Our last evening in Santee, we had the pleasure of catching a rainbow. Good sign for us:) The next day we traveled on to Hesparia, for a brief one night stopover before heading on to Lone Pine. There was a bit of weather-watching going on during our travel days, due to high wind warnings. That is not good when you are driving a high-profile vehicle or towing something....check and check. Yikes! We were prepared to wait it out in Hesparia, but after studying the weather forecasts and keeping our fingers crossed that they were accurate, we headed up 395. Ugh....then we saw it....the blinking highway sign that said "High Wind Warning-Not recommended for campers or trailers". What to do?We had no where to stop, and we knew the alert was until Saturday at 5PM (it was only Thurs morning!), so we continued on about another 30 miles to our campground. Yes it was windy, with some strong wind gusts-a white knuckle ride (for me)!! Tom did great!
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| that's good luck! |
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| heading back "home", enjoying the sun-setting sky |
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| burgers for dinner - our overnight stay in Hesparia |
We were happy to arrive in Lone Pine on Thursday, which is gorgeous. The views from the campground, or anywhere on 395 for that matter, are so beautiful, with the Alabama Hills in the foreground and the snow-peaked Sierra Nevada Mountains behind them. On the other side of the street are the Inyo Mountains (?), which looked painted-pink, tan and brown. Very nice.
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| made it to Lone Pine!! |
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| a beautiful site! |
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| mountains to the right |
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| Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Alabama Hills to the left |
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| the view for my morning walks |
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| the other way-pretty nice neighborhood here! |
Our first stop, as always, was the Visitor's Center, so we could gather important info on hiking trails and safety (of course) for our time here. Some of the roads are still closed due to snow, but it is getting pretty warm so we will see how it goes. By the way, the Visitor's Center had a wealth of information on the whole Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountain area, up to Yosemite and beyond.
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| the Visitor Center |
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| our first stop after setting up camp at our new location...the Visitor Center! |
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| the scenery is spectacular |
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| view from the Visitor Center (or anywhere along 395!) |
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| its still pretty windy...glad we arrived safely:) |
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| the dry Owens Lake (the water was piped into Los Angeles, now its a dry lake and the cause of the biggest particulate air pollution in the country) |
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| relaxing after a rough drive |
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| can you see the dust, and even some dust swirls in the back there at Owens Lake...yikes |
Friday we were in the worst of this high wind alert, with winds 25-35 mph, gusting to 50. So glad we weren't traveling in the RV! Since it was sort of unpleasant being outside with all the dust blowing, we headed to the Museum of Western Film History, which was about 5 minutes away.
What a fun museum! A short 15-minute film goes through the history of the mostly "westerns" that were filmed in the Alabama Hills, the perfect backdrop for westerns....what with the Sierra Nevadas in the background. The Alabama Hills are just 2-4 hours from Los Angeles, so the folks in Hollywood considered this a prime location for filming. Starting in the early 1910's with silent "westerns", and on to "B" westerns and more, film crews spent a lot of time in Lone Pine. Some of the "stars" spent years here. Ultimately the big westerns were filmed here, with the likes of John Wayne, Roy Rogers and others spending lots of time here in Lone Pine. They say the Alabama Hills look more like India than India does, therefore it was the perfect location for the film Gunga Din!
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| The Western Film History Museum in Lone Pine |
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| Check out the view - oh and the mural....we've noticed a few murals in this town! |
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| Director's Chair...That would be Quentin's |
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| lots of old western memorabilia |
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| famous cowboys |
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| The Lone Ranger!! |
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| nicely displayed memorabilia in separate little alcoves |
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| and of course stage coaches |
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| I worked at Roy Rogers (Restaurant) when I was in high school! Haha! |
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| Roy Rogers exhibit |
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| interesting displays everywhere |
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| I'm fascinated with stagecoaches...now that I see what the land is really like....wow! |
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| nice quilt....they show up in the darnedest places, don't they? (this was the movie theater at the museum) |
Westerns lost popularity over the years, but...other films that needed other-worldly settings were filmed here...such as Tremors, some Star Trek movies, Ironman and more. We really had fun at this museum, and if westerns are in your repertoire, this is the place for you!
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| Ironman |
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| the suit is a little beat up! |
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| those are the Alabama Hills in front of the snow-capped Sierra Nevadas |
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| Star Wars....Alabama Hills filming location |
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| a favorite....Star Trek |
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| Some of the props from Tremors, filmed here in Lone Pine |
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| More films shot in the Alabama Hills |
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| I think this was the biggest film shot here |
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| more memorabilia |
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| a fun little museum |
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| can you imagine lugging all this equipment into the "hills"? |
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| this was filmed in 2011 - Django Unchained |
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| the stars...chillin' at the Film Museum! |
Later in our stay here, when the winds slow down, we will explore some of these film locations in the Alabama Hills along Movie Road. Bet you can't wait:)
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