Alabama Hills aren't in Alabama

If you are going to Lone Pine,CA, to see the film museum that I blogged about last, just turn west at the only stop light in town and head into the Alabama Hills.  Have you seen TREMORS and the big rocks they are struck on while the giant worms attack?  That's the Alabama Hills.  Currently on TV is a commercial for Suburu (I think) where the drivers are standing on immense boulders looking for their car.  Yup, that's Alabama Hills.  These giant, odd-shaped granite rocks have been the scene for hundreds of movies and TV series and you can drive, climb or walk all around here. Let the kids run here.   There is a short-walk to an arch,  Take a picture with the arch and the snow-covered Sierra Nevadas.  The road to Alabama Hills also leads to Whitney Portal, the trailhead to climb the tallest peak in the continental US.  Oh, why ALABAMA Hills if they are in CALIFORNIA?  Well, they were named by a couple of miners sympathetic to the Confederate cause during the Civil War.  The Alabama was a confederate ship.  More tomorrow.

Lone Pine, CA

Last week I spent time in Lone Pine, CA.  You never know what fun things you are going to discover in a small town. Here, along the CA/NV border, this small town features the Lone Pine Film History Museum.  If you are a film buff, you'll love this spot.  Walk in the door and you are met with a white, Cadillac convertible complete with a giant set of horns on the front, pistols for door handles, and silver dollars embedded in the dashboard, steering wheel and door panels.  Movie memorabilia abounds.  My favorite:  the  ugly, giant, worm from TREMORS. Start your visit with the documentary and then wander among the movie memorabilia.  The Lone Pine Film Festival will be held on October 7, 8 & 9th.where they will honor Roy Rogers' 100th birthday. Check out their websites.
lonepinefilmhistorymuseum.org
lonepinefilmfestival.org

Janet chips in!

Finally, with the help of my daughter-in -law, I am able to write on the blog. Grandma going techno is scary. 
I decided I couldn't. let Bernadette tell about all our fun without throwing in my two-cents worth.

I just got back from covering the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest.  What a great place!  The Methuselah Tree began growing before the Pyramids were built.  It is the oldest living thing on earth.

Bernadette had called me and warned me the air was thin at 11,500 feet and I'd thrown in an oxygen bottle.  By 9,500 feet, I was sucking on the air bottle.  At 10,000 feet, my husband, Richard, developed headache and nausea, sure signs of altitude sickness coming on, so I shared my oxygen.  We were like scuba divers sharing air.  Next, my poor little rental car made known that it would like some oxygen, too.  I told it, tough.  I'm paying for you and you have to go where I go even if it is a dirt road and 11,500 feet with the wind blowing.  Tomorrow I'll tell you what I discovered in Lone Pine, CA.

The article on Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest goes to the Las Vegas Review Journall today.  Will let you know when it comes out.  They have an online version so you can see the story and photos.

Grandma Janet

Buffalo Bill Historical Center, continued

At the entrance to the Firearms gallery in the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, is a shooting gallery, like the kind that you find at the State Fair.  I'm happy to say, that of the 6 of us visiting the Center that day, I came in second in the shooting contest.  It was close and I might have come in first if I would have started out shooting with the right eye open and shooting down the rifle instead of across the gun. The Firearms gallery is the favorite of the boys and men. Roosevelt donated some of his firearms to the museum.  The men in the group were impressed.
The Western Art gallery, which is right next door to the shooting contraption, ends with a full window looking out on the Wyoming hillside and a western bronze sculpture.  Cody must rank first in the nation for its public art bronze sculptures.  They are everywhere, through out the town.
The Buffalo Bill gallery is being renovated.  The part we saw was still very interesting.  It told the story of how my grandparents and all pioneers must have lived out on the plains of South Dakota in the early 1900's.  Before you go you might check on their web page to see if the Buffalo Bill gallery is open. I think it should be back in place by May 2012.
Before we leave Cody for the next adventure, it should be noted that Sierra Trading Post has a discount store down the street from the Buffalo Bill Historical Center.  Check out the bargain basement for great buys in outdoor gear and camping equipment.  The employees at this store work hard at filling any order you might need.

There is still a lot more going on in Cody, WY so we can't leave yet.

It's a good thing that when you purchase your pass to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, it's good for two days.  There's way to much to see in just one day.  I started in the Greater Yellowstone Natural History Gallery and was met by my favoriate wild animal, the bears.  There were the grizzlys, the black bear and the cinnamon black bear.  What caught my eye though, was the video of a attack by a grizzly which was warded off by the same Grizzly Bear spray that I used to ward off an attack by a black bear. If you call up http://www.grandmaneedsafour-wheeldrive.com/ you can see the video of my attempt to change the approach of a black bear looking for a granola bar in my camera bag.  
Buffalo charging over a cliff and crashing down to their death, is done in bronze along a two story wall in the Natural History Gallery.  My Dad grew up with the Plains Indians of South Dakota and told me the story of this way of killing enough meat for the winter for the whole tribe. To actually see what it was like, gave me goose bumps.
The Plains Indians Gallery had a modern day quilt hanging.  When the missionaries lived with the Native Americans, in the eighteen and ninteen hundreds, they introduced quilt making.  Janet and I did a story for Arizona Highways Magazine on the Hopi's quilt making. They use modern materials but individualize the quilts by introducing shapes and forms that have  Native American significance. The display of Plains Indians is extensive and delightful to wonder through. More on this Center tomorrow.

Will the real Buffalo Bill Cody please roll over.

To continue on with our story.......It would be interesting to know if this whole adventure was thought out before hand or if the problems that came up were dealt with as they appeared.  
Now there was a problem.  What if the mortician in Denver, discovered the body switch.  The longer the city of Denver kept putting off the burial and memorial site for Buffalo Bill the better the chances were that the switch would be discovered.  The few men from Cody that came to "see" the body, would certainly be suspect.  Something had to be done to hurry the decison making process of Denvers government.
Thirteen saloons lined the city block of Cody.  Starting on one side of the street, the body snatchers, started paying for free drinks, first one saloon and then on to the next.  And of course, the conversation was along the lines of: "We need Buffalo Bill's body back in Cody, where it belongs."
By morning a caravan was forming.  The war cry was "Bring back Buffalo Bill's body to Cody, where it belongs." Over one hunderd vehicles took off for the town of Denver. 
Mean while, the mortician from Cody was hot on the line to the mortician from Denver.  The word went out like a lightning strike to Denvers mayor and city councel.  A decision was made immediately.  The old cowboys body was brought to it's final resting place with tons of concrete poured on top of him.  The caravan was turned around by state troopers at the Colorado, Wyoming state line.
So just where is the body of Buffalo Bill Cody?  If it isn't in Denver than Mrs Buffalo Bill Cody is buried next a unknow old cowboy.

Buffalo Bill Cody is buried where!!!!!

Our guide on a winter Sunday below zero morning was a 3rd generation Cody-ien. He had a story to tell us about Buffalo Bill.  Our guide's name was Bob.  I didn't check with Janet on that name but I think it's right.  Janet keeps track of details and I take the pictures. 
Bob's grandfather was a resident of Cody during the last days of Buffalo Bill's life.  It was after Christmas when Buffalo Bill and his wife, Laura (here again check with Janet on that name) took a train to Denver from Cody.  Bill was not well and wanted professional help from the doctors in Denver.  He died there in early January.  Laura was short on funds because of BB's life style so when the mayor and councle members of Denver offered her $20,000 if she would leave Buffalo Bill's body in Denver, she took them up on it.
The town folk of Cody were very disappointed when they met the train with just Laura and no body of  Buffalo Bill. 
Before spring came to Cody a unknown cowboy from a ranch around Yellowstone died.  The mortician handling the body noticed how much the dead cowboy looked like Buffalo Bill.  He called a few Cody people in to take a look.  Bob's grandfather was one of them.  They all decided that yes, with some of Buffalo Bill's clothes he could pass as BB.
There by which, they loaded up the body and headed for Denver.  When they got to the morgue in Denver, where Buffalo Bill's body was being held until the town of Denver could buy an appropriate piece of land to erect a Memorial to Buffalo Bill on.  They asked the mortician if they could see the body of BB.
The morticians were friends so of course, welcome, come right on in.
Now knowing just where, in the morgue,  BB's body layed they came back in the dark of night and had no problem exchanging the bodys because in those days, nothing was under lock and key.
Back to Cody went BB's body. They buried it to the top of Spirit Mountain, just west of town. (to be continued on Monday.)

Meeteetse Chocolatier Cowboy

The published post from yesterday addresses the chocolate cowboy.  The chocolate cowboy is different from the chocolate Easter Bunny.  He's not something you eat but rather someone that makes the wonderful, sinful, sweet chocolate that I love.  Officially he is known as the Meeteetse Chocolatier Cowboy. Meeteetse is the small town in WY that the cowboy lives in.  How did he get to be a chocolatier?  He needed a new saddle and his grandma, being an American Pioneer type said something like:  "Why don't you use my receipts for chocolate, sell the bon bon's at the rodeo and get yourself enough money to buy that saddle". He didn't sleep for three nights because each rodeo day he sold out, requiring cooking new product for the next day.   He got his saddle and a new business.
Several readers asked about photos.  After the story is published, I can run pictures.

Chocolate Cowboy

Sometime in Feb. 2012, in American Cowboy magazine, a story will be published on the chocolate cowboy from Wyoming.  Janet and I went to Cody in Feburary 2011, to try and learn how to fly fish.  We were given the grand tour of Cody and surrounding towns.  Chocolate Cowboy was on the list of places we must visit. We got to his candy store in the middle of the afternoon so it was close enough to snack time for us to enjoy his wares.  I had a thyme and olive oil delicious chocolate bon bon.  Why did I choose such a combination, you ask.  Because, those are the wheat thin crackers I like the best. 
Tomorrow, I'll give you his location so you can stop there also, on your way through Yellowstone and Cody, WY.

The Bristlecone Pine Forest goes to the Editor

It took the better part of the morning, but 13 images of the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in Bishop CA was sent into the Las Vegas Review Journal today.  Janet got her story last week-end and will be writing it sometime today or tomorrow.  When it is published in Cerca, we'll let everyone know.  Then I'll be able to post some photos of the place.  Maybe.  If I can figure out how to do that.
Also, today the photos went in on our Fly Fishing trip in Cody, WY in -10 degrees below zero weather.  This story will come over the internet from High on Adventure Magazine. It's another humurous story, even though we froze doing it.

Bristlecone Pine Forest Trip continued

Fire distroyed the Schulman Grove Visitor Center but many concerned citizens donated to the cause and now the new construction begins.  Two of the three trails that start at the burned site are still open.  I took the Discovery Trail.  At 9,000 feet at the trail head and heading up another 400 feet, about one mile was about all I could do.  It was a clear blue sky day with the sun already in setting position as I approached the trail. There was still a lot of contrast to deal with but by moving around a few trees that were on or near the trail, got me some colorful results.  The bristlecone pine grows only 6 to 8 weeks a year.  The twisting and turning it takes on that slow journey creates interesting forms and textures.  The sun was beginning to create longer shadows and brighter reds on the bark of the trees. Spring green in color were the short stubby needles of the bristlecone.  This combination made for some good photo work.  Today Janet Farnsworth visits the site.  More news is coming.

The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, Bishop, CA

This is the first opportunity for me to actually write a post to this blog.  It's taken some where around 3 weeks to get this far. 
The Cerca section of the Las Vegas Review Journal contracted Janet Farnsworth and myself to cover the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest off hwy 395 in Big Pine, California.  On a previous trip we tried to get there but only made it to the Sierra Overlook.  This time we were able to make it almost to the end of the Bristlecone Pine National Scenic Byway before we were stopped by two piles of snow.  At 11,000 feet and the sun setting I was not game to hike the two miles necessary to see the worlds oldest tree, dated at 4,764 years old.....or some where close to that age.  The view of the Sierra Nevadas was breathtaking.  In the forground were the sage covered rolling hills of the White Mountains, which is where the Bristlecone Pine Forest is.  Way beyond the hills, across a valley that could not be seen, were the snow covered Sierras in the low light of the setting sun.  Misty blue and white mountains fading into the pastel blue sky with sharp olive green sage of the White Mountain, made for a wonderful view.