Theme Roadtrips

Anybody have any ideas for a theme on a roadtrip? One of my ideas was to drive cross country, and trying to find all of the filming locations to my favorite movies, and then take a photograph from a scene from each of the movies. Either that or try and visit every home depot in the county, don't ask why.

[Brandon]

That is basically what I am doing, but mine is based more on Movies AND books. I read alot of si-fi and I figured I'd hit places like area 51, groom lake, Great Barrington crater and stuff. I am more driven to things that interest me. I guess after you have hit a NP or 2 that you really don't need to cover them all.

Here's an I'd I'll meet you guys at the base of Devils Tower....lol The mountain in Close Encounters, we call it a compromise.

Good luck

[Mark Sedenquist]

Groom Lake is going to be tough unless you plan to use a parachute...

Every single National Park is unique and special -- I have been to 35 or so.

Devils Tower is cool, but a lot tougher to reach the base than was depicted in Close Encounters.

Yeah, I books are a good idea too, but sometimes you don't know exactly where a book takes place, unless they give you specific names of places and addresses. but with a movie, unless it's filmed on a set, there's gotta be a physical place to go to. I'm also into the unusual places, I'm gonna try and go to Roswell, the Annual Bigfoot celebration, Anasazi cliff dwelling, crop circles, stuff like that. I've been to Area 51, even stayed at the Lil Ale Inn, and have a picture of the Extra Terrestial Highway sign and monument to ID4. The govenment has taken over the surrounding mountains, people used to hike up there and be able to see the base, but now everything surrounding the base is off limits. It's pretty interesting, we were out in the middle of nowhere, and still being watched by the security patrols.

Looks like I'm gonna be adding another place to my list, Devils Tower. I'll watch the movie before I go.

[Brandon]

I am doing the Salt Flats (National speed record and guniess book records), and the great Barrington Crater (Was in a movies). I am looking to hit cave dwellings but don't know where there are.

Does anyone have any ideas as to gold prospecting. I say this very cool thing on discovery channel place in CA. The couple there went out on a daily basis and came back with something. I am really looking for hands on experiences. IE hiking, scuba and Houston space center.

Cave dwelling are in the New Mexico region, I think. Can't remember the names right now, but they look like this

http://www.creativelinks.com/events/mesaverde.htm

Don't know about gold prospecting in CA, but most of the gold mines are in the Northern California region. The only one I know of is Empire Mines, but that was more of an old mine converted to a tourist site. How about meteor hunting?. If I was serious about striking it rich, I'd be looking for meteor rocks. The chances of finding gold are probably really slim compared to meteors, cuz nobody really knows what they look like. I saw a special on that on Discovery too, some guy used to go out in the desert and collet rocks, and he found this one rock that he thought was interesting. He used it for a doorstop for like 20 years, until he actually had someone look at it and it was some rare Mars meteor that was worth millions of dollars.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Forget the salt flats -- go for the world speed record -- set at the Black Rock Desert in Northern Nevada. Also check out the famous Guru Drive (http://www.roadtripamerica.com/slides/guru/guru01.htm) and if you are feeling adventurous -- the lake bed is ringed with hot springs, including one spot that has three volcano-like vents and HOT waterfalls cascading into the pond.

Another famous mystery spot is the "sliding rocks" of Racetrack Playa in Death Valley (http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/docs/parks/deva/galrac.html)

Forget the speed record altogether, if you're gonna go to the Black Rock desert, go around August/Septemeber for Burningman. Just be prepared to spend a week out in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of strange but fun people, and bring a lot of water. Check out the site www.burningman.com. It's definitely an experience that you won't find anywhere else in the world.

[Don Woodmancy]

There are a number of commercial (read tourist) places to pan gold throughout the west but I'd be a bit careful about panning or prospecting in other areas. Most areas that have even remote chances of finding gold (or other precious metal) are in private ownership or are subject to current mining claims. Owners sometimes get a bit testy with trespassers. They somehow have the feeling that since they own the right to prospect their land or claim, someone else who does so is a bit out of bounds. At the very least, I'd check with local rangers, BLM, law enforcement, etc. before I started.

[imported_Amy]

I am in the beginning stages of planning a trip next spring/summer and one of my ideas was do to an Amusement Park theme. This may get expensive, so I will have to probably cut it down only to a couple of parks I really want to go to. The rest of the time I plan on not have much of a plan and just going where ever the road may take me. Hopefully finding interesting things along the way.