it remains to be seen if they have any reason to hope. i'm mike rowe. and i'm on a mission to find people on a mission. >> what? >> what are they doing? how are they doing it? and why. >> very excited. >> come on. >> ouch. >> it's got to be done. on this episode, if a legendary drag-racer is going to

teach you his trade -- >> hit it! >> you'd better be ready for the fast -- >> hit it! >> -- and the furious. >> you're making too jerky turn. you have the car crooked. it's hard to fix stupid sometimes. >> then -- >> my life's focus is on demonstrating the jetliners should be converted into homes. >> what's crazier than wanting to live in an old 727. >> this of course is the proper sleeping posture. >> how about living round in your own ewok village. you have a tree here. and terrorizing your guests -- >> holy [ bleep ] -- >> with outsized playground equipment. please don't hit the tree. geez. please don't hit the tree. who doesn't enjoy a quiet drive through want countryside on a warm, summer day? here in north carolina, the open roads twist and turn and

treeline biways invite the sunday driver to relax as he rambles through the quiet beauty of small town america. but there's another road down here, a road that doesn't twist or turn. a road that ends, not long after it begins. a road with no trees, except for the one that blinks with constant urgency. a charming patch of asphalt for a man named roy hill says had e can train a regular joe like me tr to get from 0 to 150 miles an hour into a blink of an eye and quarter mile in less than nine seconds. that's the road i'm looking for. i think i found it. >> mark, this is steve. >> how you doing? >> great, how are you? >> never better. >> really? what's the occasion? >> it's a great day to be alive. >> we're all going to be alive at the end of the day, right? >> i hope. it's all in the driver's hands. >> roy hill, tell me your name again --

>> steve earwood. >> you're sean. >> made me sign a thing. >> yeah. >> we come to a lot of places where the first order of business is sign a thing. we don't ask, but if we go up in a ball of flame, nobody's going to get sued. >> correct. >> what's going to happen? >> we're going to get you right to it. i'm going to sit you down in a car. billy is going to be the driver. >> really? >> it's going to be so quick, so fast, you're not going to know what happened. >> sounds like every date i've ever been on. >> let's get him suited up, billy, this is your first time you've ever done this, be careful. >> honestly, roy, really? billy, how old are you? >> 21, barely. >> and how long have you been driving? >> about a month and a half. >> so moments after blindly signing my life away to the care of roy hill -- this is nice. i'm outfitted and loaded into the passenger's seat of a

two-seat supercomp dragster. >> all race car drivers put their caps inside their suit so when they get out, they can care of their sponsor, tuck it down in there. >> whenever i go up in flames, i look for fire reid. and just like that, i'm strapped in, helmeted, gloved, and quickly thrust in to the thousand horsepower zero to i don't know what world of drag-racing. >> well, i think he really got a rude awakening. spin him around. >> roy enjoyed that so much, he had me do it again. leaving know ponder, how i wound up in this position. the short answer is, a need for speed.

after the second world war, those side by side duals, starring rebels without causes, got a little too fast. souped up cars, known as hot rods, had no business on public roads. so the action move to dry lake beds and unused military runways. in 1949, the first timed speed races took place at the now famous bonneville salt flats in utah. the sport was made legit by a guy called wally parks who founded the national hot rod association back in 1951. it steadily grew from there with cars getting longer, times getting faster, and stakes getting higher. >> which brings us back to the one and only, roy hill. >> i don't know who's having the most fun, me or him. >> that'd be you. >> oh. >> you running nine flat at 157 mile an hour. what do you think of it? >> i think it's balls on fire fast, man. it's just too fast. >> you're going to be driving one shortly.

>> i'm going need some -- what is the word, a lot of good instruction. >> need some instruction. >> we bring people in here just like you that's never done this. and we go in to our six cylinder mustang and you learn the stage. we're going to go through all that. >> wait a minute, you're not going to let me drive a dragster. >> after you learn to stage the car. >> staging means getting your car up to the starting line and ready to race. the first stage of staging is pulling up to an area known as the water box. where you spin the tires for up to five seconds. which maximizes traction and makes the track a surprisingly sticky place. that's my feet making this sound? >> that's glue and your feet. that's traction. you see the rubber back here? >> yeah. >> on the tire. the tire has so much grip to it. it's pulling the rubber off. >> right off the road. >> see it? >> yep.

>> look at the bottom of my shoes. see all the rubber stuck to him. >> that's hot by the way. >> yes. >> that was one of the thingsives going to go over. >> that's an excellent tip, that's an excellent tip, good, thank you. with roy's accurate and useless observation, i'm ready for a critical lesson on staging and at all important start. >> right here is the car sitting in the groove in the center of it. >> yep. >> you see the christmas tree. >> right here. >> let's see it. now it's like pulling up to the stoplight and you look over there and there's a camaro sitting there, and you're in your mustang. you've got your left foot on the brake. >> uh-huh.

>> right foot on the gas. >> uh-huh. >> and you are not going to let him beat you to the next stoplight, are you? >> i wouldn't do that. >> watch this, yellow, yellow, go. you don't wait on that green. >> oh, no? >> oh no. >> if you did, that guy would beat you. whatever you're doing, plan well and enjoy life... ♪

or, as we say at unitedhealthcare insurance company, go long. of course, how you plan is up to you. take healthcare. make sure you're covered for more than what just medicare pays... consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company... you might give this a try... the only medicare supplement plans that carry the aarp name, and the ones that millions of people trust year after year. plan well. enjoy life. go long. just serve classy snacks and bew a gracious host,iday party. no matter who shows up. [cricket sound] richard. didn't think you were going to make it. hey sorry about last weekend, i don't know what got into me. well forgive and forget... kind of. i don't think so! do you like nuts?

there's a network that never stops improving. ...that's grown faster than any other, covering nearly every american. and these geese. but it's not who you think. it's t-mobile. our new extended range lte signal... reaches twice as far. ...and is four times better in buildings. think you know our lte coverage? think again. see for yourself at t-mobile.com/coverage.

so roy hill wants to put me behind the wheel of a thousand horsepower dragster and drive a quarter mile in less than nine seconds. and i'm starting to think that if roy hill wants it to happen, it probably will. >> at a young age i went to the a drag race, 8, 10 years old, and, man, i fell in love with it. racing, good god, here in north carolina if you're anything at all, you want to be richard petty. >> yeah. >> and i wanted to be a driver so bad. >> naturally, roy found his way to richard petty and with his help, became a dominant force in the superstock circuit and one of the legends of the national hot rod association. then, roy decided the best way to promote the sport he loved was to teach others what he knew. now he's taking his current students to learn the process known as staging in regular old cars. for now. >> you're the driver. i think you can handle this.

>> it's a mustang. >> i like the way you say that. >> it's a mustang. >> let's be serious now. >> yeah. >> take a deep breath. and you build it up, rpms with the throttle and the brake. >> there's my tree. >> are you trying to top it real quick? >> i was. is that good? >> no. >> no? >> no, why did you do that? >> i was just trying to fit in. you know, the problem is this helmet. >> these guys are strict. >> this is it, guys. let's see what he's made of.

>> one, gas. all right, baby. >> how about that? >> well, mike, i've got good news and bad news. whoops, i'm mistaken, it's just bad. why is always smile? because doug and i were making a little wager. well, that wager was a 167 reaction. >> reporter: yeah. >> all right. >> yeah. >> at 93.89. that's almost 94 mile an hour. >> yeah. >> now instead of always stopping and going, i want you to get after this thing. >> i nearly had my foot through the floor board. >> i don't believe it. >> i was like fred flintstone. >> stay in the car, i'm going to race you. >> all right.

>> short man i'm running the right lane. >> well, this is exciting. do you have any experience? >> a little bit. >> he seems awfully serious. >> oh man, he beat me. son of a gun. how'd he do that? oh, he's got to be in a v8. okay. that wasn't much of a contest. but roy was kind enough to offer me a rematch. so, after shedding some deadweight -- yeah, that's the problem, my cameraman in here. i gave it all i had. [ tires screeching ] i think i might have got him

that time. i think i might have. >> smiling in there? >> that had to be close. >> guess what, roy pushed a little too hard. he pushed through and red lighted. >> yep. >> you had your best reaction time at 118. you got one win and one win. >> are we going to run again? >> it's best two out of there. >> here we go. >> i hate for you to do it to me again. >> i got to the say, i'm a little reluctant to do it again. but, i owe the man my best shots. and by gosh, i think i won. >> all right. now we're going to have to put up with him all during lunch here. >> you beat me fair and square. >> it was fair? >> you've made a huge improvement. why don't we go to the big car now? >> i'd like to think that roy didn't let me win just to build

up my confidence, but then again, i suspect he knows i'll need some confidence once i get in the dragster. >> this is pretty simple here. >> and start getting instructions from roy's right hand man, greg. >> grab ahold of the shifter. back one notch and reverse. pull it back in second gear. burnout in second gear. >> pedals, switches, levers, gauges, about 38% of this is actually sinking in. roy, though, apparently, still a believer. >> it's just mental and physical control of this car and your body. and your mind. >> a lot going on in my body and mind. >> it's going to be more now, tougher than anything you've ever done, mike, i'm telling you.

you're going to reach deep because you want to make me proud of you, sir. >> i do. i honestly do. >> here's your dome protector. >> crank it up. and let's go. >> holy crap. turns out that making roy proud -- >> we're going straight to the water box. >> is even harder than you think. >> you're not supposed to run through the water box, don't you remember? back up. don't look around, i'm up here guiding you back. slow down, straighten the wheel up, you're making too jerky turn. you've got the car crooked, you're no more straight than i am. you see that. >> i see it. >> all right. back it up. and bring the car in here straight. all right. stop. >> i'm trying. >> okay. you rolled all the way through the water box. when i say stop, that's what it means.

it's got small-ability and big-ability. towing-ability and stowing-ability. rack-ability and hvac-ability. it's fully customizable and sized just right to give you cupcake-ability, entourage-ability... ...garage-ability and even afford-ability. starting at $28,950. available in cargo or passenger. from mercedes-benz. when it comes to helping you reach your financial goals,t

taking small, manageable steps can be an effective... and enjoyable approach... compared to the alternatives. push! i am pushing! sfx: pants ripping how you doing eddie? almost there. small steps. at axa, we'll help you take the next steps, with more confidence. for advice, retirement and insurance, talk to axa today. is it keeps the food out. for me before those little pieces would get in between my dentures and my gum and it was uncomfortable. just a few dabs is clinically proven to seal out more food particles. super poligrip is part of my life now.

life... is unpredictable. life is deaths. and births. sickness and health. love and heartbreak. and covered california is there for it all. not just to help keep you well. but to make sure the cost of being unwell doesn't ruin this whole life thing. because it's more than just health care. it's life care.

hit the throttle, don't take your foot off the brake, mike! you have to take your foot off the brake. >> nice thing about learning from roy hill -- >> when you go up in there to leave the starting line, wide open, go wide open and take your foot off the brake. >> i want you to run over me if i'm in front of you.

>> you always know exactly where you stand. >> when you hit the throttle, take your foot off the brake. >> right now. take a deep breath and go into second deep. >> through roy's gentle guidance, i'm learning to guide 1,000 horsepower vehicle than a quarter mile track. >> well, you backed off, i don't know why, you were going straight, it was getting ready to shift gears. turn it around and bring it back. >> but, as they say, practice makes perfect. >> hit it! whoa, whoa, whoa, stop it, back up. >> and so does getting yelled at. >> i want you to listen, do you know what that means? hit it! oh -- >> and getting yelled at some more. >> just stay wide open on the throttle, like you're supposed to. that was slower than the run before. come back. >> but, i do start to get it.

>> hit it! good job, turn it around and come back. run 9.60, 133 and quarter mile, it's real hot, close to 100 degrees and he's doing a great job. bring it back, cool it down and get him out of the car for a few minutes. >> after five runs and peeking at 133 miles an hour, i'm starting to feel pretty good. then, roy throws me a major curve ball. he's now going to have me use something called the transbrake, which will significantly up the already ridiculous horsepower. >> what it does is take first and second and locks them together, two gears. and you take your foot off the brake and you go wide open with the gas. when you get ready, that button on the right side of the

steering wheel, jerk your finger back. >> ever been bird hunting? >> yeah. >> like a flock flew out of your hiney, right? >> it does. >> that's what you're going to feel. >> let's revisit that one more time. the transbrake allows the driver to push the pedal to the floor without standing on the brakes and lurching past the starting line. this enables the engine to build up an insane amount of power. so once you let go of the magic green button, the gears are engaged and the car is launched forward like a rocket. >> wow. >> at which point, if i remember properly, a flock of birds will fly out of my hynie. this is a very different technique from what i was just taught. but i like it. >> 143 mile an hour, 9.40, i think it is. >> but it only works if you've mastered let gog of the little -- letting go of the little green button.

and apparently, i'm not quite there yet. >> run slower than he did the run before. what he did was just move his thumb a little bit, he doesn't jerk it back. he'll need even the speed, we're there. mike, how'd you turn the button loose. put it in park. how'd you turn the button loose? show me. no, you didn't. you're holding that, gripped that, and you went -- >> no way. >> well, you want to call me a liar? >> no, sir. >> we've got cameras everywhere, don't we? anybody want to go pull the camera out? >> we can play that back -- >> it was hard to pick stupid sometimes. how'd you take it off? >> with extreme speed. >> y'all got a camera? hooked up to see his finger? >> you're telling me you think i did this. >> no, i know you did, i'm standing right there looking at you.

>> really? >> my old tired eyes aren't worn out completely. i want a man right here through this hole right here looking at his finger next time. >> all right. >> because he don't believe anything i'm saying. i get paid good money to work hard. especially to put up with somebody that wants to argue with me. >> damn, it's really hard. you'd think it's so simple, but it's the opposite of every single thing you've ever been taught to do in a car. it's oppositeville. a button? your foot's off the brake, you smash your foot on the gas, but nothing happens, that's crazy. then you yank your hand off and you take off. everything's backwards, but i'm going to get it. >> crank it up. right here. video right there. don't get in front of the tire. >> all right.

just stop and back up. >> raise your visor. you're tired, worn out mentally, and you can't remember. >> i know what's going on. i know what's wrong. >> what's that? >> there's moving parts around here that don't have anything to do with your vehicles. they have to do with my crew. >> look, i'm not one to make excuses, but i'm getting tired of being yelled at. and the truth is my producer steve distracted me with his last second decision to run in front of me with his little camera to grab another shot we'll probably never use. so, steve goes under the bus. >> where are you at peckerhead? come here. >> sorry, steve. >> here comes peckerhead running up there with a camera and sits down right in front of you. >> do you want to tell him? >> i know what he did. he ran up, put it down, and i took my foot off the gas. >> no [ bleep ]. >> i know what i did.

>> ran up there and setting the camera down, and he's trying to stage. >> sorry. >> why don't you sit down up there and see if you can keep your eye on the tree. you see -- he's done succeeded in everything he's done so far. except this. i ain't going to let him leave until he does it right. you've made the man a cluster. i know this is a tv show. but i can't break mentally leaving without succeeding. he was doing too good. he's wore out, he's tired, and he can't listen, he can't do. this is not easy. they ain't a one of y'all that could get in there and do what he has, i bet. there won't be another one that distracts you. >> and so the wrath of roy has vanished the crew, eliminating all further excuses. now, i'm left with one final chance to nail this thing. and when the praise of my mentor, roy hill -- win the praise of my mentor, roy hill.

>> just remember, foot goes wide open and jerk your hand back. leave your foot down. you can do this. don't get flustered. you just wait until you're ready to crank it up, okay.

little did we know, but life was inviting us all this time. to step into the great unknown. in a place where riches... were measured in footsteps... flavors and friends. we tasted cuisine we'd only heard about and for the first time... felt like locals. ♪ call it magic. we called it ours. mazatlan. live it to believe it. (patrick 2) pretty great.ke to be the boss of you? (patrick 1) how about a 10% raise?

(patrick 2) how about 20? (patrick 1) how about done? (patrick 2) that's the kind of control i like... ...and that's what they give me at national car rental. i can choose any car in the aisle i want- without having to ask anyone. who better to be the boss of you... (patrick 1)than me. i mean, you...us. (vo) go national. go like a pro.

not going to touch it. >> roy shil running out of the patience. i'm running out of gas. we're all running out of time. i've got one more chance to manage the water box, the burnout, the christmas tree, and the little green button. if it all comes together, i'll get from 0 to 60 in about a second and finish the quarter mile in less than nine. ha. >> get the milk ready. >> talk to me, roy. >> son, how about 8.49, 145 mile an hour. >> all right, there's your

ringer, man, that was worked. >> in the racing world, the big victories are marked with a copious showering of whole milk. i don't know why. but today, i am feeling very lactose tolerant. >> i took my thumb off the button, i put my foot on the thing, i got my foot off the brake, uncle roy's proud of me, my crew hates me, i'm covered with milk, and i don't give a crap. i'm happy to say i figured it out finally, but it was awkward and ugly getting here. and then experience i won't soon forget, thank you. >> thank you, buddy. let me tell you, he's number one. and we are, too. >> thanks, brother. >> i'm going to hop now in my minivan and go back to the airport. because that's how i roll. >> you don't let drive. >> no man, i'm done driving. ♪

here's a story about a guy who lives in a tree. his name's michael. it begins though with a guy who lives in a plane. his name's bruce. >> we're rolling. we're rolling. >> so, this wasn't the original plan. i was on my way to meet michael, the guy who lives in a tree when my plane was diverted and i was delayed for 24 hours. in the meantime, my restless crew, overcome by uncharacteristic initiative decided to shoot without me. they heard about bruce, the guy who lived in a plane and figured he was no less interesting than the guy in the tree. anyway, my crew took a walk in

the woods to meet bruce campbell, a frequent flier whose been happily stuck on the tarmac for the last 16 years. >> you can see the overview of the aircraft here, it's about 130 feet long, very roughly. this is the primary way i enter the aircraft. stairs, and entering the aircraft, the aft entry door and the left aft lav, and as you can see, it's functional. so this is just using well water in order to flush the toilet. and minimal plumbing changes were required in order to make it functional. this is my shower. it's very crude. it's adequate, it serves the purpose. so, my shower. >> not exactly five-star accommodations, but first class, nevertheless. luxury though is not the point though for bruce. it's all about rethinking our concept of housing. >> what you get when you buy a

jetliner is an aerospace class home. and it's a remarkable home. it's a sealed pressure canister so dust from the outside can't get in. insects can't get in. when you're in a jetliner and all the doors are secured and locks locked, nobody can get in, sans industrial power tools. so you feel very safe. this is my sleeping surface. i simply put that down, and pull this over myself, and sleep. it's comfortable. i'm a bachelor, and i don't need preventional domestic artifacts to feel comfortable or feel fulfilled. for me, this is cozy and comfortable. it's squeaky too. so this is my sleeping surface, and this, of course, is the proper sleeping posture. >> where he lives is not nearly as interesting as how he lives or what he's trying to accomplish because bruce wants to show the world what recycling looks like on a grand scale. >> my life's focus is on demonstrating that jetliners should be converted into homes. they cost tens of millions of dollars to build. it makes no sense to destroy them when they're retiring from active flight. 23 you're interested in a

project like this, go to airplanehome.com and you'll find lots of helpful details. and if you develop a continuing interest, contact me and i'll help. >> will bruce's alternative housing experiment come crashing to the ground? maybe. but, that's what they literally said about michael garniar, a man whose impossible dream of bringing homes to new heights actually came true. i know we're in oregon about an hour -- we might be north of medford, west, could be south, i don't think we're south, but we could be east. we landed in medford, i know we drove for a while and came to this place where their houses is built in the trees. you know them as tree houses. and now, you know everything i know. well, if on the off-chance we don't use the open from this camera.

we use this open. the tree houses are everywhere. join me won't you as i -- as i find one for me. if on the off-chance we don't use the open from steve's camera or from taylor's camera, i think this is a great shot. to make it official, we're in oregon, somewhere that isn't medford, but not far from it at a place where there are tree houses. okay. there's a network that never stops improving. ...that's grown faster than any other, covering nearly every american. and these geese. but it's not who you think.

it's t-mobile. our new extended range lte signal... reaches twice as far. ...and is four times better in buildings. think you know our lte coverage? think again. see for yourself at t-mobile.com/coverage. i started with pills. and now i take a long-acting insulin at night. i take mine in the morning. i was trying to eat right, stay active. but i wasn't reaching my a1c goal anymore.

man: my doctor says diabetes changes over time. it gets harder to control blood sugar spikes after i eat and get to goal. my doctor added novolog® at mealtime for additional control. now i know. novolog® is a fast-acting, injectable insulin and it works together with my long-acting insulin. proven effective. the mealtime insulin doctors prescribe most. available in flexpen®. vo: novolog® is used to control high blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes. take novolog® as directed. eat a meal within 5 to 10 minutes after injection. check your blood sugar levels. do not take novolog® if your blood sugar is too low or you're allergic to any of its ingredients. tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medicines you take. ask your doctor about alcohol use, operating machinery, or driving. the most common side effect is low blood sugar. symptoms may include dizziness, sweating, confusion, and headache. severe low blood sugar can be life-threatening. other common side effects include low potassium in your blood and injection site reactions. get medical help right away if you experience

trouble with breathing, serious allergic reactions like swelling of your face, tongue, or throat, sweating, extreme drowsiness, dizziness, or confusion. now i know about novolog®. taken by millions since 2001. vo: ask your health care provider about adding novolog®. it can help provide the additional control you may need.

i've since humans climbed out of trees we've been trying to get back in them. in the last few decades, the rickety old tree house has been taken to a whole new level. they're all kinds of stunning new structures popping up, like this tree house community in the costa rican rain forest or cedar creek tree house, our weird producer michael brownly honeymooned there, but there may be well no one more important to modern tree house dwelling than michael garniar, a hippy with a dream who woke up, remembered it, and turned it into a reality. he challenged both nature and the law to create the place i'm currently checking into for the night. the out and about treesort. >> i've signed thousands of releases, but to simply lie down and go to bed, i've never had to sign a release. >> you're going to be up 37 feet

in the treeshsing tree, and if you get too drunk and, you know -- >> you can't be responsible for my bad acts. >> that's right. we don't have a bar here, but if you want to drink -- >> you are? >> i am a vodka and lemonade guy. >> well, then off bar here. >> no. yeah, you can have some of that. and i'll get some more. >> where are these prepared, typically? >> my house. >> his house. >> that's a proper welcome. >> yeah. >> this is a proper map. >> yeah, yes. >> where are we right now on the map? >> we are in here. okay. >> uh-huh. >> and you're going to be staying up here. manage industry? >> majesty. we have a whole island here. it started actually when they try to get us -- they exploited us to tear these down. >> who's they? >> the county. >> michael built his first tree house, the peacock perch back in 1990. two years later, the power's that be of josephine county

issued a shutdown notice and ordered him to stop letting the public into his lofty lodgings. he complied, but by popular demand, he reopened later. >> you are really up a tree here. >> until the following summer when the county then demanded he tear them all down. >> they told you to tear it down. what you do is you built some more. >> yeah, first i showed them it was safe. they said it wasn't safe. there's no way to show you it's safe. i put 66 people on that. two dogs, a cat, and i'm not sure if the hummingbird stayed or not. so that showed him that it met code. >> after several more years of injunctions, suits, and countersuits, the county finally relented, and allowed the treesort to stand. this is fabulous. that's a bathroom in there, isn't it? >> yeah. >> it's a nice toilet. >> if you're taking a [ bleep ] -- >> right. >> -- be sure to stand up before you flush it because you don't

want to suck anything down, all right. >> okay. >> now, if there's lightning at night, all right -- >> we have to sign another waiver? >> no. >> did i sign a lightning waiver? >> no, but just, you know, there's -- most people here are tree huggers, if there's lightning, don't hug the tree. >> yeah. >> just basically, if it hits the tree, it'll come down the tree. you just don't want to -- you want to be insulated from it. >> yeah, you do. >> it's all, it meets code. and, you know, it's a tree house. >> while the indoor plumbing is terrific, the real innovation, to change the industry evolved directly from michael's stubborn refusal to be bozed around. >> what is that called? >> it's the gold standard in tree house attachment bolts. >> this invention here basically has allowed you to build -- >> all of this stuff. >> everything. >> yeah. >> michael's garnier limb was the tree house game-changer, a bolt that made structures safer and more durable while reducing the environmental impact on the trees.

>> this is the technology. there's a deal inside this pipe, all right, and then we have this coming out here, and then we have cables on. because back there, it'll hold, you know, 7, 8,000 pounds, if you take 100 pounds and you move it out here 100 inches, you can fail it. >> just like putting your arm out. >> yeah. >> push it straight down. so this must be attached to another one much these way up -- >> yes, it is. >> today, michael's invention is the engineering standard in tree house structural support. everything is packed and wrapped and ready to ship. and he sells his sturdy, environmentally friendly product all over the world. this is gorgeous, michael, when it did occur to you? >> when did it occur to me? >> yeah. you woke up one day and you thought, i'm going to go ahead and build a tree house resort. >> well, it didn't quite happen like that. it was basically goes i tried a lot of things, this wouldn't work. and then no, this came later than that.

>> michael's going to put me to work tomorrow, so i'm hitting the hay. for now, i get the new experience of bedding down, high above the forest floor. it's actually pretty cozy. you hear the bullfrogs outside. it's kind of nice, if you like bull frogs. really, who doesn't like a bull frog? you know. anyway, good night. i'm not sure how to turn this thing off. inthe mid-size van, from mercedes-benz. it's got small-ability and big-ability. towing-ability and stowing-ability. rack-ability and hvac-ability. it's fully customizable and sized just right to give you cupcake-ability, entourage-ability... ...garage-ability and even afford-ability. starting at $28,950. available in cargo or passenger. from mercedes-benz.

was as long as the boat. for seven hours, we did battle. until i said... you will not beat... meeeeee!!! greg. what should i do with your fish? gary. just put it in the cooler. if you're a fisherman, you tell tales. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. put the fish in the cooler! is that coffee? yea, it's nespresso. i want in. ♪ you're ready. ♪ get ready to experience a cup above. is that coffee? nespresso. what else?

i've just spent a very comfortable night 40 feet off the ground to get a better understanding of what michael garnier has achieved in his 20-plus years in building a better tree house. fully rested. partially caffeinated. let the day begin. morning. >> good morning. you sure you had enough coffee? >> i had enough coffee. now i've got to look at the place in the light of day. and it's pretty much as i remembered it. to better understand how michael's technology keeps the tree houses aloft, i volunteered my very limited skills as handy man, foolishly, michael accepted my offer. >> okay. come on up. this is a tensionometer, and this measures the tension of these cables. >> so i go here and here. >> all right.

>> and then move the handle. >> uh-huh. 200. >> 200. okay. i'd like to just tighten these two up here a little bit. >> okay. >> so you in to getting out on a limb? going to need a little bit more -- >> okay, i'm on it. >> okay. all right. now you've got your tool. >> oh crap. >> hey, give him his tool. would you? some sort of tool, >> come on, only half a turn, man. >> another half turn? >> yep. >> what do you say? >> i think we got it. >> good. >> you ready to go to the other side? >> yeah. >> if regular home maintenance is important, tree house maintenance is critical. afterall, your regular home is in danger of tumbling dozens of

feet from its perch because of a loose cable. >> there you go, that's good. >> got to be close. whew. >> anyhow, that's how you tighten up a cable on a tree house. standard maintenance routine, i'm told. >> now let's go have some fun. >> let's do that. >> michael's engineering skills don't begin and end with tree houses. he's also built a tree-based amusement park here at the treesort. >> when i went to the county back in 1990 and told them what idea i had, most people thought i was kind of crazy to even do this. who's going to come out here in this old hippy community and stay in a tree? >> right. >> well it turns out everybody and their kid wanted to. >> the bottom line with you really is you're of the school that says, better to ask. >> better beg forgiveness than ask permission.

>> i get it. >> otherwise, this would never have been built. >> what you just said is so true, again and again, i meet people who never, ever could have gotten -- >> where they were if they didn't just do it. >> -- without poking the bear, pushing the envelope or some other metaphor. >> climb up nice and slow. it's going to lock on you. >> like the guy on the plane, this wasn't on the agenda either, but hey, if there's a zip line in the neighborhood, it would be rude not to give it a try. wow. >> right? >> you ready? >> adios. >> flying! >> oh. >> wahoo! holy crap. >> that was awesome man, you did perfect. >> holy crap, that's fast. >> get you spun around here. >> everybody should do this, including you. it's just -- yeah. wait until you get on the tarzan swing.

you'll like that. >> everybody wants to see you do this swing though. they want to see if you cry like a baby. >> you know, how else do you cry? really? if zip lining is mandatory, tarzan swings should be optional. i'm not saying don't try it, i'm just saying, don't blame me if you lose your lunch. is this the tarzan swing? >> yep. >> doesn't look so crazy. >> oh maybe it is though, maybe it goes all the way up there, doesn't it? >> yes, it does. >> oh [ bleep ]. i see, i see what's going to happen. >> so, we're going to pull you back up in the tree, 55 feet in the air. >> uh-huh. >> like a 20-foot free fall, 60 foot pendulum swing. >> look how big that vulture is. circling vultures, i just think as a metaphor, we'd be hard pressed to find anything more, you know, universal. warning, profani-tree. hook me up, and if you have a chance, try not to do me to a premature demise. >> the chances are, you won't hit the tree.

>> what do you charge people to [ bleep ] their pants up here in the tree? >> one of the things is we've got to make the ropes are clear before you let go. >> what do you mean let go? >> just stay on your toes. >> are we ready? >> crap. this segment is now officially out of control. >> sheesh. >> in fact, i'm sure it ended about an hour ago. and yet -- holy [ bleep ]. i'm still here, just hanging out. >> wait a second, niki, did you hook -- i didn't check the caribbeaner you -- >> come on. you're killing me. >> it's okay, it's probably ok. go ahead. you can let go. >> really? >> yeah, go ahead. >> i don't want to. >> you will after a while. >> briefly, i wonder how long i could hang on. but, only briefly. >> all right, here we go. three, two, one.

oh, gah! [ cow mooing ] i was so sure i was going hit the tree. oh, crap. oh, please don't hit the tree. please don't hit the tree. please don't hit the tree. oh [ bleep ]. please don't hit the tree. wow. that is bananas. funny little thing about the old caribbeaner there. that was a good one. what's next, a stroll on a high wire, maybe some trapeze work? no thank you, i'm ending the show while i can still walk away under my own power. >> thanks for your hospitality. >> you're welcome. >> really good fun. next time an hour southwest of medford. >> come out on a limb and come to out and about. yeah. >> branch out. >> yeah.

>> bark up the right tree if you're pining for adventure. >> have a treemendous time. >> tree you later. >> not if i tree you first. secum el sheikh airports amid growing belief that a bomb brought down a metro jet. and myanmar counts the votes in its freest election in decades. and ben carson attacks the media as questions escalate about his accuracy describing i said dents in his past. a warm welcome to all of