Go West, Boomers! Day 3 / September 9, 2022 by Mark

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.

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

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

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

Go West, Boomers! Day 2 / September 8, 2022 by Mark

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 / September 7, 2022 by Mark

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.

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 / September 6, 2022 by Mark

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 / October 13, 2021 by Mark

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:

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.

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 / October 12, 2021 by Mark

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.

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 / October 11, 2021 by Mark

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.

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 / October 10, 2021 by Mark

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…

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 / March 16, 2020 by Mark

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.

…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 / March 14, 2020 by Mark

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.

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 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.

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.

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 / March 13, 2020 by Mark

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.

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…

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 / March 12, 2020 by Mark

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.

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.

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 / March 11, 2020 by Mark

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…

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

Beautiful Downtown Burbank - Day 1 / March 10, 2020 by Mark

Latitude 34.10, Longitude 118.23
North Hollywood, CA

We’ve made it to our hotel room after a day of flying from Columbus to Denver to Long Beach. If you’re wondering how the coronavirus has impacted air travel, it appears to be noticeable if not dramatic.

Here’s a shot from John Glenn Airport—but it was early.

We managed to get our own row on the plane, if only on the first leg of the trip. We’re re-formulating our seat picking strategy for the ride back.

Long Beach is a small airport—how small? Well, we left the plane going down outside stairs. I would have taken a shot of this, but Sunny California greeted us with a cloudburst.

The forecast shows some form of rain every day—let’s hope they are wrong.

We stopped at a Puerto Rican restaurant on the way called Mofongos for our first meal of the trip. I had a dish involving plantains, pork rinds, and pork shoulder, while Mindy had the chicken stew.

After checking in at the hotel, we had a little time left in the day, so we went over to the Television Academy—specifically the “Hall of Fame” gallery in front.

It was SO WET in Los Angeles today--HOW WET WAS IT???

The mostly-forgotten inventor of television as a technology. He was crushed by RCA and their attorneys.

OK, that’s plenty for one day. Tomorrow, we’re off to see the Mouse.
#beautifuldowntownburbank

Beautiful Downtown Burbank - Day 0 / March 9, 2020 by Mark

It’s time for another trip. Last year was not the best—we spent a lot of time helping out on family medical issues including my father-in-law’s death, and we never really took a vacation just for us.

In January, Mindy sprang the idea of a California trip, specifically the Los Angeles area. The centerpiece of the trip is seeing my favorite game show in person (you know, the one involving correct pricing), as well as Disneyland, studio tours, and general Hollywood tourism.

Looming over all of this is the Coronavirus. After consulting with my doctor (who said don’t change your life, and enjoy the trip), we’re going forward, making sure we’re taking the precautions we’ve been hearing over the last month. At this point, it looks like attractions will not be as crowded—a big plus for us. I’ve been doing a lot of research, and I suspect we will be very busy.

Tomorrow, we’re flying to Long Beach via Denver, then off to our hotel in #BeautifulDowntownBurbank. More to come.

Atlanta to the Coast - Addendum / November 8, 2019 by Mark

One place we didn’t make it to on the trip was Ashville, OH. We had planned to stop there, but the site would have been closed by the time we arrived.

I had read about the world’s oldest working traffic light several years ago, and our tour took us very close to it. It wasn’t until Mindy did some research that we determined it was only 25 minutes from our house!

So, we just completed a quick trip down to check it out, at Ohio’s Small Town Museum in Ashville. The manager took us on a guided tour of the place, and had a lot of interesting info. Here’s the traffic light in question. It was originally installed in 1932, and was taken down for maintenance in the 80’s. Unfortunately, the state wouldn’t let them put it back in operation, since the colorblind couldn’t use it.

More interesting exhibits there…

A flag from around the time Ohio became the 17tth state.

Roy Rogers worked in the town at the local cannery. He got fired for always singing on the job…

A local theater (in the same spot as the museum), which died with the talkies.

All in all, a worthwhile jaunt to see the light and the other exhibits. That’s all, folks!

Atlanta to the Coast - Day 8 / October 29, 2019 by Mark

Our last day began with a trip through the misty mountains (which took longer than planned due to a GPS set to “no tolls”)…

…before making it to Charleston, WV and Mexican food at Plaza Maya.

This was just down the street from our fourth state house of the trip, and by far the largest. It’s a U-shaped building with the senate and house of delegates at each end. So I’m guessing employees get their 10K steps in without a problem.

Next to the prerequisite veterans’ statues is one celebrating women vets. Mindy noted that the names of those responsible for getting it in place were all men…

The rotunda is under reconstruction, so we couldn’t see a lot inside.

Our final stop on the road trip was a strange mini-museum dedicated to Big Boy restaurants. Apparently, one of the original drive-ins was located here. Now it’s in a parking lot.

Then we pointed the car toward home.

The whole trip ran just over 2000 miles over 8 days, and we are happy to be home. I’ll be posting a video covering the whole trip next week under the “From the Pop Culture Bunker” banner on SFPPN. Thanks for following us!

Atlanta to the Coast - Day 7 / October 28, 2019 by Mark

Our penultimate tour day began with a cameo by RBG.

Then we were off to our third state house of the trip, and by far our smallest one. The Raleigh capitol is roughly the size of many county courthouses.

We did have a bit of excitement there—someone was filming a production onsite. we saw extras standing in place, waiting to walk through the background.

Across the street was the North Carolina Museum of History—compact but well laid out (and free). It included 2 exhibits tailor-made for us: quilts and classic toys.

On the road to Roanoke, we came upon Shangri-La, a tiny town built in the front yard of it’s creator (who passed away decades ago).

A quick lunch at Gina’s Family Restaurant - a burger and a fish sammich.

We made it to the Roanoke hotel, took a nap, then went down into town. We started with a NY slice.

Did you know Roanoke has a hipster district?

We had read about a giant star up on a mountain, so we drove up a spooky road to find it.

We finished things up with a post-star snack at Blue Cow Ice Cream.

That will do it for today. I just spent 90 minutes getting these loaded up (thanks slow hotel internet!) Tomorrow, a final statehouse, and then home.

Atlanta to the Coast - Day 6 / October 27, 2019 by Mark

An abbreviated post today, as we spent most of the day visiting with friends and family in NC.

After breakfast with an old college friend and his wife, we drove into Raleigh and hit a couple “big things”. First, we dropped by the Daily Planet…

…and then “Big Acorn”, which is “dropped” every New Year’s Eve in Raleigh to celebrate ala Times Square.

The rest of the day was spent with our niece and her family—a lot of fun! Thanks, guys.

Back to the regular schedule tomorrow—another statehouse, then onto Virginia.

Atlanta to the Coast - Day 5 / October 26, 2019 by Mark

After a night in a very comfortable room (thanks hotel points!), we kicked things off at the Edgar Allen Poe branch library at Sullivan's Island. Built originally as a military bunker with 2 feet thick walls and iron doors. Poe was stationed there, hence the name. Inside, a regular library.

This goes under the category of—what the???

One of many bridges we crossed today—there’s a lot of islands here.

Our first major stop—the Charleston Tea Company. It’s the only place in the US where tea is grown and processed (they make tea for Bigelow and Sam’s Club, among others). Here’s shots of the processing center. It takes less than 24 hours from field to tea bags.