the bottom and may temporarily block the text on the slide being viewed.
5. Turn up the speakers and enjoy.
6. If you want to return to "Normal View" mode, just hit the "Esc" button at the top left of your keyboard.
7. You can pause the video at anytime by hitting the pause button - "ll" - at the left of the video tool bar.
8. You can then resume with the Play button - ">".
9. You can search for other "Discovering America on 2 Wheels" videos on YouTube by locating the "Search" window at the top of the YouTube screen.
10. Simply type in my YouTube Username "WillsOnWheels" into the search window and the list will come up.

Here's the link to the YouTube video for Leg 1 - 510 miles - Lake Jackson to Fort Worth Tx.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OreLXBGv9n8

The following is from my Video Description on YouTube.

This video is a collection of images and commentary on a bicycle adventure I began in December 2009... an Adventure I call...

Discovering America on 2 Wheels

I'm submitting posts with pictures, video and commentary real time to my blog.

I've dedicated this video to my 2 Wives....

the One at Home and the One on the Road....

my Trek 3700 Mountain Bike.

Leg 1 - 510 miles - of Discovering America on 2 Wheels began in Lake Jackson and traveled northwest through the Texas Hill Country before turning north and ending in a northeast suburb of Fort Worth Tx.

I hope you enjoy the images and information in this video as much as I did living the adventure and writing about it.

If you're interested in doing something like this, I hope this video will encourage you to take the first step in planning and experiencing your own Outdoor Adventure.

I'll be submitting a 2nd video for Leg 2 - a 750 mile thrill ride from Ft Worth Tx to Santa Fe NM - through Snow, Sleet, Rain, High Wind and some of the most desolate, remote and beautiful areas of West Texas and Eastern New Mexico.

Keep up with me real time by visiting my blog -

as I continue this mountain-bike-pedaling, backpack-hauling, 18-wheeler-dodging, diner-sampling, small-town-touring, hill-climbing-and-bicycle-overhauling, state park-and-rest stop-cruising adventure of.....

Discovering America on 2 Wheels

Dinner w/ Madeleine at Johnny Carino's

I did a really hard wide open hour and a half ride this evening and my body was screaming for meat and pasta so I ordered the 5 Meat Tuscan Pasta w/ Farfalle pasta and Meat Sauce, Italian Sausage, Pepperoni, Bacon and Ham preceded by Fresh Bread w/ garlic olive oil and a nice dinner salad w/ Gorgonzola dressing and a Kendall Jackson Chardonnay (my wife's favorite) to wash it all down. The pasta dish was seasoned perfectly and I added a few sprinkles of red pepper flakes for some kick and ended up w/ one wonderful and satisfying meal and a great evening w/ my wife. I spent some time today putting together a Powerpoint file full of pics that I plan to add music to and convert to a movie format w/ some free software I downloaded. I also talked to a company about a new career path that fits right in with my continuing plans to Discover America on 2 Wheels.... so stay tuned.... I've got a
lot of stuff in the works right now and I'm excited about the possibilities!