Where am I? -- Volume I

[Rick Quinn]

I'll take a stab at it. The first picture looks like somewhere in the Midwest, maybe Missouri? The sign in the front is hard to make out, but if I blow it up in my browser I think I see "Walt" on line two. Moving on to the second picture: I have no idea. Third picture: Dick Van Dyke, looking like he's about to take a bite out of something. Picture on the wall of him in Mary Poppins. Wait a minute: that's a Disney movie. Walt Disney? Back to picture #1: I seem to recall that Walt Disney spent his early boyhood in Missouri--so maybe that's where he lived at that time? Picture #2: still no clue, but I'll hazard a guess that Disney is the commonality.

Rick

[DonnaR57]

A gold platter to you!

The first picture was the barn on the Disney Family property in....wait a minute, you guessed it ... Marceline Missouri. Though Walt was born in Chicago, he always stated that Marceline was his hometown. Looking around Marceline now, you can see where the inspiration for Main Street USA comes from. One time on a road trip, a bunch of family members climbed into a van and drove up to Marceline for the day. This is the beginning of the Disney part of the trip report.

The second picture was the Disney barn (and museum) in Griffith Park, California. They have rotating displays but the Griffith Park Railroad museum is just down the street, and a miniature train runs through the Disney area. I went to this museum on a day when I was invited to go with a group on a tour of the old Columbia Pictures lot, now an annex to Warner Bros lot (where the tour does NOT go). I drove up to Burbank early on a Saturday morning, did the lot tour, found the Brady house, and then went home through Griffith Park in order to get to the Disney museum (which is only open on certain Saturdays of the month). Here's the post about that trip.

The third picture is Dick Van Dyke. You guessed that. I left in the painting of him in his Mary Poppins "Burt" role, in the background, thinking maybe somebody would put it all together. Dick Van Dyke went to one of the autograph shows in LA one weekend, and my friend and I went up. Dick is lead singer in a quartet, and he brought them along to sing a few favorites for us. Next to his tables was Karen Dotrice, Jane Banks in the original MP (and a walk-by role in MP Returns). My road trip in this case was up to LA and back.


Donna

[Rick Quinn]

Here, for your inspection, are six photographs, representing three seperate structures, in three seperate locations.













Three questions:

1.) What are (or were) these structures? (Anasazi pueblos? Churches? Forts? Failed Blockbuster Video franchises?)

2.) What's the connection between them? (Historically, Culturally, Geographically, and/or Physically?)

3.) Where am I? (Name that Scenic Byway!)

For bonus points: Whoever it was that built them, significant effort was obviously required. Why do you suppose they were all so utterly abandoned?

Additional clues available if you're stumped!

Rick

[Utahtea]

Here, for your inspection, are six photographs, representing three seperate structures, in three seperate locations.













Three questions:

1.) What are (or were) these structures? (Anasazi pueblos? Churches? Forts? Failed Blockbuster Video franchises?)

2.) What's the connection between them? (Historically, Culturally, Geographically, and/or Physically?)

3.) Where am I? (Name that Scenic Byway!)

For bonus points: Whoever it was that built them, significant effort was obviously required. Why do you suppose they were all so utterly abandoned?

Additional clues available if you're stumped!

Rick

I have been to two of the three locations and I recognized them right away. We are in New Mexico. The first two pictures are of the Abó Unit of Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. I have similar photos. The last two pictures are of Quarai Unit and I also have similar photos. I hadn't been to the Gran Quivira Unit but it wasn't hard to find. All are part of the now Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument south east of Albuquerque.

These are part of the Abo Pass Trail Scenic Byway and the Salt Missions Scenic Byway...which we did most of.

I like to take photos of signs so I can remember where I was and what I've seen. These were first occupied by the pueblos and then the Spanish. The missionaries came and built the missions.

Utahtea

[Rick Quinn]

Good job! I figured somebody would probably recognize these; they're really close to Albuquerque, and so easy to get to. All three of these Spanish missions were built around the same time, in the 1620's, and they were all abandoned around the same time, in the 1670's. First there was a drought that pushed them to the brink of starvation, followed up by non-stop Apache raids that drove the missionaries back to Mexico, and forced the native pueblo Indians to flee from their villages. The ruined missions were left to the elements for the next 200 years, an eerie testament to the failed attempt at "civilizing" this part of New Mexico. The missions, and the abandoned villages came to be known as "the cities that died of fear."

The three sets of ruins and the Salt Mission Scenic Byway are all part of Scenic Side Trip #20, which is a fun alternative to Interstate 25 in the stretch between Socorro and Albuquerque. I did a lot of serious research when I wrote my book, so there are a lot of interesting historical tidbits sprinkled throughout the text.

[Utahtea]

Yes, this is Old Faithful and we are in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. It is my FAVORITE National Park! When we go we like to spend 2 weeks in the park exploring and we've found some really interesting things off the beaten path!

Where am I off the beaten path! Can you name each of these 6 locations? To make it more interesting I've added one location that is NOT located in Yellowstone. Can you tell which it is? For extra, extra credit bonus points...do you know where the other location is?


#1



#2



#3



#4





#5





#6



I can give hints if needed.

Utahtea

[Mark Sedenquist]

I am guessing the waterfall is not in Yellowstone, because of the geology -- but I could be wrong. Or one of the geysers -- been too long since I was in Yellowstone.

Mark

[Rick Quinn]

Where am I off the beaten path! Can you name each of these 6 locations? To make it more interesting I've added one location that is NOT located in Yellowstone. Can you tell which it is? For extra, extra credit bonus points...do you know where the other location is?
[/SIZE]

#1



#2



#3



#4





#5





#6



I can give hints if needed.

Utahtea

Full disclosure: I too love Yellowstone, but I've only been there once, and it was for two days, rather than two weeks, and that was at the tail end of a two-month road trip to Alaska and back, when I was already at full maximum sensory overload. I remember everything I saw, and I have pictures of all of it--but as much as I would have loved to, I didn't do a bit of rambling "off the beaten path."

In short, there's no sense pretending that I recognize any of these extraordinary natural wonders based on my own experience. I had to rely, once again, on Google, and this is what I've figured out so far:

#1: The only thing I saw personally that was that color was the Crested Pool. This pool doesn't have a crest, so perhaps it's the Sapphire Pool?

#2: This one was easy because it's quite distinctive, and (sorry, Mark!), it's called Fairy Falls, located near the Midway Geyser Basin.

#3: No luck with this one, because I don't know what I'm looking at. Is this a really big thermal pool, or a river bank?

#4: This is a cone geyser, and every one of them is unique. I lined up all the mug shots, and yours would appear to be the Lone Star Geyser. Awesome picture of the rainbow in the mist!

#5: This is amazing! How many thermal pools have geysers erupting right out of them? Actually, there's just one like that, and it's called the Imperial Geyser, near Fairy Falls.

#6: I had no idea what to call this thing. It looks like a hot tub, though it would probably be more appropriate for flash-boiling lobsters. In any case, I couldn't find any thermal pools quite like this one, so I'm guessing this might be your ringer (if it's not #3). No idea on the location.

Rick

[glc]

I'm going to guess that one of those features is in Lassen?

[Utahtea]

I am guessing the waterfall is not in Yellowstone, because of the geology -- but I could be wrong. Or one of the geysers -- been too long since I was in Yellowstone.

Mark

Full disclosure: I too love Yellowstone, but I've only been there once, and it was for two days, rather than two weeks, and that was at the tail end of a two-month road trip to Alaska and back, when I was already at full maximum sensory overload. I remember everything I saw, and I have pictures of all of it--but as much as I would have loved to, I didn't do a bit of rambling "off the beaten path."

In short, there's no sense pretending that I recognize any of these extraordinary natural wonders based on my own experience. I had to rely, once again, on Google, and this is what I've figured out so far:

#1: The only thing I saw personally that was that color was the Crested Pool. This pool doesn't have a crest, so perhaps it's the Sapphire Pool?

#2: This one was easy because it's quite distinctive, and (sorry, Mark!), it's called Fairy Falls, located near the Midway Geyser Basin.

#3: No luck with this one, because I don't know what I'm looking at. Is this a really big thermal pool, or a river bank?

#4: This is a cone geyser, and every one of them is unique. I lined up all the mug shots, and yours would appear to be the Lone Star Geyser. Awesome picture of the rainbow in the mist!

#5: This is amazing! How many thermal pools have geysers erupting right out of them? Actually, there's just one like that, and it's called the Imperial Geyser, near Fairy Falls.

#6: I had no idea what to call this thing. It looks like a hot tub, though it would probably be more appropriate for flash-boiling lobsters. In any case, I couldn't find any thermal pools quite like this one, so I'm guessing this might be your ringer (if it's not #3). No idea on the location.

Rick

I'm going to guess that one of those features is in Lassen?

Sorry Mark but Rick was correct that #2 is Fairy Falls in Yellowstone.

Rick was also correct on #4 this is the Lone Star Geyser. We've been lucky enough to do the 5 mile round trip hike and see it go off twice. Missed it the last time because workers had just downed a tree on the path and we had to wait for them to clear it to continue on the path. It's a very easy hike and if you check the message box at the start of the trail you can usually find out when Lone Star went off last and figure out the next possible time. We've had to wait sometimes but it's worth it. We haven't been in some years, but most time when we were there in the past there were only a dozen people there and you could get up close to the geyser.

Rick also got #5 Imperial Geyser is past Fairy Falls and easy to reach and it use to be you would only find one or two other people there.

#1 Hint: It is on a dirt trail in the Old Faithful area. It's a geyser but we've never seen it go off.

#2 Fairy Falls - Correct

#3 Is not in Yellowstone. In fact it's not even in our hemisphere! More hints if needed.

#4 Lone Star Geyser - Correct

#5 Imperial Geyser - Correct

#6 Is on a paved trail in the Old Faithful area but kind of remote and all by its self.


I'm sure you detectives will be able to google the rest. ;) Should we celebrate with Tea, Punch or Champagne?

Utahtea