Flanked by the Saratoga Hills, Paramount Ranch is part of an ongoing history of filmmaking. The ranch includes a full western set with the requisite general store, saloon, and sheriff's office. Yet, the location has been used in leu of San Francisco, Salem, the Pacific Islands, the Amazon, Kenya, Vietnam, Morocco, Israel, and more. Parts of The Cisco Kid, American Sniper, Planet of the Apes, and even The Flintstones were shot here.
The Mar Vista Time Travel Mart stands apart from its neighboring stores along Venice Blvd. Perhaps it is the pacifist robot in the shop window. Perhaps it is the reassuring gold window dressing reminding you that "Whenever you are, we're already then." Perhaps it is the robot toupee and dinosaur eggs for sale. Regardless, it's the place to go to outfit your pre-adults with "future adult" t-shirts with the warm knowledge that profits from this time travel themed market go to support an educational program for local children.
We wing things. That's what we do. I've made a map of places we would like to go to and then base our routes on our final destination and what mapped points fall between our current location and destination. Exactly how our trip plays out each time is something we play by ear. In this case, we had ten days to travel to Oregon. Half way in, we discovered that we would be swinging by Arches National Park. Arches ranks as one of the most exciting National Parks that neither of us has ever visited. So, of course, we went.
Were you aware that the cinema classic, Cannibal: The Musical, like Fargo, is based on true events? Indeed, a quick trip to Grand Junction in Colorado Territory will reveal a schpadoinkle display on the ill fated journey of Alfred Packer.
The Holy Grail is in Grand Junction, Colorado. It sits in a plexiglass case case in the Museum of the West. At least, they thought it was the Holy Grail. In 1910 when the Chalice of Antioch was first discovered, it toured the world as the Holy Grail. It competed for attention at the 1933 Chicago World Fair. It took over thirty years before anyone noticed that the piece was from the 4th or 5th century. To add insult to injury, the spoil sports at the Walters Art Museum question whether the artifact even warrants the title of chalice as it is more likely an ornate lamp.
While driving through one of the most scenic highways in America (a stretch of highway 70 through White River National Forest) we discovered that we would be driving past Doc Holiday's Grave in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Apparently, he came to Glenwood Springs for treatment before succumbing to consumption. We had just come through Tombstone, AZ a few months before, so we considered this an appropriate stop. While the hike to the graveyard was only half a mile, the elevation had us huffing and puffing. But we were rewarded, not only with the monument to Doc Holiday, but a spectacular view.
Whoever told you to not throw your food was wrong. They denied you a chance to establish a very busy restaurant founded on thrown food. Well, at least thrown rolls.
Yes, we are back in St. Louis and this time, it's serious. We woke up at 5 am to arrive with enough time to explore the City Museum before it closed at 5PM. Oh, it was worth it.
There's a lot of vineyards for sale in Paso Robles. With those rolling hills and coastal breezes, I can think of few better places to park my retro van and just relax. Then again, it's not as if relaxation requires you to be a land owner. This is wine country, after all, and many a winery has a tasting room open for your education and delight. Of course, we focused on Zinfandels. There are vines in Paso Robles that survived prohibition and there are wineries that have continued the traditions of wine making in Paso Robles. We were fans.
Well, this is it, guys, the end of Route 66. Ignore that we only picked it up in Oklahoma City and missed everything to the north east. Ignore that we never attempted to spend more than the token amount of time driving the original route, rather than I-40. Ignore our frequent deviations from the route for one stop or another. Instead, bask with us in the sun of the clear crisp day that we walked down Santa Monica Pier to the Pacific Ocean and arbitrarily decided that this meant we had completed our journey.