A few months ago now my parents traveled up and down Highway 395 as part of my fathers work sabbatical. In the preparation stage for my trip they gave me a list of things to do and see on and around 395. One of the must do’s on the list was to stop in the town of Lone Pine, CA and go to the The Museum Of Western Film History and camp on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land in the Alabama Hills just to the west of the town. Why do the museum and the hills go hand in hand? Well, since the 1920’s Hollywood filmmakers have been using the hills to film westerns and now other genre movies, tv shows, and commercials. After going to Manzanar earlier that day it was really nice to lighten things up a little by spending some quality time in the museum. They have an assortment of stuff ranging form the Lone Ranger to Iron Man. After an hour or so I head into the hills.
The Museum
The suit Robert Downey Jr. wore in the scene shot in the Alabama Hills!
The actual wagon used in Django Unchanged for Dr. King Schultz!
Now it’s time for me to play my nerd card. You know in the first Iron Man film where Tony Stark shows and demonstrates the Jericho missile to the military high brass? Well I’ve camp right where that was filmed!! Heck I’ve even watched the film where it was filmed. And to nerd out a little bit more, I found the road where the famous chase scene from Bad Day At Black Rock was filmed.
Proof of both! 🙂
I am Iron Man!
Bad Day At Black Rock! (Actual film location was down and to the right on the road.)
Night time in the hills. (Like my parents I was there during a full moon so I could not get any real star photos. I’m guessing it’s the curse of the Harris family.)
There was no real shade so I had to make a shelter with my giant tarp. Yeah I felt like I should be in a scene of some survivor show!)