Mt. Starr (The Climb)

(GPS: N37 25.615 W118 45.160)

Part of my strategy this last year was to hit a few lesser known mountains. It was to get away from the idea that I see stated once in a while that Whitney and Half-Dome are the whole Sierra. Some of these hikes that are "easier" are just as much fun and you get great views on them. Mt. Starr may not be the most beautiful looking piece of matter out there, but it was a good one to do.

I knew the easiest route was supposed to be to hike to Mono Pass and then start climbing up the "backside." There are a bunch of mountains like this where some of the easy routes are just going around the back and climbing. So, off I went up the sandy scree and granite rocks.
Going up sandy scree isn't always fun. A case of one step up two steps back at times. There was a use trail I tried to follow. There came a point it seemed to end. I then tried to climb up the areas that were more rock than scree.
I took a look over and finally saw the Summit Lake. I knew you could continue to the lake from Mono Pass, but I decided I would visit the lake when I came down assuming I was still motivated to do so.
Up higher and higher. I took a bunch of breaks at times. I have this thing where I pick a goal of some object in the distance and then I go to it. It kind of helps me determine how long I will take and distance to the top.

Everything I had read stated the hike was nothing more than class 2, but there came a point near the end where I just wanted to get to the end so I ended up doing a few class 3/4 moves. I was glad the rocks I held were able to hold my weight. ;)

I finally got to the end of my hike and was glad I did so. I must admit it was a little tougher than I had in mind. I looked back down at the pass. I could barely see the "no fires" sign.

In the next blog I will show you how it looks all around from where I ended. You can get a preview from the video below. Technically, I did not reach the absolute summit. I will explain why in the next video, why it wasn't a big deal to me at the time, and then looking back I would have done it had I known how the rest of my hiking time was going to be last summer. ;)

The Climb Up Mt. Starr (Youtube Version)

The Climb Up Mt. Starr (Vimeo Version)

Mono Pass (THE Pass)

(GPS: N37 25.545 W118 46.340)

Before I get into this one let me just say that I got hit hard with the sickness during the past few days. I started to feel it about the time I put up the last blog, but then it really hit me hard after that. I have not had much sleep the last few nights, but I think my body is in recovery mode. I do not feel bad now, but I am fatigued. I had something about two months ago, but that was more of a sore throat with congestion. I thought I would be invincible for another year, but I guessed wrong. In any case, I am a little behind on putting up the next few blogs and some of you have sent e-mail I have not responded to yet. Give me another day or two and I should catch up. Hopefully, anything I write about will not sound as delusional as I have felt in the past few days.

In the last blog I was really getting close to the pass. When I finally reached the end I turned around and looked back.

Then I looked on my right side to all the granite rocks. I think people that enjoy the Mt. Whitney Trail would like this hike because it is that same type of situation with this type of rock on your side.
This is what I was happy to see. This was the very end to the pass. When I got there the icy snow was not as issue, but I had seen pictures someone had taken from a month earlier when the area was covered with snow.
So, what did I have to reward me on my quest to get to the pass? All you get is a sign that greets you by saying something about no campfires above 10,000 ft. I looked back to where I just come from.
The interesting thing about this pass is it feels like being on a beach with mountains right next to you. Of course, one can continue on the trail. I will come back to that in another few blog entries.
However, the main reason I came here was I wanted a nice mountain climb to get me in the mood for further mountain hikes I would do. Of course, if you have followed this blog since last September you would know that did not work out very well due to the Yosemite fire which really messed things up. In the next few blog entries I will show my climb up Mt. Starr.

For the final time, the video of the hike to Mono Pass:

Mono Pass (Little Lakes Valley) Hike (Youtube Version)

Mono Pass (Little Lakes Valley Hike (Vimeo Version)

Mono Pass (The Final Ascent to the Pass)

This is the second part of what I started in the previous blog entry. At this point I was encountering the "moon crater" look to the mountain side. No more trees or streams at this point. Just sandy scree and granite rocks. I was glad to be at this point, but knew there would definately be more trail until I got to the pass.
These huge rocks were right above. It was kind of like, "I hope nothing changes at this moment, or I will be the nail that gets hit by a huge hammer."
I went further then took a look back. There appears to be something that was a small lake or is a lake for some of the year down below.
Then on my left side I saw the moon just above the ridgeline.
In the next blog I will show the pass itself. I am going to post the same video from last entry which cover the whole hike:

Mono Pass (Little Lakes Valley) Hike (Youtube Version)

Mono Pass (Little Lakes Valley Hike (Vimeo Version)

Mono Pass (Little Lakes Valley from Mosquito Flat Trailhead)

(GPS: N37° 26.110 W118° 44.830)

Okay, it is time to get rolling on another hike. There will be a series of blog entries to get this one done. I really had to narrow down a lot of pictures, which was difficult, but this should do the job. The video is listed at the bottom and should cover the next few blog entries.

Let me start by mentioning the name of this hike is kind of confusing. If you go back a few months you may remember I already did "Mono Pass" in Yosemite. For quite some time if I had heard someone say "Mono Pass" that is what I would think they were talking about. There are two different and completely separate Mono Passes. This one I am going to talk about is south of the one in Yosemite outside of Tom's Place off the HWY 395. Some months back I was reading something online where the events took place at this Mono Pass, but the pictures were at the one in Yosemite. Alright, I hope that makes sense, let's go...

I was up early enough in the morning to get to the trailhead without hassle. The Mosquito Flat Trailhead (10,000+ elevation) is the highest one you can get to by car in the Eastern Sierra. It is a popular beginner introduction to the Sierra for this reason. I had heard about the final mile to the trailhead and was sort of nervous about what I would expect. Although it is paved it it is a one lane road where you have to watch out for oncoming cars. I did not have to pull out into any of the turnouts since I did not encounter anyone coming out. It really was not a big deal, but I wanted to get hiking and not worry about car issues. I have a real issue about worrying about my transportation when I do these hikes. Sometimes getting to the trailhead is more work than the hike itself.

Not too far outside of the trailhead the obligatory stream shot took place.
Not too much further I was into the John Muir Wilderness. Then, I started getting more elevation. In the next picture, Mt. Morgan is on the left and a bunch of the little lakes below. Most of the families I encountered on the way back were heading to those lakes. Someday, when I go back, I will probably take that trail below which is easier (unless you go really deep into the canyon) that tours most of the lakes below.
Rock Creek Canyon is very beautiful. There are lots of high mountains surrounding the area. Here is a pond I passed by.
The trail goes up higher and higher up switchbacks. The whole hike reminds me of a massive upside down U-turn. I continued up going to my right most of the time. Less and less trees, and more and more granite rock.
Earlier, I encountered a trail split. To the left would take me to Ruby Lake where I met some while coming down telling me they were going to camp there. I only saw this Lake from above. I show a little more of this in the video.
I finally made the turn that would take me to Mono Pass.

Much more work would be needed to get back there, but once I cleared this corner I would be able to see the final ascent to the pass.

Mono Pass (Little Lakes Valley) Hike (Youtube Version)

Mono Pass (Little Lakes Valley Hike (Vimeo Version)

Revised Videos, Revised Blog

First, I added a new video for an old blog I did. I will link the video and then the blog:

Rawhide Burial Site (Youtube Version)

Rawhide Burial Site (Vimeo Version)

Rawhide Burial Site (Blog Entry)

As I have been saying I would do, I am doing revised versions of some old videos in HD, but also making changes on the old blogs that were related to them. I do not really want to make new blogs for the old locations. So, I am just going to go back and insert links into the old blogs.

When you read the description of this blog at the top it notes this blog is a "work in progress." This is what I have always meant by that. Sometimes I may go back and make changes in some of the wording in the blogs, take care of typos, or insert new pictures or videos. There is not any intention of pulling tricks by doing this, but if there is some dramatic change I think needs to be noted in the revision I will mention it. There have been instances where I say I would do something in a blog and never followed up. Usually, I have not forgotten about it, but just am a little slow (lazy!) to do the changes.

I have added a new search function on the right side. You can search any topic I have done in the blog. It is much better than using the search function at the top of the blog on the left side.

RIP Pernell Roberts. It was a sad coincidence that I was editing the above video last weekend and found out he died earlier in the week. He was well known for his work in Bonanza and Trapper John M.D. It is nice to know that his character's morbid prediction in Ride Lonesome, that was shown in the above video, did not come true. He was one of the few that had a character that challenged Randolph Scott in the Boetticher cycle of westerns that ending up living as the movie ended.

Finally, I thought this month was rather successful in starting the new year with five movie location videos. I will get back to those soon, but I want to show another hike I did from last summer to start off my blogs for February.

Audie Murphy Just Misses Natalie Wood Location (The Alabama Hills Series)

(GPS: N36 36.510 W118 07.925)

Alright, I have a lot to write about here, so let me first start by mentioning that I put up a new short video for a blog I did about Iverson Ranch last year.

Stagecoach at Iverson Ranch Location (Youtube Version)

Stagecoach at Iverson Ranch Location (Vimeo Version)

It has been raining really hard where I live for the past few days. It turns out the location I am about to show has been getting snow! I had been thinking of visiting this area this weekend, but decided against it about a month ago. I am kind of glad it worked out this way since I like snow, but making the trip and trying to do what I normally do might not be as much fun. In any case, the good news in the is the water is needed compared to the dryness we have had. Hopefully, mudslides and flooding do not do much damage to the areas that are getting them. So, since I am somewhat stuck indoors right now I thought I would get going on another blog. The videos:

Audie Murphy Just Misses Natalie Wood Location (Youtube Version)

Audie Murphy Just Misses Natalie Wood Location (Vimeo Version)

Audie Murphy and his posse head into "Box Canyon" searching for the baddies. They get this view into "Box Canyon":

Here is my picture a little further away and a little different angle than the above. The rocks on the right in both pictures are the ones to compare.
They see that baddies have already left so the posse stops here and turns around. It would have been kind of cool if they had a gunfight in there, but oh well.
The rocks in the picture below on the left side are the same as the ones above, but the angle is not quite right because...
I was trying to get this shot of Natalie Wood sitting on those rocks.
The Great Race had a scene done right here as well.
I am not going to try to explain what was going on here...watch the movie if you care.
So, my title was a bit misleading, but maybe not. Audie would have had to hang out here for another 3-4 years to encounter Natalie Wood. Although I think if her character showed up in Posse From Hell it would have really messed up the story. ;)

R.I.P. Charles Marlow (Marlow Brothers Saga)

(GPS: N34 07.340 W118 14.850)

Charles Marlow on the left and George Marlow on the right:

For some years I have debated putting this one up. As I have explained in the past, I do visit some cemeteries, but I do not make a habit of it or enjoy it as much as some of the other things you see posted on here. When it comes to actors graves I know of a few, but I enjoy visiting where they did their acting as a tribute rather than a gravesite. Historical persons are a little different story. In many cases, a gravesite may be all that is left of what is known about them. This one is a little more personal to me in that I did the work of trying to find where the gravesite was. It was not up on Find a Grave at the time I was looking, and I do not believe it is up there now as I put this up. (Edit 12/30/2010): Interesting coincidence a month later it was put up. Not surprised. lol!)

Part of the reason I held off on it too is I would like to visit the locations of the events that the saga of the Marlow brothers took place. I can not say when that will be, but I do intend to do it someday. Let me give you a little background on why I am going to go ahead and put this one up. One element of Old West history I have studied is blood feuds, vendetta's, and mob violence. I am not a big fan of the mob mentallity. I do not like it when people gang up on a person, or a few, no matter what they have done. I have seen it in my everyday life at times, but I also have seen it online as well. It just comes across very cowardly to me. This is why I like reading about stories of great courage where the few stand up to or fight back the mob. This is one of those cases.

Today marks the anniversary of the Battle at Dry Creek on January 19, 1889 I will talk about.

The gravesite of Charles Marlow:

In the future, if I ever do what I intend to do about visiting the sites in Oklahoma and Texas I will do a longer blog series, but just for this I am going to hit a few highlights of the story. You can refer to the links or read the books to get the details.

Although Marlow, Oklahoma is named for the family, and is where they lived at times, the story really takes place in Graham, Texas. The five brothers, Boone, Charles, Alfred, Llewellyn, and George were thought by the community to be horse rustlers. Sheriff Wallace and his deputy were sent to make an arrest. Boone ended up fatally wounding the Sheriff. Boone escaped to Oklahoma after this, but the rest of the brothers gave themselves up.

With the death of the sheriff, the town rose up and started talking about taking the law into their own hands. The brothers started to fear for their lives so they escaped the town jail, but were captured right near their family home. Before they were sent to the jail a second time, they were chained and schackled together in pairs: Charles and Alfred, George and Ellie.

On the night of January 17th, 1889 a mob showed up at the jail demanding the brothers. The brothers would not come out. One of the mob members ran in and was hit over the head by Charles. No one knows who the member of the mob was, but as a coincidence a Robert Hill died a few days later due to "inflammation of the brain." More than likely, Charles slammed part of the jail cell's sewer pipe over Robert's head. The mob reluctantly left.

With the act of the mob, the U.S. Marshall in Dallas, Texas informed his deputy Ed Johnson to move the Marlow brothers to Weatherford, sixty miles away. On the night of January 19, 1889 they moved out in wagons with a few guards. A few miles from town an ambush was set up by a bigger mob, probably around 25-30 men, to kill the brothers by force at Dry Creek. The brothers jumped out, still attached to each other, got some weapons from where they were located in their small transport. It is a bit disputed what the guards were actually doing, it is unlikely that Ed Johnson was supported the mob, but in any case, the Battle of Dry Creek began. Alfred and Ellie were killed during the action. Many members of the mob were either killed or severly wounded by the brothers. It is reported the battle went on for around 30 minutes. Charles and George survived. They disconnected themselves from their dead brothers. Meanwhile, in Oklahoma, Boone was eventually given poison in his food resulting in his death from those that were seeking the bounty on him.

Charles and George eventually ended up in Colorado. Court cases did happen, members of the mob were convicted, but due to appeals all the way to the Supreme Court none of the members ever served penitentiary time for conspiracy.

Okay, so how did Charles Marlow finally end up in California? Well, there is nothing too dramatic about this. He lived his life in Colorado and simply moved to Glendale, CA. Here, he lived out the rest of his life. After reading the story about his life many years ago, I went on a trek to find his grave plaque. He and his wife, Emma Jane, are buried right next to each other at Forest Lawn Glendale. I really have no intention of letting this happen, but if for some reason I ever had to fight off a mob it would be right here at Sunrise Slope with Charles at my back. They wouldn't stand a chance.
A bunch of books have been written about the family and the events. Let me list the two I own and a few links:

Rathmell, Willam. Life of the Marlows: A True Story of Frontier Life of Early Days. Edited, with Introduction and Annotations by Robert K. DeArment. Denver, University of North Texas Press, 2004.

The Rathmell account is the main source of our knowledge about the family and events. He interviewed Charles and George so his account is their point of view. However, you really want the DeArment version because he balances it out the author's bias with the opposing point of view when needed in his annotations.

Sonnichsen, C.L. I'll Die Before I Run. New York: Devin-Adair, 1962.

I like the Sonnichsen book because it has lots of Texas blood feuds and does contain a chapter of this saga.

Marlow Brothers blog at BlogOklahoma

Wildcatter Ranch Website (with a few picture locations)

The Original Newspaper Article after the Battle of Dry Creek (transcribed)

A final note, if you have seen The Sons of Katie Elder with John Wayne you now know the basis of that movie. Sort of, the family story was the basis of the movie, but the only thing left that resembles it is the big gunfight at the creek in the movie. The rest of the movie has nothing to do with the family.

"Bones" at Corriganville!?!? (Corriganville Series)

Sometimes things happen in life and the coincidences make me think someone is messing with my mind. I had this happen once before on this blog when I just had finished putting up an Audie Murphy location only to see the same area used on a trailer for Iron Man. This one was just as odd and when stuff like this happens it makes me feel a little crazy.

Yesterday, I just finished putting together the final parts of the blog which went up last night. While moving back in forth through different rooms I saw "Bones" was on. Honestly, I don't watch this show, but I don't watch much TV anyways. Then, in a split second I looked at the screen and said, "What the?!" I was assured it was supposed to be New Mexico. I said, "Ugh, I must be going crazy because I see Corriganville." The problem was they were focused in on the actors faces and not giving much to see in the background. I then saw this:
Okay, beyond any doubt they were at Corriganville in what is known as Fort Apache. My picture:

After watching the beginning of the episode it was more obvious:

My picture very close by where you can line up some of the rocks.

I will be showing more of the Fort Apache location in the near future. I just wanted to show that Corriganville is still used even to this day. I may try to figure out some more of this episode at a later time to find out just where the "alien body" was at...I have idea.

I updated this with a new blog in October, 2011: Alien Murder at Corriganville?!?!?

Right Angle Gunfights Location (Corriganville Series)

(GPS: N34° 15. 835 W118° 39.285)

It is time to open up another series that should show up on here from time to time. This is another area that was a long time in coming. I have been to Corriganville many times in recent years, but I have never put anything on the blog about it. Much like Iverson Ranch, which is just a few miles right next to Corriganville, it was close enough to Hollywood to be used, re-used, and used in tons of westerns. Let me show my video then explain:

Right Angle Gunfights Location (Youtube Version)

Right Angle Gunfights Location (Vimeo Version)

When I first started going to Corriganville I always came away unimpressed. This was part of the reason I was not too enthusiastic about sharing pictures of what I had found here. Not much is left of the park which was used for filming movies, but also a public tourist attraction for live western shows. It was only in a few recent visits that I really started to take a liking to the place. I will explain more on this when I come back to this series in later blogs.

In this blog, I wanted to focus on what they used to refer to as Silvertown. It was the town set that has been used to play Dodge City, Tombstone, Lone Ranger towns, etc. I know there is so much I could use for this location, but I picked a Have Gun, Will Travel episode called "The Protege" as my example of what they did here.

I did a cheap narrative with some video clips in the video so I am going to skip that and just hit a few highlights. Paladin and the Protege ride into town by the tree in the background.
There is a rock formation in the background that I like to think of as the side face of a gorilla. I did not match up the picture with the one above because that high bushy tree is so big it covers the rock formation. I am much further back and to the left of the above.
Further back this time. You can now match up the background with the episode picture. The set pieces/buildings would have been on the sides.

Here is what I was after. From the above I made about a 100° left turn. The key is trying to find that rock that looks like a line dividing it in two.
This is pretty close. I took a few more steps to the right because the tree was blocking the way of the line in the rock. If you compare pictures you should be able to match up the rocks. The concrete appears to be the foundation to what is the saloon in the episode. Ironically, as I stated in the video, the name of the saloon in the episode was "The Right Angle Saloon" and I was trying to get the right angle here.
You can watch the video for this, but there are two gunfights that take place here. The one below is the one the protege does. Then Paladin has the final gunfight at the end of the episode here in the exact same location.
This is really close, but I can't say for certain. The entrance to the saloon would have been near the concrete for sure.
Give yourself bonus points if you saw the water tank in the video.

The Gunga Din Bridge Location (The Alabama Hills Series)

(GPS: N36° 36.650 W118° 07.710)

The above gps coordinates are close. For some reason the coordinates I took and wrote down were way off. I was trying to verify them on Google Earth and noticed something was not right. I have had a few situations in the past where the coordinates I took were not good. There are a few factors in why that can happen, but with Google Earth I can usually verify and give some alternative coordinates. The above should get one there.

I will list the video links at the bottom. This one is easy to find. If you know about The Tall T location I have talked about in the past then this is just right behind it. It is well known, and it is one of the locations that they take you on during one of the tours of the Lone Pine Film Festival.

In the movie, Gunga Din (1939), Carey Grant and Sam Jaffe cross this bridge. Wow! Look at that chasm! The bridge looks broken down and starts to fall apart as Carey walks over it. As they are trying to figure out if they want to cross the elephant "encourages" them to continue to the otherside by stepping on the bridge and tugging on the rope. They cross to the other side.

Surprise, here is our bridge. Yeah, not so dramatic. At the very most, they would have fallen 6-10 feet to the ground.

The movie picture below is done on the left rock formation above.
The videos below do a good job showing that much of the concrete remains can be seen on the rocks. Here is some of them when I walked around them.
Here is where they are getting the "encouragement" to cross.
A couple of things I should point out here. The obvious thing is the concrete at the very bottom of the picture below. That is part of the bridge. The bridge would go out across to the rock formation you see on the other side. However, the rock formation you see behind it and just to the right is what you see in the movie picture above. You can kind of match up the towering rock formation on the left way in the background.
One thing on the videos is I did a slight variation on this one. This was partly experimental to see how I want to do things in the future. The youtube one has a different introduction with pictures and the vimeo one has part of the scene. This is just an experment on my part and not something I intend to do with every video.

The Gunga Din Bridge (Youtube Version)

The Gunga Din Bridge (Vimeo)

Silent Light, Holy Light

Well, it has been a year since the death of my father. I wanted to dedicate this slight timelapse video to him.



My dad was the one who really loved and shared the Sierra with me. Without his enthusiasm I probably would not be doing this blog today. He loved fishing the lakes the most. He was not much of a hiker, although he would take me on short outings from time to time to some lake. In the last few years of his life he really enjoyed the movie location pictures I did of that area.

Admittedly, last year was not much fun for me doing this stuff. I had to force myself to continue doing each blog. The motivation was not there, and the one I enjoyed sharing my stuff with was not around anymore. In fact, I stopped watching and studying movies. I spent a lot more of my free time reading than anything else.

Getting the new HD video camera kind of helped. Whether I ever get the real "kick" back into me like I once had I do not know. I do have lots of stuff to show over this year. Of course, there are always places to go near and far to talk about. Some places are easy to get to while some are hard. Some cost a tank of gas and others cost a lot more. Of course, some of the real far away ones I have yet to get to.

In any case, for the next few weeks I want to work on showing some new movie locations. I will mix in some old ones and hikes in the next few months.

Reboot 2010

This is sort of my “State of the Blog” address for the year.

I have to admit I am glad 2009 is over with. I started out the year with the death in the family. With all the trauma and emotion that went along with that I really had a hard time motivating myself to continue doing this. Some of that I am not sure will ever go away, but it has gotten a bit better. I will mention a little more of this in my next blog.

I just put up the “final video” in the old you tube channel to notify the subscribers on there that I have the two other channels now. The people that read this blog already knew this, but the people that are exclusively into videos probably did not know unless they were actively looking into the channel.

What I emphasized there is that I am doing somewhat of a “reboot” this year. I am going to start putting up HD versions of some of the old locations I have been to. A lot of the old videos were good for the time, but most of them could use the improvements HD will give them. There will be a bunch of new areas too that will show up on here.

I intend to continue visiting public areas I can give GPS coordinates or a street address to let you know where it is at. The GPS coordinates are to get you close to the area, but you have to know what you are looking for or you will not find what I have shown. Also, most of the time on here I do not give out locations for areas that are privately owned. There are a few exceptions to this, but if a place is private property or behind private gated communities they will not show up here. I do hope in any area that I show, that if you or others decide to visit, that you treat these areas with proper respect. One of the frustrating things I experience is going to some of my favorite areas and seeing a bunch of trash or graffiti. While in my lifetime I have always seen trash , graffiti, etc. it seems like I see more and more each year. Some areas I expect it, but in others I shake my head wondering why. Part of it seems the population just keeps getting bigger, but I tend to think the same type of appreciation or understanding of the outdoors is not out there.

Finally, as I have stated on here a few times in the past, the nature of my blog, pictures, and videos is not really so much about ME. While you will find out what I am thinking from time to time and what is going on in my life that is not the primary purpose of this. The emphasis is on what is out there in the world. What frustrates me on some of the forums I read to keep up with in regards to factual information I need there is always a few that feel they have to take over the forum with their personal messages. On one of the hiking forums I visit it gets really crazy with this. Sometimes I ask myself, “Are you really excited about the mountain you climbed, or is this just an excuse to post a picture of yourself?” When the narcissistic personality disorders compete against each other it gets even worse. While I do not think one can totally get rid of one’s ego when doing this, I do hope when people come here they can catch a glimpse of the real beauty out there in the world.

I wish you well in 2010.

The Heavenly Silent Tioga Pass

Merry Christmas!

For today, I wanted to put this video of my drive up Tioga Pass during the summer. Tioga Pass leads one into the eastern side of Yosemite. One must drive up about 3,000 ft. to get to the elelvation of a little less than 10,000. I have memories of my dad driving me up and down this road as a kid. Sometimes it would scare me looking off the side of the road and seeing this big drop off below. I was always worried about the car having a problem and going off the side.

While driving up the pass by itself is usually fun on a sunny day, the conditions on the day I did this were rather "heavenly." I was not sure what I wanted to call this video...the road to heaven...the presence of God...entering the clouds...Tioga Pass. In any case, I sped up the video a bit so everyone looks like they are driving a little faster than people normally do.

Some other time I will talk more about Tioga Pass, but I think you will like this video:

The Heavenly Silent Tioga Pass (Youtube Version)

The Heavenly Silent Tioga Pass (Vimeo Version)

And while I am thinking about it, being Christmas and all, if you are in the mood you can relive last years Christmas series HERE.

A few thoughts on "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"

A few weeks ago I was in church singing this song. Although I am sure a lot of people out there know the story behind it, but I thought it would be appropriate to show the poem the carol is based on and mention a bit of the background to it:

Christmas Bells

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) penned this poem on December 25th, 1864. He had experienced tragedy with his first wife dying after a miscarriage, then his second wife died a few years before this poem was written after her dress caught on fire, finally, his son Charles had some close runs with death during the America Civil War. He had been shot once in the back near his spine, but fortunately not close enough for him to be paralyzed.

Longfellow came up with this poem during the Christmas season with the American Civil War going on. When reading the poem one can see why a bloody war going on while the carols sung during the Christmas season about "peace on earth and good will towards men" makes a mockery of the season.

While the Christmas season can be a happy one it can be quite painful for many. Be it the wars in the world, economic times, sad memories of the past during the holiday season, loneliness, or the realization that todays expensive gifts are tomorrows junk at garage sales to name a few that cause one to question what the season is all about. While I am not sure the "peace on earth and good will" slogan commonly heard is what the passage in Luke 2:14 is really saying, I think Longfellow's rediscovering of the hope and meaning of Christmas at the end of the poem is right on.

ERO CRAS

Earthquake Rock at McGee Creek Campground

(GPS: N37 33.865 W118 47.180)

Earthquake Tumble Rock (Youtube Version)

Earthquake Tumble Rock (Vimeo Version)

This was a quick side trip I had wanted to do after reading about it Susan Hough's Finding Fault in California. It is near Lake Crowley. I just took the McGee Creek Road off HWY 395 and, after about 5-10 minutes going on a narrow road, came here. In the middle of the following picture you should see what looks like a trail that heads straight up:

What happened was that in June, 1998 there were two earthquakes. They do not know which one produced this, but it was either June 8th or 14th. The boulder, about the size of a small car, came down here and carved into the hillside the faint trail you see in both pictures. It also trashed the road before it reached its final destination in the campground. The road has obviously been repaired.
Check out what they say here under the Hilton Creek Fault Scarp. The magnitude according to this source and the book above was around 5.0-5.3.

The Double Indemnity Train Station Location

(GPS: N 34° 07.390 W 118° 15.515)

I have been holding back a bit on movie location posting. I intend to really start doing that again in 2010. I was over at Iverson Ranch and Corriganville again last week trying to figure out what I want to do next. I will explain more on this at the end of the month or near the first of the new year.

This is one that I finished up on the way home last week. It was one of the first ones I intended to do way back when I started up the blog. Actually, I have been to this location lots of times. What was holding me back is I would always have something happen that would either mess up my pictures or video. The pictures below were done on a few different days, and the video is a combination of two days. I call this the Glendale Train Station, but I think officially it is the Glendale Transportation Center.

I do enjoy Film Noir. When I started this blog I was going to do a lot more noir locations, but decided to pursue some of the other stuff I have on here instead. I do have a few others I might do in the future, but noir locations will probably be a bit rare on here. Double Indemnity with Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck is a favorite of mine. If you have not seen it, then you must since it is a classic movie of suspense. This train station is a very important part of that movie. Here is where they drive the car in.
The sign above in the movie picture does say "Glendale" even though my capture from the movie is a bit overexposed there. My picture has the same sign, and I am close to where they parked. You can tell there are differences with the station from then and now, but this is it.
To my left (from the above), is where the train comes and goes. This is where Barbara would have led Fred in the movie.
There is a model in the train station. I think the cars are parked a little further to the left of where the sign is.
You can read the wikipedia article on the station here.

My short video on this:

Double Indemnity Train Station Location (Youtube Version)

Double Indemnity Train Station Location (Vimeo Version)