Looking back on June 9–13, 2018
By June 9, 2018, our family vacation had taken us through canyons, craters, and stretches of the Mother Road. We still had Las Vegas and California ahead of us, which meant the scenery was about to change considerably.
bapierson, LEGOexplorer, and I were trading canyon walls for neon, a studio backlot, the Pacific Ocean, and a few roller coasters. There were geocaches along the way, too. One of them was near the Batcave. As a huge Batman fan, I considered that a very reasonable addition to the itinerary.
Las Vegas, with a side of questionable beverages
Our June 9 photographs jump from the Strip’s oversized landmarks to the Bellagio fountains after dark. After days of photographing rock formations, I had water and lights to point the camera at. Las Vegas certainly supplies plenty of things to photograph.
We also stopped at the Coca-Cola Store for its Around the World tasting. The tray offered an assortment of drinks to try, but the part I remember best is the faces bapierson made.
I couldn’t give you a reliable review of every drink now. Her expressions made a much more lasting impression. Fortunately, there are photographs. That is one advantage of traveling with someone who always has a camera handy. Depending on your expression, it can also be a disadvantage.
On June 10, we found Our Holiday Castle 2 (GC3CYQT) near where we were staying. My log describes a straightforward find, the sort that fits comfortably around a day of sightseeing.
Other stops were more practical. At Party Time (GC279FC) in Nevada and Quick 'N EZ (GC2M88A) in California, my logs mention stopping for gas and food, with a cache providing an excuse to stretch our legs before getting back on the road. A road trip still involves fuel stops, even when the photographs make it look like one attraction after another.
An evening at the end of the trail
By that evening, we were at Santa Monica Pier. The Pacific Park wheel was lit up behind us, and the ocean replaced the desert as the backdrop for our photographs.
The pier’s Route 66 “End of the Trail” sign made a fitting companion to our earlier Mother Road stops in Arizona. It marks the route’s symbolic endpoint. The historic legal terminus was inland at Lincoln and Olympic Boulevards, a distinction explained by Santa Monica’s tourism board. We hadn’t driven the entire highway on this vacation, but it was fun to connect those Arizona stops with a visit to the coast.
We found the Virtual Cache Don’t Get Sucked In !! (GC81D1) and the Traditional Sitting Pretty Beyond Route 66 (GC6ZTRB). Two different kinds of finds, both part of an evening spent exploring the pier together.
A Batman fan visits Warner Bros.
June 11 took us to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Burbank. Our photographs follow the backlot streets and soundstages, then move through costumes, props, and familiar pieces of television and movie scenery. Harry Potter and Central Perk appear in the collection, along with a considerable amount of Batman.
That last part had my attention. The Batmobile photographs alone probably make my allegiance clear. I’ve always been a huge Batman fan, and I’m always willing to joke about Batman being the better superhero. Superman can keep his cape. I was quite happy standing next to the cars.
Seeing those vehicles up close was a change from watching them on a screen. There were different versions to examine, and my camera got plenty of use. The photograph of me beside the classic black Batmobile with its red trim sums up that part of the visit pretty well.
To the Batcave
The Batman portion of the day continued at Bronson Canyon in Griffith Park, where we found Batman’s BatCave (GC8413) near the tunnel used in the 1960s television series. A geocache and a real Batman filming location in the same stop? That was an easy combination to appreciate.
The tunnel has a history beyond television. According to Los Angeles Recreation and Parks, it is a remnant of the Union Rock quarry, which opened in 1903. The former quarry later supplied a ready-made setting for filmmakers, including the entrance to the TV Batcave.
LEGOexplorer and I posed outside the dark opening in the pale rock. After the studio’s polished displays, here was a recognizable piece of Batman history out in the landscape. My cache log even included a little theme-song enthusiasm. Some locations make it difficult to behave like a completely serious adult.
Handprints, famous streets, and one more park
Our Hollywood stops included the Chinese Theatre forecourt, where bapierson and LEGOexplorer compared their hands with the impressions in the cement. The theatre opened in 1927, and those handprints and footprints give you something much more personal to examine than a name on a sign.
We also logged Grauman’s Chinese (puzzle) Theater (GC19192). Around Hollywood, the Walk of Fame stars, the theatre, and the distant Hollywood sign supplied plenty to look at between searches. Our Beverly Hills photographs add the neighborhood sign and Rodeo Drive, and our finds include 9510 Brighton Way Beverly Hills, CA 90210 (GC3KTHJ).
June 12 was our Six Flags Magic Mountain day. The camera roll is full of coaster signs and family photographs, including the three of us at the X2 entrance. After the studio sets and Hollywood landmarks, we had a day devoted to the theme park.
Batman had followed us there, too, with his name on a ride. There was a Superman attraction as well. I suppose a park has to cater to everyone.
Our cache records finish that day with Pup Tent (GC1M2Q5). My log is brief, as many vacation logs are. The family photographs do a better job of preserving the rest of the day.
One more Las Vegas photograph
By June 13, we were back in Las Vegas. The last photographs include a stop at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop and a family selfie in front of the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign.
The three of us fit into the frame beneath the sign, bringing this part of the vacation back to where it began. We had added the Pacific coast, movie sets, Hollywood landmarks, and a theme park to a trip that had already included some remarkable landscapes.
Looking through the photographs, I keep coming back to the smaller moments within those big stops: bapierson’s face over a tasting cup, LEGOexplorer and me outside the Batcave, and the three of us squeezing together for another picture. Those are the parts I’m glad we brought home.
And yes, any vacation that includes both the Batmobile and the Batcave has a fairly good chance of making me happy.
Field Notes
- Adventure
- June 9–13, 2018, the closing leg of our June 5–13 family vacation
- Destinations
- Nevada and California
- Companions
- bapierson and LEGOexplorer
- Recorded finds
- 14 successful finds on June 10–12: three in Nevada and eleven in California. Nine Traditionals, four Virtuals, and one Mystery.
- Batman stop
- Batman’s BatCave (GC8413), Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park
- Pier stops
- Don’t Get Sucked In !! (GC81D1) and Sitting Pretty Beyond Route 66 (GC6ZTRB)
No comments:
Post a Comment