Go West Young Man! St. Louis, MS to Winston-Salem, NC

Our final day was a straight drive home with no stops nor sightseeing.  We will be featuring highlights of our trip in posts here and at 2719 Hyperion in the weeks ahead.  First up will be the aforementioned Following the Joads series.  Stay tuned.

Today's Music:
"Can't Get Indiana Off My Mind" - Shannon Forsell
"Kentucky Rain" - Elvis Presley
"My Old Kentucky Home" - Jennifer Ivester
"Blue Moon of Kentucky" - Patsy Cline
"Take Me Home, Country Roads" - John Denver
"Homeward Bound" - Simon and Garfunkel
"Back Home Again" - John Denver
"Carolina on My Mind" - James Taylor
"I've Been Everywhere" - Johnny Cash

Listen to the entire Boom-Pop! Road Trip playlist on Spotify!
Check out our Disney-related Road Trip posts on 2719 Hyperion.

Go West Young Man! Ellis, KS to St. Louis, MS

Winding down the road trip as we cross the Midwest through Kansas and Missouri.  We did break up the drive some by visiting Disney-related sites in Kansas City and Marceline, Missouri.

The McConahy Building in Kansas City was the location of Walt Disney's Laugh-O-Grams studio in the early 1920s.  The local non-profit Thank You Walt Disney has been valiantly attempting to restore it for years, but as the photo indicates, it's been a very challenging endeavor.

Also in Missouri is the small town of Marceline, significant as Walt Disney's childhood home and the location of the Walt Disney Hometown Museum.

For more details on these Disney Missouri locations, visit our companion site 2719 Hyperion.

Today's Music:
"Lost Highway" - Johnny Horton
"The Road and the Radio" - Kenny Chesney
"East of the Rockies" - Bobby Darin and Johnny Mercer
"Kansas City" - Charlotte Greenwood
"Kansas City" - Fats Domino
"Meet Me in St. Louis" - Judy Garland.
"St. Louis Blues" - Louis Prima
"You Came a Long Way From St. Louis - Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney

Listen to the entire Boom-Pop! Road Trip playlist on Spotify!
Check out our Disney-related Road Trip posts on 2719 Hyperion.

Go West Young Man! Moab, UT to Ellis, KS

A very long drive today with great scenery early on and monotony through the late afternoon and evening.  We started the day in Arches National Park.  This is definitely a hiking park; of the park's 2000 arches, only a few are visible from the road.  Still a stunning location, but our timetable did not permit any extended time out of the car.

Interstate 70 through Utah and Colorado was stunning, especially the climb through the Rocky Mountains.  We took a detour to Mount Evans just west of Denver.  It was well worth it.

Another long day of driving today through Kansas and Missouri.  Not much in the way of scenery or pop culture.

Today's Music:
"Don't Fence Me In" - Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters
"Lost River" - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
"Springtime in the Rockies" - Don Edwards
"On the Road" - John Denver
"I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado" - John Denver
"You Wild Colrado" - Johnny Cash
"The Colorado Trail" - Don Edwards
"Rocky Mountain High" - John Denver
"Rocky Mountain Moon" - Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong

Listen to the entire Boom-Pop! Road Trip playlist on Spotify!
Check out our Disney-related Road Trip posts on 2719 Hyperion.

Go West Young Man! St. George, UT to Moab, UT

Today was more scenery than pop culture.  We started the day in Zion National Park and the scenery was jaw-dropping.  Like the Grand Canyon, photos do not do justice to the reality of this amazing place.

That's a bus in the distance to give you an idea of the scale involved.

From Zion, we headed east into the northern edge of Arizona.  The scenery remained constant (as in eye-popping) and we soon found ourselves at Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Dam.

Next stop was Monument Valley and some film history pop culture.

Goulding's Trading Post was frequently director John Ford's base of operations when filming many of his classic western films such as She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and The Searchers.

The panoramas were every bit as impressive as when Ford committed them to celluloid.

The trading post building and a smaller out building were prominently featured in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.  The smaller building is now called John Wayne's Cabin and the interior is a recreation of the original studio sound stage set.

Tomorrow we begin our day at Arches National Park, then continue into Colorado and the Rocky Mountains.

Today's Music:
"Road Trippin'" - Steve Wariner
"Blacktop" - Carey Colvin
"Real Gone" - Sheryl Crow
"Everyday is a Winding Road" - Sheryl Crow
"Highwayman" - The Highwaymen
"Running on Empty" - Jackson Browne

Listen to the entire Boom-Pop! Road Trip playlist on Spotify!
Check out our Disney-related Road Trip posts on 2719 Hyperion.

Go West Young Man! Victorville, CA to St. George, UT

Our shortest day of travel and a nice break despite driving through the heart of Las Vegas. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.  At the beginning of the day we found ourselves back in the Mojave desert.

Before arriving in sin city, we made a quick stop in Goodsprings, Nevada.  It was significant to my son Jake as a location in the video game Fallout 3.  I was interested in its history relating to the tragic deaths of Carole Lombard and 21 others when their plane crashed into nearby Potosi Mountain on January 16, 1942.  (More in a future post).  In Goodsprings, we visited the Pioneer Saloon and Goodsprings General Store.  Potosi Mountain can be seen looking north behind these two establishments.

A cruise up and down the Vegas strip was enough for us.

Despite the 107 degrees temperture, I did jump out of the car for a photo of the iconic Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign.

Heading north, we experienced a spectacular drive on I-15 through the Virgin River Gorge, but unfortunately did not get any photos.

Tomorrow is an early start to beat the crowds at Zion National Park, then head east through Monument Valley.

Today's Music:
"Let's Go to Vegas" - Faith Hill
"Viva Las Vegas" - Elvis Presley
"One Step Over the Line" - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
"Movin' Right Along" - Kermit and Fozzie
"Lost Highway" - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
"Thunderstorms and Neon Signs" - Wayne Hancock
"Nothin' But the Taillights" - Clint Black

Listen to the entire Boom-Pop! Road Trip playlist on Spotify!
Check out our Disney-related Road Trip posts on 2719 Hyperion.

Go West Young Man! Southern California

Today we escaped the escaped the boundaries of Disney fantasy and headed out to discover some Disney reality.  We headed to Los Feliz to track down Disney-related locations from the 1920s and 193os.  Our companion site 2719 Hyperion will showcase the details in an upcoming post.

From Los Feliz we headed into Hollywood looking for nostalgia and history, only to discover a three-block tourist trap (gravitating outward from the Hollywood and Highland complex) that was annoying and unsettling.  We were able to filter out a few highlights amidst the tour barkers and unlicensed gratuity begging costumed characters.

 There was not a problem with the camera nor the exposure.  That's air pollution,

The highlight of the day was the Warner Bros. VIP Studio Tour.  It was a terrific two hours showcasing the studio's massive Burbank complex and a stark and welcome contrast to the shenanigans we encountered on Hollywood Boulevard.

 On our way out of Burbank, we took a quick look at the Walt Disney Studios.  Sadly, the only tours they offer are special event tours via D23 or as a premium from their Disney Movie Rewards program.

Finally, we had a pleasant surprise when Google Maps routed us through the San Gabriel Mountains via the Angeles National Forest Highway so to avoid evening rush hour on the major highways.

Today's Music:
"Get Your Kicks on Route 66" - Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters
"California Dreamin'" - The Mamas and the Papas
"Barstow" - Bill Morrissey
"Hotel California" - The Eagles
"City of the Angels" - Fred Astaire
"I Love L.A." - Randy Newman
"Hooray for Hollywood" - Rosemary Clooney
"Boulevard" - Jackson Browne

Listen to the entire Boom-Pop! Road Trip playlist on Spotify!
Check out our Disney-related Road Trip posts on 2719 Hyperion.

Go West Young Man! Disneyland!

Today was the first of two days at the Disneyland Resort.  Check 2719 Hyperion for Disney-related trip posts.  We'll be back on Friday after exploring Hollywood, Burbank and other Los Angeles locations.

Go West Young Man! Flagstaff, AZ to Anaheim, CA

Not quite the breakneck pace of our first three days, but still many miles and many great sights from Flagstaff to Anaheim by way of the Grand Canyon.  The Grand Canyon--well it speaks for itself, and no photos can do it justice.  But here's a few anyway.

 Just south of the Grand Canyon on Route 64 is Bedrock City, an authentic 1970s era roadside attraction that is struggling for relevance and ultimately survival in the 21st century.  It is up for sale, so its quite likely that its days are numbered.  Look for a complete tour in a future post.

Across the beautiful, albeit desolate Mojave Desert. 

Route 66 sites in Kingman, Needles and Ludlow.

We'll be at Disneyland for the next two days.  Check 2719 Hyperion for Disney-related recaps.  We'll hit the road again Friday.

Today's Music:
"Route 66" - Michael Martin Murphey
"Used to Be" - Red Dirt Rangers
"Arizona" - Mark Lindsey
"The Ghost of Tom Joad" - Bruce Springsteen
"Our Town" - James Taylor
"Tequila Sunrise" - The Eagles
"Road Runner" - Bo Diddley
"Highway 61 Revisited" - Bob Dylan
"Lonesome Town" - Ricky Nelson
"Pink Cadillac" - Bruce Springsteen
"66 Highway Blues" - Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seegar

Listen to the entire Boom-Pop! Road Trip playlist on Spotify!
Check out our Disney-related Road Trip posts on 2719 Hyperion.