Go West, Boomers! Day 10

Reporting from Warrenton, MO
LAT 38.49 N LON 91.8 W

Overall, today started well, but went downhill. I would call Missouri the "Show Me (the way out of this) State”.

We started off at the Johnson County Museum—incredibly impressive. There must be some money in this area to fund something like this. It includes an entire “all electric home” from the 50’s.

I’m pretty sure we had this color of counter-top when I was a little kid.

The painting slides back to display a TV. WANT!

There’s also a full-size neon sign from a local hotel.

We moved on to the National Museum of Miniatures and Toys. Two ladies had collections, and ran out of room in their respective homes. I was impressed!

Tiny rooms with even tinier furniture.

Regular and mini.

Of course, I was more interested in the toy collection.

ViewMasters—the Instagram of the analog era.

Stuff I had as a kid is in a museum? Yep, I’m old.

Sure, you got burns from them—but it was fun.

HOT WHEELS!

Moving on to the Truman Presidential Library. President Truman was a pivotal figure from the end of WW2 to the Korean War, along with the Berlin Airlift.

We grabbed a burger and tots just down the street from the Library.

As we continued the drive across the state, we ran into the “Cradle of Ragtime” at a train station

We then hurried to Jefferson City, in order to see the Missouri Capitol before they closed for the day. It was a bit of a letdown. Very impressive from the outside, but the interiors were in bad shape. Part of the place has been turned into a “state museum” that frankly wasn’t as good as the one we saw this morning. Both houses were closed and inaccessible. All the inside arches reminded me of a subway station. At least Mindy got a pencil from the Governor’s office.

At that point, we started to look for a place for the night. Mindy uses her phone to find a place each night, and we generally do pretty well. In this case, for whatever reason, we learned that hotels in Missouri are VERY overpriced. Like nearly double other states. There’s certainly very little drawing people here—just seems like profiteering. Anyway, after some driving and backtracking, we found a place that is decent and slightly better priced. We picked up some local pizza and sacked out.

Thin crust—almost cracker-like. We liked it.

Ehough for tonight. Tomorrow, St. Louis and parts east.

Go West, Boomers! Day 9

Reporting from Lenexa, KA
LAT 38.57 N LON 94.44 W

We began the day in Nebraska, and visited our 6th State Capital in Lincoln. It’s unique—Nebraska is unicameral, so there’s only the Senate. Also, the building doesn’t have a traditional dome—instead, it has a 14 story tower. You can actually go outside near the top. The place looks like a church inside—no metal detectors to be found. Ironically, the outside seems more like a prison.

A panorama on the 14th floor, near the top of the tower. Lots of black stone and murals.

View from the top.

Driving on, we ran into some wooden objects.

In a guy’s front yard. It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a tree?

Replica of a Lewis & Clark boat. Very narrow and cramped.

After a quick sprint across the corner of Iowa, we found ourselves in Missouri. St. Joseph is the self-proclaimed “Pork Tenderloin Capital of the World”, so we shared one at a local dive.

A local resident.

BPT with homemade chips. Delish!

We jumped over the river to Kansas, where dinosaurs run wild.

Not Photoshopped.

Back to Missouri and Kansas City. We started with a castle tower in a residential neighborhood. A guy decided he wanted to build one, and I guess there was no HOA to stop him.

A treacherous spiral staircase takes you to the top.

The top includes a cannon, in case you have an issue with a neighbor.

Then it was onto KC proper. We had to have BBQ there, and found a place that started in a gas station (ambiance is inversely equivalent to quality in ‘que). After a 15 minute wait in line (and this was an early dinner), we got ribs, burnt ends, and a meat-centric salad. All were great.

The following are artistic installations in the downtown area. We decided to get to all of them tonight, so we didn’t have to go back into downtown again. The roads and traffic are a mess! (Of course, having a Chiefs game going on tonight didn’t help).

In the garment district, almost hidden.

Giant books at the library, with Mindy shown for scale. Took 15 minutes to find a place to park.

A replica of TWA’s “Moonliner” from Disneyland, on a random building. Perhaps it’s there because of…

…Walt’s original animation studio, pre-Disney. Can’t understand why the Mouse House doesn’t pay to have this abandoned building fixed up as a shrine!

One of several giant shuttlecocks at the art museum.

A glass labyrinth, possibly inspired by KC’s roads.

By that point, we were beat, and we headed to the Kansas side of the KC metro area for the night. Tomorrow, museums, libraries, and an electric house. #gowestboomers

Go West, Boomers! Day 8

Reporting from Lincoln, NE
LAT 40.5 N LON 96.41 W

Today involved a lot of driving, and only a few stops—but they were all good.

We drove back into Nebraska, and came upon a shrine to Our Lady of Fatima. A WW2 chaplain vowed to build one if he survived the war. He did both—and it’s very pretty.

A ways farther down the road, we visited Pioneer Village. A guy named Harold Warp decided to start his own version of the Henry Ford museum in the middle of Nebraska. 26 buildings of everything you could think of.

There is a whole village of original building moved to this location, along with a lot of warehouses.

A local TV station’s circa-1960 equipment.

The schoolhouse that Harold attended—along with all the books and records.

A 1950’s kitchen…

…and a 1980’s kitchen.

Computer equipment—some of it I’ve actually used.

There were also multiple warehouses packed with classic cars.

The beige hornlike device hanging out the window is an add-on air conditioner.

Just loved the coloring.

“Hey, Bob—what if we put the sun visor INSIDE the car?”

Generations later, people refer to poor cars as Edsels.

This is a Ford Model A Coupe—my dad owned a Model A Truck for years.

There were multiple aisles in multiple warehouses like this, arranged by make and year.

Did you know that Hastings, Nebraska has the largest municipal museum between Chicago and Denver? And did you know that Kool-Aid was developed in this area? Well it was.

OH, YEAH!!!

So we ended up the day in Lincoln NE. There was a lot of online buzz about Lee’s Chicken restaurant (unrelated to the Lee’s Chicken chain). You can read my earlier report in FB about it—suffice to say we were not impressed.

That’ll do for tonight. Tomorrow, onto Kansas City. #gowestboomers

Go West, Boomers! Day 7

Reporting from Wray, CO
LAT 40.5 N LON 102.13 W

(Delayed post due to poor hotel wi-fi)

We’re back to the plains this evening, in a small town. But we started in Denver this morning. While we enjoyed our day there, it’s more soothing to be out in the sticks.

First thing, we drove into downtown Denver to meet our niece Abby for brunch. The fare had a Mexican feel.

We then tracked down mysterious grates in front of the Federal Reserve which emanate strange noises. I’ll post video when we have some decent WiFi.

Onto Statehouse #5 for the trip. Colorado’s capitol building is on the larger side, but the interior seems smaller, with lots of hallways. Their brass cleaner budget must be immense.

Our greatest President—Jebediah Bartlett.

Just outside is a marker indicating one mile above sea level. Unfortunately, they miscalculated twice—Mindy is at the correct altitude.

We ventured out into the burbs to find Estes Mini-Town. It’s a set of buildings from the mid 20th century that have been collected, restored, and decorated. They have “new” items waiting for work to be completed.

We took a header west and made our was to an overlook of the Rockies. This is as far west as we go—everything going forward will be in the eastward direction.

After a great deal of searching, we found the statue of a horse with a hazmat suit on. This is a reference to a nuclear weapons plant in the area which required a massive cleanup.

Our final stop in the Denver area was Mile High Comics. A mecca for comic book fans, it’s a huge warehouse along with a massive showroom. I couldn’t leave without seeing it.

Someone’s getting fired.

Looks like my collection—times 1000.

Then it was a three hour trip to the east, ending up in Wray, CO. The front desk said there were 4 restaurants in town, only 2 were good. We picked a bistro that turned out to have zero signage—I was convinced I would need to provide a password to get into a speakeasy. Instead, it was a second floor establishment with a large menu. We have some Italian dishes—I guess when you have almost zero competition, you don’t try very hard. It was OK, though.

And that does it for today. Tomorrow, back to Nebraska. #gowestboomers

Go West, Boomers! Day 6

Reporting from Aurora, CO
LAT 39.44 N LON 104.49 W
Altitude 5403 FEET

We began the day in Alliance, NE, a small town with a great hotel. Wonderful service and a huge breakfast—omelettes, ham, biscuits and gravy, and all the other stuff you would expect. We then made our way to “Carhenge”—an art installation in the middle of a field, consisting of old cars. The main exhibit is Stonehenge, except using automobiles as plinths. A truly spectacular sight.

An interior panorama.

And oh, how they dawnced, the little children of Carhenge… (with apologies to Spinal Tap)

Then, just a short distance away, we found Dobby’s Frontier Town. A set of old west buildings from around the area, collected and equipped with items appropriate to the place—a barn, a jail, a saloon, a post office, a bank… It was a large setup, and it’s clear the few volunteers involved are very busy.

The bars are from a bank robbery by the Sundance Kid.

Fun downstairs and upstairs.

We then took a drive across the prairie and into Wyoming.

This is Wyle E. Coyote territory. I was expecting to see broken ACME equipment strewn around.

We reached Cheyenne, WY, the State Capitol. It was smaller than the last few capitols, but very impressive regardless. While others use a lot of marble, this building uses wood, which gave it a warmer feel. We learned the wood was shipped from Ohio, back in the 1880’s! Wyoming was the first state to vote for women’s suffrage, 50 years before the US did so.

There are a series of vaults in the basement, originally put in place to store the state’s money and documents. As part of a massive restoration project, layers of paint were removed to reveal oil paintings on each one. They are now used for office supplies.

We stopped in at a local burger place for lunch. Excellent!

An hour later, we were in another state—Colorado, specifically Ft. Collins, to see more giant things.

An ice cream stand.

We wrapped up the day in Denver and more giants.

A bear checking out the convention center.

Chair avec horse.

Badly made chair.

Since we had a late lunch, we finished things up with ice cream from Nugg’s, a local stand.

OK, enough for today. We’re worn out. Tomorrow, more of Denver, including brunch with our niece. #gowestboomers

Go West, Boomers! Day 5

Reporting from Alliance, NE
LAT 42.5 N LON 102.53 W

Now in our fifth state of the trip, with three of them new for me. But let’s rewind to this morning, when we left Wall, ND and ventured into the middle of nowhere, which is where you would place a Minuteman missile. Duck and cover, kids!

We move from the morose to the wacky—ladies and germs, the world’s largest Quarter Pounder with Cheese!

Hey, don’t tell me what to do!

We found another contrast in a Rapid City ND park—a giant rock you can spin, and a piece of the Berlin Wall.

Near Checkpoint Charlie.

As we made our way to Mt. Rushmore, we ran into Keystone. If you’ve been to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, you would find it very familiar. This also means tourist attractions like the Cosmos Mystery Area—one of those places that use optical illusions to convince you gravity has run wild. Photos don’t do it justice.

We also found a place where, for an enormous fee, you could get chainsaw sculptures.

And then it was Mt. Rushmore itself. You see it from quite a distance away, but it’s still impressive, mostly in terms of the amount of labor involved. It’s a national monument AND a tourist trap! It was $10 to park, but we got the senior discount, plus we charged up our hybrid car.

Had to get a shot of this—what’s the only state with a pennant flag?

Still haven’t gotten the knack of selfies.

If you’re going to protest, you must do so in this pre-defined area!

George, can we get a shot from the side? Great!

The guy that made it happen. Plus a great Scrabble move.

We finally found a place to eat in Custer, ND (we’re in the “off season”, and it’s a Sunday). Pretty decent Mexican food.

The final image for today is from Hot Springs, ND. There’s a archeological site there where Mammoths were found. It was expensive to take a tour, plus they were 20 minutes from closing, so we chose to take a shot of the fellow in the front hall.

It’s a living.

That’ll do it for now. Tomorrow includes another state capitol and (maybe) the Mile High City. #gowestboomers

Go West, Boomers! Day 4

Reporting from South Wall, ND
LAT 43.59 N LON 102.14 W

Writing this a bit late, due to a) we’re now in Mountain Time and b) I had to use my phone as a hot-spot since the hotel WiFi is out.

We drove into South Dakota and made our way to Vermillion, which is the home of the University of SD, and fortunately had an away game today. We visited the W.H. Over Museum, which is a melange of archaeological, historical, and anthropological exhibits, seemingly placed at random. Very interesting though.

There was also what must have been a local’s collection of camera equipment—probably the best exhibit they had.

A retoucher unit—analog Photoshop.

In the same town, we read about a sandwich shop inside a hardware store.

It turned out great—the bread is recommended by Oprah of all people. Fantastic sammiches!

Sandwich of the Month - The Kent.

3D Melt.

We drove onto Mitchell and the Corn Palace—but first a giant jackalope.

The Corn Palace consists of the local auditorium with a corn mosaic glued to it (they change it annually). Far less impressive in person.

At this point, we “called an audible” for the rest of the day. We were planning to go up to Pierre and see another state capitol, but when we read there were no decent hotels or restaurants, we chose to skip it and move on. As it turned out, our final destination of the day wasn’t much better.

Anyway, we got on I90, which I quickly learned had an 80 mph speed limit (whee!). At one point, we took some panoramas at a scenic outlook.

Then a stop to see wildlife, both fake and real. The latter had a whole colony next to a convenience store—you could feed them if you wanted.

Our final stop for the day was the fabled Wall Drug. For those who haven’t heard of it, Wall Drug is the original tourist trap. An offer of free ice water in the 30’s pulled in the crowds. Today, it’s a warren of gift shops and snack bars. It was underwhelming, but we did get a few photo ops.

After an equally underwhelming dinner (if someone put a real restaurant in Wall, they would make a bundle), we shuffled over to the best hotel in town (in that the room doors didn’t open directly to the outside—which would make it a Motel IMHO). That’s when we found out the wi-fi was down (the manager said it was that way all over town, which I am doubtful of). So after some Googling and swearing, I hooked up the internet equivalent of two cups and a string—and here we are.

Tomorrow—assuming all goes well, Mt. Rushmore. I’m going to bed. #gowestboomers

Go West, Boomers! Day 3

Reporting from South Sioux City, IA
LAT 42.26 N LON 96.20 W

My last missive was a bit premature—we didn’t quite make it to SD, just over the border. Our day started at Bluebird Cafe, since the hotel breakfast was lacking. We shared an omelette and Cinnamon Roll French Toast.

If I were you, I wouldn’t take one of these.

Onto the category of corporate symbols—in this case, Newton IA’s Maytag Repairman. Remember “The Dependability People”?

Another strange monument—”Laid Back Easter Island” statue next to a kid’s playground in Altoona, IA.

We moved onto our third State Capitol of the trip in Des Moines. Even more ornate than Illinois.

Apparently, the Secretary of State is a Marvel fan.

This is a massive mosaic.

Their law library was massive—looks like a scene from Myst.

Then it was a few hour drive across Western Iowa, interspersed with giant…

…wrenches…

…bikes…

…and popcorn balls.

OK, that’ll do it for today. Onto South Dakota, this time for real. #gowestboomers

Go West, Boomers! Day 2

Reporting from Coralville, IA
LAT 41.41 N LON 91.36 W

We’ve reached our third state so far. But to begin the day, we found a “weird in the wild” item—a giant macaroni in front of a Kraft-Heinz plant.

Moving to Springfield IL and a more somber item—Lincoln’s tomb. There was a helpful park associate answering questions.

You’re supposed to rub Lincoln’s nose for luck, but the pandemic overrides luck.

Slightly less morose was the crypt of “Mr. Accordion”, who got his revenge after the cemetery tried to reneg on his purchased plot. He would regularly go out and play his accordion on his plot, (just as you went into the park), had an elaborate crypt put in, while being buried elsewhere.

Nearby was our second state capitol for the trip, and a far site better than the first. We took a guided tour then did a little scouting.

We drove for a while after that, and started getting peckish. We picked a place in the middle of nowhere called Grandpa’s. Took us a while to track it down, and almost walked back out. Glad we didn’t. Mindy had a “horseshoe”—a local delicacy I would call an Illinois poutine. Biscuit, meat, fries, cheese sauce.

As we crossed the border into Iowa, we located “Snake Alley”, a twisty steep road named for it’s serpent-like shape. Ripley’s documented it for “Believe It or Not”. Dashcam video of the drive will be posted later.

We visited Riverside IA for a specific reason—James T. Kirk will be born here. His “monument” is in an alley next to City Hall. We also found his bronze likeness—are all celebrities short? Anyway, we timed the visit for #StarTrekDay.

After finding a hotel in Coralville, we were looking for a place to honor Queen Elizabeth II who passed today at 96, but the best we could do was a British-themed pizza pub.  We shared fish and chips along with a salad. It was decent. #godsavetheking

That’ll do it for our second day. Tomorrow—some giant things and South Dakota. #gowestboomers

Go West, Boomers! Day 1

Reporting from Champaign-Urbana, IL
LAT 40.7 N LON 88.13 W

We’ve made it to the end of Day 1, which partly involved familiar drives. I have in-laws in Chicago and Milwaukee, so we didn’t see a lot of new territory until we got past Indianapolis.

But before then, we tracked down a giant rose sculpture. Did you know that Springfield OH at one point was America’s premiere rose grower? Well, in 2020, someone decided they needed to honor that. The distinction is muted when you place said sculpture at the side of a highway going out of town, with no clear way to access it. We pulled onto the berm and got a few pics.

The it was off to glamorous Greenville OH and the Maid-Rite Drive In. We skipped the loose meat sammiches (they were just getting ready to open), and concentrated on the wads of gum adorning the walls. Blecch!

Moving onto Indianapolis. Out first meal of the trip was at the Mug ‘n’ Bun, a classic drive in near the speedway. We ordered a burger, a pork tenderloin sammich, and onion rings to share. The burger was what your mom might make when you ask for a Big Mac, using a slice of bread in the middle. The tenderloin was tasty and not too enormous. Rings were a bit greasy. On the other hand, homemade root beer!

We have started a habit of checking out state capitol buildings, so we ventured into downtown Indy. The place was fairly generic--lots of 1880's flourishes and relatively dark with the exception of skylights. Couldn't get into the galleries despite there being no sessions underway. I'll give it a 5 out of 10.

Commandant and Sorcerer Supreme.

Finally we reached Illinois, stopping at Champaign-Urbana near the college.  After a quick rest at the hotel, we ventured out for dinner--something more nutritious than lunch, hummus and salads.  Both were excellent!

Well, that's plenty for one day.  Tomorrow, onto to Iowa and a historic birthplace...

Go West, Boomers! Day 0

Monument or tourist trap? We’ll find out.

Location: Casa de Schmidbauer

It's been 2 1/2 years since our last big road trip--I'm trying to forget what got in the way. This time, we are heading west in a run that will take us through the Great Plains and into the Rockies.  Included will be state capitols, world's largest (____), tourist traps, Mt. Rushmore, art installations, local foods, and the Mile High City. Roadsideamerica.com will be a major source. Wish us luck! #gowestboomers

Cabin in the Hills - Day 4

Note: I'm posting this after the fact, as internet in the area was inconsistent at best.

After a final hot tub session (can you tell we're obsessed with this?), we had to pack up, clean up, and get out of Dodge. A few final cabin interior pics:

A quick hop to the tub!

All the modern conveniences…

After making our way down the hill…

...we bade good-bye to the Hocking Hills and their welcoming residents...

...before driving up to Lancaster and the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio. The restored former home of General Sherman's sister, the eventual owners donated it to the county as a museum dedicated to the arts.

In addition to the 1800's period restoration, the upper floor hosts special exhibits. Currently they are presenting items from Paramount Pictures' costume archive (the archivist grew up in Lancaster). It was quite fascinating...

Worn by Veronica Lake in “The Glass Key”, 1942.

Worn by Robert Redford.

Then a meal at a Mexican place just down the street (Flautas and Enchiladas) before heading home.

I'm sure we will make this trip again--and less than 28 years from now.

Cabin in the Hills - Day 3

Note: I'm posting this after the fact, as internet in the area was inconsistent at best.

October 4 - South Bloomfield

We had a shorter trip today, in order to maximize time at the cabin. We drove over to Rock Cave--the only actual cave in the area. Lots of steps, and more people than I would expect on a Tuesday morning. But it was definitely worth it.

They were NOT kidding.

Then off to Laurelville for lunch, only to find the planned restaurant closed.  Across the street to a cafe--club and tenderloin sammiches. Mindy loves the latter, and they folded it in a unique way.

A local "orchard" turned out to be a garage with a collection of wasp nests.  We picked up a bag of apples anyway.

A lineup of kids (presumably from the school across the street) enjoying apple cider “slushies”.

We made the trip back for more ice cream, then off to the cabin.  Two more hot tub sessions, with burgers on the grill in between. Here's some more pics around the cabin.

We had a total of 9 sessions (three hours) in the tub over four days.

Cabin in the Hills - Day 2

Note: I'm posting this after the fact, as internet in the area was inconsistent at best.

October 4 - South Bloomfield

After checking out the weather report (it rained off and on), we decided to fit in a hike at Old Man's Cave.  But first a stop at the only coffee shop in the area.

Old Man's Cave was rather crowded for a Monday (damn you, homeschooling!), but very pretty.

BTW—many people ignored these rules.

Then down to Athens to check out the town, Ohio University (where’s all the drunk students I hear about?), and a fruitless run at a Roadside America listing ("Hitler's Urinal").

We found Miller's Chicken for a late lunch--they started by selling directly at a chicken farm--and it was quite good.

We had better luck with another Roadside America stop--the Pencil Sharpener Museum.  Small, but impressive.

After a stop for more provisions, and an ice cream shop with no less than 41 soft serve flavors, it was back to the cabin and more hot-tubbing (Hi, 50sTubbingCam.com). More tomorrow.

Cabin in the Hills - Day 1

Note: I'm posting this after the fact, as internet in the area was inconsistent at best.

October 3 - South Bloomfield, OH
Lat 39:22.08 Long 82:36.55

It's been quite a while since we've taken a trip not related to visiting family, and with our 28th anniversary just passed, it seems like a good time.  We came down to Hocking Hills for our honeymoon, and always planned to return--just never got around to it.  So...

Mindy found a cabin--Lazy Lane--and after a equally lazy tour of SE Ohio (we couldn't pick up the keys until 4p), including a stop at the Logan Dam…

…plus a trip through the set of Deliverance, there we were.  The outside wasn't all that impressive…

Green Acres, we are theeeerrree...

but the inside was, well, cozy.

It's a good thing we got there before dark, because the driveway up to the cabin was narrow and muddy.  The cabin owners stated it requires 4-wheel drive in the winter, and I believe them.

The best thing about the cabin (apart from opening time with my sweetie) is the hot tub.  We used it twice the first night. The owners have a rule (they have a lot of them) that users should get in the tub “au naturale”.  We're in the middle of the forest, so why not?  I just hope there's no webcam nearby...

We then consumed some of our provisions and crashed. Exploring begins tomorrow!

Beautiful Downtown Burbank - Day 6 and Wrapup

Due to all the various closures as society broke down, we moved up our departure date. Since we flew out of Long Beach, we first checked out the Queen Mary, a huge ocean liner from the golden days of cruising—long before they became petri dishes.

One of the many current ships out of service right now.

During WW2, the Queen Mary became a troop carrier, so they needed defenses.

The next several shots are from the engine room, which is MASSIVE.

This is a propellor…

…and this is the wrench used to tighten it.

Well, all good things must come to an end, so we hurried over to Long Beach Airport.

If an airport could be considered tranquil, this would be the one.

We were pretty lucky on the way back—got our own row both times, and could even lean back without guilt on the first leg.

Well, that’s it. Not quite the vacation we were planning (we’ll see you some day, Drew Carey), but a lot of fun nonetheless. Hope you enjoyed it too.

Well, off to self-isolate! #beautifuldowndownburbank

Beautiful Downtown Burbank - Day 5

With so much already closed down, we concentrated on “weird places” from Roadside America and Atlas Obscura for our final full day in “sunny” California.

The oldest Big Boy statue.

A short hike in Griffith Park took us to Bronson Canyon and its cave. This has been used in films and TV shows for generations.

The MST’d “Robot Monster” (1953).

The Batmobile rocketing out of the Batcave (1966).

Then, it was off to Griffith Observatory, also a well-used location for TV and movies. The Observatory was closed, but the exterior and its (soggy) views were open.

Next, we went to the HQ of Funko (the oversized head character toys). It’s both a store and a major stop for photo ops. We only went there because it was open, but I’m glad we did.

“Maclunkey.”

Then, we headed into downtown.

The Angel Flight Funicular is the world’s shortest railway, running all of 100 feet up and down a hill.

This is LA’s City Hall, which appeared on screen quite a bit, including doubling for the Daily Planet in the 50’s George Reeves Adventures of Superman series.

Here’s a giant chair (we seem to collect these) in the Fashion District.

Time for lunch at Canter’s Deli!

The waitress thanked us for coming in—the place was almost empty, which is NOT normal.

I got the Turkey Club with Avocado…

…and Mindy got the Monte Cristo.

Wo were planning to go to the Museum of Neon Art—but it was closed. So, after a stop at the hotel for a food coma nap, we drove over the Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Gardens for some famous final destinations.

Bea Benadaret played momma Kate Bradley on Petticoat Junction—and the voice of Betty Rubble.

Criswell predicted the future—and did the narration for Ed Wood’s epic “Plan 9 from Outer Space” (1959).

The final comic to join the Three Stooges.

One half of the legendary Laurel and Hardy duo, and master of the “slow burn”.

Well, we’re exhausted. Back to the hotel for packing and a quick snack. Tomorrow, we visit a queen and wing our way back to Ohio.

Beautiful Downtown Burbank - Day 4

With attractions being closed left and right, we had to improvise today. We were also bundled up, since it’s practically nippy here.

First off was the Santa Monica Pier.

The famous amusement park is much smaller than it looks on TV and in films (and of course it was closed).

Last May, during the #BayouWeddingTour, we reached the start of Route 66. Now, we’ve made it to the end (or the beginning, depending on your direction).

We went out to the pier to go on a bus tour of Malibu’s celebrity homes. Despite some confusion up front (we were told to come back a bit later, then a bit later again, before they would check us in), the tour itself was a lot of fun. Due to either the weather or the virus, we were the only ones on the tour.

The homes on the coast are small but VERY expensive—starting at $10M, with a 50 year wait to get one. Stars buy them and then visit once in a while. Names like Barbra, Leo, J Lo, Cher, Ellen, and the Friends cast were mentioned. Bill Murray rents his out for $100K a month. Here’s just a few, shot thru rainy windows.

Here’s the gate to Ellen’s new house.

A view from up the hill.

This house has AN OBSERVATORY.

After that, we headed over to an LA institution—Pink’s Hot Dogs.

Chili cheese dogs, onion rings, and guac.

Next stop - the La Brea Tar Pits.
I expected this to be more touristy, but it’s actually a research site and a museum.

This is one of actual “tar pits” - it’s actually asphalt.

These are crates of fossil material that were filled back in 2008. The researchers have been carefully working through the crates since then.

The next stop was a piece of comedy history—a long set of stairs between two streets. A Laurel and Hardy comedy called “The Music Box” had the boys trying to deliver a piano to a home at the top of the steps (of course, it turned out they could have just driven it up the other way).

Well, this is ANOTHER fine mess you’ve gotten us into!

Then it was off to the Echo Park Time Travel Mart—a storefront/art installation that seems unstuck in time. Proceeds from actual products go to a local art collective.

Right down the street is a site used by a certain TV show involving a 3 hour tour…

SKIPPERRRR!!!!

Finally, we returned to the hotel with a small snack from a Farmer’s Market..

THat’ll do it for tonight. Tomorrow, we go to several miscellaneous sites for our final full day.

#beautifuldowntownburbank

Beautiful Downtown Burbank - Day 3

Before we get into today, I did have a few more comments on Disneyland—

• After a rainy arrival the day before, and matching weather today, our Disney day was practically perfect. It was as if Walt was defrosted and willed it into being.

• The Disney app was surprisingly impressive. We could see line waits in real time throughput the park, avoiding a large hike to find out otherwise. Using mobile ordering, we walked up to restaurants, did a quick pickup, and sat down to enjoy.

• I didn’t mention the Smuggler’s Run ride in Galaxy’s Edge. Very cool simulator where you control the Millennium Falcon! We were both pilots, and I put us into hyperspace.

So, onto Day 3.

After a later start, we made it out to the Paramount Studios tour.

Sunny California!

Of course, we concentrated a lot on Star Trek.

This is one of the Star Trek stages, heavily used in the 80’s and 90’s for TV and films. Shatner supposedly has an office across the street.

We rode a golf cart around the studio, with the guide getting in and out to give quick speeches (who got very wet).

Each stage lists the famous TV shows and movies made there. (You couldn’t take photos of the interiors).

If this parking lot seems sunken, it is. They can fill it with water to simulate oceans, ponds, etc. Note the large wall to the left, painted like the sky.

Can you guess one of Paramount’s recent franchises?

These are some of Paramount’s Best Picture Oscars—all but one are duplicates made for the studios, with the other (for The Godfather) the real McCoy.

We went across the street to Lucy’s El Adobe Cafe for some great Mexican food. This has been a hangout for musicians and celebrities for decades (no, we didn’t see one).

Then we sloshed over to the TCL Theater (you know, the one with the famous handprints in cement) for a tour.

The ornate wall murals were painted by Keye Luke (who went onto play the old master on the TV series Kung Fu in the 70’s).

I knew Ladies’ Rooms were fancy! Celebrities like Jane Russell and Marilyn Munroe primped and preened there.

Yep, it’s a BIG screen.

This is the grand staircase you see when the stars go into the Dolby Theater (next the the TCL) for the Oscars. It’s also in a mall.

Back to the hotel for fine dining.

Well, that does it for tonight. Tomorrow, we’re going to Warner Bros stu—hold on, we’re getting an update.
Due to the Coronavirus, society is shutting down. That includes Warner Bros AND that game show where the pricing needs to be correct. As a result, we’re cutting things short on this trip.
Tomorrow, virus permitting, we’re going to the Sony Studio Tour and/or LaBrea Tarpits and/or The Hollywood Museum. Stay tuned!

Beautiful Downtown Burbank - Day 2

Well, this was a LOOOONG but very enjoyable day.

In order to get to Disneyland before the gates opened (more on that in a moment), we left the hotel at 6:30a for a one hour trip. It actually worked out okay, since it was too early for most of the traffic (Mindy was nice enough to drive).

We arrived to find a MASSIVE parking deck, which I assume you can see from space. We parked in the “Pixel Pals” deck, then took an escalator to a tram to the gates. We managed to get through security and inside the park just in time at 8a to activate our “boarding pass”.

A Panorama shot just inside the front gates, from later in the day.

What is this, you ask? Well, there’s a brand new ride called Rise of the Resistance in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and getting a boarding pass via your Disney app (which you can only do once you’re in the park) is the only way to get on that ride. You literally have a few minutes from gates opening in the park to getting that pass before they run out for the day. We and everyone else were frantically tapping on our phones, followed by screams as people got their passes. Amazingly, we got a pass too. We had to wait until 5p or so , but we got in.

Speaking of crowds—the Disneyland Crowd Calendar considered today to be “hey it’s alright”, one level from “ghost town”, but it seemed pretty busy to me. What Coronavirus?

Meanwhile, we saw Mary Poppins (who had her Julie Andrews impression down)…

Went to the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room (Mindy’s favorite)…

Went on Pirates of the Caribbean (which has now been fully Depp-ized)…

Saw Galaxy’s Edge…

Bought hats…

Went on a Submarine Voyage (now taken over by Finding Nemo, so just watch the movie at home through an aquarium for the same effect)…

Met my favorite Star Wars character…

(Timmy the Trash Can)

and a bunch of other rides, all while eating ourselves silly.

The Rise of the Resistance was by far our favorite. Without giving too much away, there are multiple sections and rides within it, and you really feel like you’re in the movie.

Well, that’s plenty—we’re exhausted, getting back to the hotel 15 hours later. Check FB and IG for videos, or you can just wait for an upcoming FTPCB episode. Tomorrow—studio tour(s?)!

#beautifuldowntownburbank