Cowboy Movies, and more

Here is the website for the museum:
The Lone Pine Film History Museum

Lone Pine, Ca is where many of the older cowboy movies were filmed. In the rocks and desert area just outside of town, and the backdrop of Mount Whitney an the Sierra Nevada mountains. Starting with the Silent Movies and Fatty Arbuckle, then the Singing Cowboys: Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, HopaLong Cassidy, , John Wayne, nearly ever famous actor from the 30's thru the present. Tremors with Kevin Bacon was filmed there.
After visiting the museum, we headed to "Alabama Hills;, and Movie Flat road, where the filming was done. First stop is where the original Gunga Din was filmed in 1939 with Cary Grant, Sam Jaffee, and Douglas Fairbanks.
Ginger loved climbing the rocks, where here favorite cowboys may have been having a shoot-out with the bad guys. Enjoy the photos.

                                       John Waynes Shirt and Hat he wore in The War Wagon

                                                            Dale Evans outfit

                                                       Ginger's favorite: Gene Autrey

                                     One of my favorite movies..now we're South From Alaska

                                               The dress that John Wayne gave "Angel"

                                      The car that Humphrey Bogart drove in High Sierra

                                            An English soldiers uniform, from Gunga Din

                                                       The LONE RANGER's outfit

                                                       The creature from Tremors

                                                         Kevin Bacons outfit from Tremors

 A hat from Walter Brennan

 Is this rifle from: Chuck Connors in The Rifleman or Steve McQueen's Wanted Dead or Alive ???

                                                        Roy Rogers display

                                                          Gunsmoke display

 Even a scene from Gladiator was filmed here, with Russell Crowe

California: Eastern Sierras

After resting at Craig's for a couple days, we're packed up in his Jeep Cherokee and heading out to the eastern Sieer-Nevada mountains.  After driving over the mountains north of Yosemite, we will drive up and down I-395, and spend 2 nights in the lovely town of Bishop, CA.

                Craig and Ginger, thats Half Dome in the Yosemite Valley behind them

                                                                     Ernie and Craig

Back to the Lower 48

Today we are hoping to catch a flight to Sacramento California from here at Elmendorf AFB, Anchorage. We catch a taxi from the Northstar (AF) Inn to the PAX Terminal. A fellow retiree (Coast Guard) asks to share the cab. He is hoping to catch a flite West, and eventually to Singapore.

There are 40 seats available, more than 40 waiting, on the C-17 headed to Travis. See  this site for what one looks like;
Photos of C-17s
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=c-17&qpvt=c-17&FORM=IGRE#x0y1711

C17 from Wikipedia

Fortunately we are called, check in and boarding are very professional. Bravo Zulu AF.

The flight and landing are smooth, as usual. Young children and babies play in the cargo area (cargo on this flite is loaded on the ramp.
As we  prepare to deboard we are excited to be stepping out into the warm California air...
WRONG.....cold air from the coast was blowing in...it was colder than when we left Alaska!

We finally get to our hotel by 2:00 am..ask for a late check-out. Brother Craig is coming to pick us up.

We're back in the Lower 48!

The Best Alaska Day!

Today Larry meets us at the front gate, we are headed to Whittier, with him and Sara, to see the glaciers.

We are scheduled for 12:30 pm trip with the 26 Glacier cruise. Its 5 hours aboard a 3 story catamaran. Jet propelled.   http://www.26glaciers.com/

We are assigned a table at a widow on the lower deck. A Cod and chips lunch is served nearly immediately.  Our server is David from Gainesville, GA.
As I entitled this; it was our best day for viewing nature since we've been in Alaska. Besides glaciers, we saw hundreds of seals, and otters, Orca and Beluga whales. Cruised through ice fields with small ice bergs to get close to the blue tinted glaciers.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE MAGNIFICANT SCENES WE SAW:

Don't forget to click on the photo to get a full view.

Along the Seward Highway, headed to Whittier

 Famous TurnAgain Point..we saw dozens ofBelugas and Orcas on the return trip.

 Near Girdwood,AK, the ski resort on Mt Alyeska is here

 A glacier moving down a mountain

 A crater glacier, one of the 4 different types

 To the right of the last waterfall is a crevice going up the mountain. This was a result of the 1964, 9.2 earthquake.

 The town of Whittier. 4 streets, a few shops, lots of recreational and commerical fishing boats at dock and on land. Everything was boarded up after Sept 15th. How'd you like to live with a glacier hanging over you??
After the 1964 earthquake, it was hit by a 57 foot wave.

 Inside the tunnel between Whittier and the Seward Hwy. The walls are the actual rock. The one-way tunnel, opens to the other lane every 15 minutes. They stage you in up to 8 lanes, space the cars. The train also uses this tunnel, you drive over the tracks. All car traffic is stopped while the train goes through.

 Sunset along the Seward Hwy. This is when we saw the whales, as the tide was coming in and nearly high.

 The Largest Choclate "Waterfall", liquid, pumped continually

 Hows this for a bear trap!!!! photo of Anchorage under it.

 A grizzly greets you as you enter the Sourdough restaurant.

 While being staged for the tunnel, we saw this Porcupine..it would barely turn its head to see who was taking its photo...a shy guy

 While staged for the tunnel, we saw a glacier already.

 Ginger and Larry at Shotgun Cove, above Whittier. A beautiful stream flowed behind us. A month earlier, and we would have seen it loaded with Salmon.

A seal rookery..the little seals were hopping on and off the rock..

 Seated at our table. It was very comfortable. A U.S. Park Ranger was on-board to narrate.

 The dark areas are where 2 glaciers collide, pulling dirt and rocks where they meet.

 Note the blue of the glaciers

 The water here is clear because there is not sediment flow from the glaciers. As winter comes, the water will clear thoughout the area.

 We watched for "calving", but only saw small chunks fall off.

 A small iceberg..remeber only 15% of it is above the water

 Crewmen net a clear chuck of ice from the ice field. It will be used for drinks at the on-board bar.

 Sara enjoys her glacier ice margurita!!

                  Awesome Blue

 Dirt and rocks in the iceberg....the otters were laying on these .

 This is the Princess Diamond. It is preparing to board 2,000 guests for a trip to China. They will board at the terminal in Whittier.

Yes this is Alaska, not Hawii!!