This is just plain fun! If you've grown up with the old time cowboy movies, as we have, you'll feel right at home. We love this place, and we both agreed it's one of the most creatively designed museums we've visited. The Film History Museum houses an amazing collection of movie memorabilia - costumes, posters, props, personal items, and much more. Most of the items are related to western movies, but there are other, more recent movies that have been filmed here in the Alabama Hills as well as the surrounding area (such as Tremors, Star Trek V and VI) and and they are represented too. Here are a few shots of the collection.
The museum also has a nice gift shop, where you can pick up a self-guided tour brochure ($2) to assist in locating filming locations back in the hills. If you have a GPS they'll give you a list of the location coordinates. If you are interested in more of the history of the area and the films made here, also pick up a copy of On Location in Lone Pine. You can order it online or get it at the museum. It contains a wealth of history about the area as well as interesting details about the movies and has several maps. We found the maps rather confusing, but when combined with the small driving guide and our mapping program we finally got a good understanding of the various locations.
We set up camp around 2 PM on Tuesday, back in the Alabama Hills, between the town of Lone Pine and the Sierras.
What a picturesque location! We took the afternoon off and just lounged around and admired the view - the rounded forms of the Alabama's against a backdrop of jagged mountains that include Mt. Whitney (the tallest peak in the continental U.S.) on one side and the Inyo Mountains on the other. The changing light and variations of color in the rocks surrounding us and the distant mountain ranges make this a photographer and artist's dream. It's a good thing digital photos are free!
While relaxing late in the afternoon we noticed three "24" government type Chev. Tahoes parked on the road a short distance from our camping spot. They sat there for quite some time, no one moving in or out of the vehicles, so we started guessing what they were up to. Daph guessed they were scouting for a movie or fashion shoot. I went to investigate..... They had no licence plates. They had been there for about an hour at about 100 ft. away from our spot. They then moved across our road and I saw about 10-12 burly guys standing out in the middle of the valley. Wanting to get Jack Bauers autograph I walked out to the rigs. A big burly crew-cut guy got out and I asked if they were scouting a site for a movie (fashion shoot was definitely out). He said that they were training up "those guys" while pointing at the jet contrails over the valley.
He said the terrain was very similar to Afghanistan and they were doing air-to-ground coordinations. They were with the Navy out of China Lake Weapons Stations. We had been watching the fighters all day, some flew so low we could see the landing gear, so it was nice to have an explanation. They had evidently moved to another spot the next day as the jets were working other areas of the valley. Sorry to miss Jack.
Wednesday - We spent the morning touring with the tour brochure and locating the various filming locations. The area is riddled with dirt roads going to the various shooting locations, so the opportunities for exploration are extensive. The brochure highlights only a few of the many locations, and the directions get you pretty close, but you still have to do some walking to exactly match the photo provided from each movie to help you locate the exact site. The rock formations in the Alabama hills are amazing, so it's no wonder so many films have been made here over the years, and the scenery seems so familiar. As we walked among the boulders it really would have seemed quite normal to hear gunfire, running horses, and see Gene or Roy pop out from behind a rock. Turn one way and it looks like you're in the Himalayas (Gunga Din, Kim and others took advantage of that) view, turn the other and it looks like Death Valley, which actually isn't very far away. A few feet right or left changes the scenery and reveals additional fantastic shapes. Here's a pretty complete list of films made in the area over the years. Once you've been here you can't help recognizing the scenery in a bazillion commercials too. It's been a great business for the area over time, as there isn't much in the way of industry or employment in the area otherwise.
The museum also has a nice gift shop, where you can pick up a self-guided tour brochure ($2) to assist in locating filming locations back in the hills. If you have a GPS they'll give you a list of the location coordinates. If you are interested in more of the history of the area and the films made here, also pick up a copy of On Location in Lone Pine. You can order it online or get it at the museum. It contains a wealth of history about the area as well as interesting details about the movies and has several maps. We found the maps rather confusing, but when combined with the small driving guide and our mapping program we finally got a good understanding of the various locations.
We set up camp around 2 PM on Tuesday, back in the Alabama Hills, between the town of Lone Pine and the Sierras.What a picturesque location! We took the afternoon off and just lounged around and admired the view - the rounded forms of the Alabama's against a backdrop of jagged mountains that include Mt. Whitney (the tallest peak in the continental U.S.) on one side and the Inyo Mountains on the other. The changing light and variations of color in the rocks surrounding us and the distant mountain ranges make this a photographer and artist's dream. It's a good thing digital photos are free!
While relaxing late in the afternoon we noticed three "24" government type Chev. Tahoes parked on the road a short distance from our camping spot. They sat there for quite some time, no one moving in or out of the vehicles, so we started guessing what they were up to. Daph guessed they were scouting for a movie or fashion shoot. I went to investigate..... They had no licence plates. They had been there for about an hour at about 100 ft. away from our spot. They then moved across our road and I saw about 10-12 burly guys standing out in the middle of the valley. Wanting to get Jack Bauers autograph I walked out to the rigs. A big burly crew-cut guy got out and I asked if they were scouting a site for a movie (fashion shoot was definitely out). He said that they were training up "those guys" while pointing at the jet contrails over the valley.
He said the terrain was very similar to Afghanistan and they were doing air-to-ground coordinations. They were with the Navy out of China Lake Weapons Stations. We had been watching the fighters all day, some flew so low we could see the landing gear, so it was nice to have an explanation. They had evidently moved to another spot the next day as the jets were working other areas of the valley. Sorry to miss Jack.Wednesday - We spent the morning touring with the tour brochure and locating the various filming locations. The area is riddled with dirt roads going to the various shooting locations, so the opportunities for exploration are extensive. The brochure highlights only a few of the many locations, and the directions get you pretty close, but you still have to do some walking to exactly match the photo provided from each movie to help you locate the exact site. The rock formations in the Alabama hills are amazing, so it's no wonder so many films have been made here over the years, and the scenery seems so familiar. As we walked among the boulders it really would have seemed quite normal to hear gunfire, running horses, and see Gene or Roy pop out from behind a rock. Turn one way and it looks like you're in the Himalayas (Gunga Din, Kim and others took advantage of that) view, turn the other and it looks like Death Valley, which actually isn't very far away. A few feet right or left changes the scenery and reveals additional fantastic shapes. Here's a pretty complete list of films made in the area over the years. Once you've been here you can't help recognizing the scenery in a bazillion commercials too. It's been a great business for the area over time, as there isn't much in the way of industry or employment in the area otherwise.
Many of the most outstanding have names: Hoppy Rocks, Gary Cooper Rock, etc. The album has photos of many of the sites we located as well as a few other interesting details. Be sure to read the captions as they include details on each location.
By early afternoon we could see clouds building up over the Sierras, and then the wind picked up. We had pretty good gusts all night, shaking the trailer and shrieking around the windows. It dropped to the mid 30's during the night. This is a place we'd love to spend more time in, but not in this weather! We left plenty to explore on the next visit, so we're moving on to a warmer location.
By early afternoon we could see clouds building up over the Sierras, and then the wind picked up. We had pretty good gusts all night, shaking the trailer and shrieking around the windows. It dropped to the mid 30's during the night. This is a place we'd love to spend more time in, but not in this weather! We left plenty to explore on the next visit, so we're moving on to a warmer location.
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