Friday, December 31, 2021

Book of Boba (mild spoilers)

 Caught the first episode of the new series just the other day, and I really liked it, but I can tell it already has some of the same problems that the Mandalorian did. Some reviewers called it boring (which I very much disagree with). However, I admit they don't establish much of an overarching story and they don't really explain why Boba is doing what he is doing. They do go over how he escaped the Sarlacc, which was cool from a fan's perspective, but useless to any story they want to do going forward (and totally moot if you watched The Mandalorian at all). 

I know it's the same writers/producers working here, but I hope they break out of the same problems the Mandalorian had. In that they don't just follow a monster of the week routine, and actually add some depth and progression to the story, world, and characters. Either way, I still liked it and will be eagerly awaiting the next episode to see where they take the show.

Thursday, December 30, 2021

Paul, you suck

Recently, Sony announced a new Ghostbusters collection that would include the first, second, and Afterlife movies, and predictably, Paul Fieg started crying on social media about his 2016 "Ghostbusters" movie not being included in it. Some people and news outlets have actually defended him in his actions but I would have to very disrespectfully disagree with supporting him. Normally, I might agree that perhaps he needs some consideration, but I'm in the camp that agrees he's a whiny little moron for the following reasons. He has:

1. Admitted he made the movie because he was begged to and or was forced to do so by the studio, and admits it was just crapped out, then tries to defend it at every turn. Dude, you had enough clout at the time to get a job somewhere else, you fool.

2 He also admits to being given complete creative control over the film and script, and decided to do a shitty remake/reboot instead of an original story (or one that builds on the original universe), so no sympathy there.

3. He then insults the original fan-base for not liking his idea of remaking a beloved classic with only mediocre talent and writing, and resorts to calling fans racist, sexist, man-babies after the film is released.

4. He then also defended the movie as empowering to women, which I would argue that it's not empowering if you have to steal the entire story/formula of the first movie, while mocking/putting down all the men your film, but what do I know?

5. He also insults the fans by making every male in his movie either an idiot, evil, ignorant or mean, and includes some of the original Ghosbusters actors in that mess. Don't you DARE tell me Bill Murray that doesn't have what it takes to be a Ghostbuster.

6. Speaking of insulting fans and the original cast, he was the prick that used his leverage with Sony to threaten to sue the original cast if they didn't make a cameo just to insult them in his movie! Fieg was also subsequently escorted off the Sony lot for his toxic bullcrap.

7. Now, he gets pissed off for not being included in this GB collection when he himself said he doesn't want it to be associated with the original universe, then pisses off fans again when he insults them for pointing this out.

If this guy had just kept his mouth shut, he would not have been hounded and mocked by fans anywhere near as much as he is today. He's the one who continues to pipe up and whine or insult people to continue the flame war. Pretty sure if you're going on twitter to whine about GB fans when you threatened to sue while admitting your movie sucks, YOU are the man-baby. 

Coming from a guy who insults fans who make cars and proton packs to not only celebrate their fandom, but also help many charities and children along the way. Proud to be an asshole in that case.

Yup
UPDATE: I wrote this post on the 28th and was planning on posting later, then it turns out that Doomcock beat me to the punch with a video from his stream (I know the stream happens a while before the video is posted, but I don't generally watch the streams on his channel. Sorry, Doomcock) Link to the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kPJl8RumpQ.

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Interesting times

Got this one from the r/coldwar sub on Reddit. It's a very underappreciated sub (and is constantly mistaken for a Call of Duty sub by people who don't know how to read), but is still chock full of all sorts of interesting stuff from days gone by, obviously with a focus on east-west relations. This is from user samstanley7 who posted a picture of a travel advisory from the US passport office given to his grandfather about traveling to the GDR (East Germany). It's full of political rhetoric about how it's not a real country, as the US did not recognize it as such until the 70s or so. Just fun to give it a read to see the tensions of the time. 

You can also see the original post here if you are interested: https://www.reddit.com/r/coldwar/comments/rdbezn/theres_some_real_shade_in_this_travel_advisory/

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Custom build

Well, it's time to get back to work, no more holiday time of for me. One thing we did during the holiday was to go to a cool little local place that is all about creating custom lego characters.

I feel a bit sheepish for not getting pictures of the place while we were there, but I suppose you can just go to their site to check it out for yourself: https://minifigureamerica.com/what-we-sell

The place is pretty amazing and the not only allow for you to build just characters, but all sorts of stuff, as well as it having DVDs and also being a bookstore at the same time. We were there because we wanted to treat our niece to building her own, but I couldn't help but make a few myself as it was just such a good time. If you or someone you know is a lego fanatic, this is the place to go. 

Friday, December 24, 2021

Merry Christmas

 As the years creep by I see more and more apathy on my favorite holiday of the year. This time around, I think my feelings this year are perfectly summed up by the excellent firydeth on youtube:

May you all have a wonderful holiday

Thursday, December 23, 2021

Finally off of work for the holidays

 

Blogging may be light the next few days, so just wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and give them my love. 

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Just don't mention the Falklands....or nazis

 A friend of mine worked with someone who was from Argentina, and my friend just had to ask him, "So is it true? You know about all the Nazis down there?" to which the guy from Argentina replied, "Oh yeah, it's an open secret around there."

Joking about socialists aside, there is a very renowned and very tasty little Argentinian restaurant in the Layton, UT area called Argentine Corner that is very much worth checking out. I've been to a couple of little Argentinian places before but was not impressed until coming to this one. Their website gives a pretty good glimpse at what to expect (other than the poorly optimized website). But yeah, if you are in the neighborhood, give 'em a try.

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Time for a radio show

 As I have stated many a time before, I generally don't care for most social media, but I have to give a big thanks to Instagram for introducing me to the fantastic Official F-14 Tomcat Podcast. 

It's hosted by a guy who grew up next to the Calverton factory, who's father worked there (and provides a part of the intro).  They often have Pilots and RIOs as guests, but also feature a lot of maintainers and Grumman factory workers, too. If you have any love for the last of the superfighters, give it a listen. 

Monday, December 20, 2021

Twitter is still a cesspool

So you really have to treasure the rare times it's got fun or interesting stuff on there. Some guy made a fun little compilation of him "reloading" various household items like they are weapons in Half-Life and it's nothing short of awesome.


Sunday, December 19, 2021

Because I don't get tired of Christmas music

and it's hard to tire of the classics:

Handel's Messiah is pretty hard to beat

Saturday, December 18, 2021

Why not a college degree?

Many people over the years (since I was a teenager) have told me something along the lines of, "Hey, Saint Grendel, if you love history so much, why don't you get a degree in it and get a job as a professor, teacher, or work in a museum?" then they would get upset with me when I tell them it's a worthless degree. Well, to argue my point for me, is someone with more qualifications than I:


I'm not a fan of the "adult entertainment" industry, but you can't accuse people that work in it as being anything other than hard working self-starters. Because I know I wouldn't want to deal with ANY of the crap they put up with when I clock into work. 

I mean, yeah it's funny, but in all seriousness, most museum workers don't make much, and most of them are actually volunteers. Even curators don't make that much money. Heck, I'm already making the same as the median income for the average museum curator in the US right now. All while having NO degree to speak of (not even high school). 

Other than that argument though, I sure as hell don't want to be a teacher, because I don't want to be a thinly veiled propagandist or babysitter (which is what most teachers are these days). That, and the easiest way to lose passion for something you love is to turn it into your job, especially when it's one you don't own. I'd rather develop a marketable skill that I don't mind, or one I mildly enjoy that makes me more money and just let my hobbies be my hobbies. 

Friday, December 17, 2021

Not all tragedy

The subject of POW camps in Utah is kind of overshadowed by both the Japanese internment camps and the Salina Midnight Massacre. Both are rightly remembered as some of the largest injustices in the US at the time. 

However, it's also good to remember some of the little, more mundane things as well. There were a large number of POW camps in Utah for the obvious security reason of its remoteness, and also for keeping prisoners occupied in local agricultural or construction tasks, as most able-bodied men were in military service. Finding info on them, at least for me, proved elusive for some time until relatively recently.

Clearfield Navy Depot (now a business district known as Freeport Center) was one area that housed a number of mostly Italian POWs who assisted in the running of the operations at the depot. If you aren't familiar with the facility, The History Guy on youtube has a nice little primer on it

Another location familiar to most people in the Salt Lake area is Fort Douglas that also housed POWs during WWII as well. A very appreciated resource I found on the subject was the Taylorsville, Utah city website which has a nice map and listing of POW camp locations along with a listing of museums that have info on the subject.

A picture of the map of locations from the aforementioned Taylorsville city article.

In an article by the Utah Humanities site it clarifies that POWs were not used as slave labor, but were paid an average of $0.80 a day, and were able to organize many extra curricular activities and groups, which included playing in orchestras, watching movies,  and helping to provide education as well (to themselves or the locals is unclear). However, it's also interesting to note that after Italy's surrender, the Italian POWs were allowed weekend leave from their camps. In the same article it states that many inmates of Utah's POW camps were interviewed in the late 60s about their treatment, and they overwhelmingly stated that they were treated fairly. Some were said to have actually stayed and married local women after the war.  

Some sample pictures of POWs taken from the article at the Taylorsville website. 

All in all, a pretty interesting thing to learn more about. 

Thursday, December 16, 2021

Imagination and creativity

Much like I have always said when it comes to sequels, spinoffs, and prequels of movies or shows, I think it takes far more creativity and imagination to work within someone else's rules and/or universe. I think if you manage to make a sequel (or what have you) that is just as popular if not more popular than the first while not alienating the built in fans or mocking/disregarding the universe or characters, you've got far more talent than just coming up with an original creation, as that only requires you to obey the rules that you yourself have set. 

The difference here being that I don't think gun laws should be respected, or in some cases even adhered to, but I will say that sometimes it does force some incredible ingenuity out of people. Take for example the types of CA, NJ and NY compliant guns and the people that buy them and subsequently modify to make them suck less. 

Just found this little ditty on Reddit's r/guns recently, and I have to say, it is a beauty. Normally I really hate the look of state compliant guns, but this one from a user called thebowski really pulled it off with the good looks here:

Also the guy has a good sense of humor for calling it the Fudd-15

Wow. I wouldn't mind getting something like THAT out of the box, even if I don't have to deal with dumb compliance restrictions. Can you believe that's still basically an AR15 under there? What's even better is that this sucker is chambered for .450 Bushmaster, so you could wreck some bear's day with it if you wanted to. This guy did a lot of work to it, and he describes his build in the post, but I just have to say, dang good job.

For those not in the know, here's a .450 Bushmaster (on the left) next to the standard .223cal/5.56mm AR-15 round (on the right).

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

First pilot on my block with a confirmed kill

If you're an aviation aficionado and haven't stopped by the Hush-Kit site, you really should. They always have articles that are at bare minimum interesting and entertaining if not also very informative. They self-describe themselves a kind of "Top Gear for aviation" and it's not a bad comparison. 

Recently, they put up an article about the top scoring WWII aircraft by kill count on the site and they do so to help illustrate that the Supermarine Spitfire is likely the top scoring aircraft type, instead of the P-51 Mustang. Their reasoning being that it served nearly the duration of the entire war, in ever increasing numbers, and served in every theater. Here's the kill counts they came up with along with their sources (methods are described on the article):

I don't doubt their numbers for the Spitfire kills being fairly accurate, but I'm curious as to the other allied aircraft numbers. As with all things historical, there will be many different accounts, records, missing records, and misinformation to deal with when doing such research, but I found their numbers interesting to compare to the numbers found on the Warbirds and Airshows site (even though the Warbird's site's is meant to be strictly American pilots, not overall victories by type). 

Interesting to note, is the (apparent) debunking of the P-38 and it's "most Japanese kills" claim. However, the real interesting bit is the discrepancy of the tallying of the P-51 compared to Hush-Kit's and I would certainly think the accounting here is likely more accurate than at Hush Kit (no offense to them). Although, the numbers for the F6F Hellcat is much closer when comparing the two.

Also to note, is that this second tally is meant to be only American victories, and doesn't take into account all other allied nations flying the same aircraft, which I suspect would be no small contribution to swing the numbers even more in the P-51's favor. Although, I wonder if the (albeit minuscule) victories by Americans in Spitfires was accounted into the Husk-Kit numbers as well. 

Is the Mustang still king of the skies during WWII?  Or is it really the Spitfire?  I dunno and I'm too lazy to do all of the research myself. 

Lastly, as a fun thought, the Spitfire was there for nearly the entire war is true, but that just seems to make the Hellcat's numbers even that more impressive, as it was only in the war for a couple of years. 

If you ask me, the real lesson here is: Fly Navy!

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Provo is the worst place in America

You know there are some good things about the city of Provo, but for the most part, I absolutely hate it. First off, the streets there are a jumbled mess compared to the elsewheres of Utah. Instead of a sensible, simple grid system, you have the "I threw up my spaghetti on a map" style of city planning, making it frustrating to even find your way on or off the freeway. 

Next is all the obnoxious advertising for the no-name, D-list movies that are more poorly made than the average Hallmark movie, along with all the other Mormon-targeted advertising. Look, if you have to advertise to only a specific demographic, your "entertainment" product more than likely sucks...really bad (and I say that as a Mormon) 

Then, there's the people that congregate there. I dunno what it is, but the majority just seem terrible. Everyone I know that has lived there comments on the toxicity of the people who all seem two faced and impolite. I can also agree that everyone I've interacted with there are either incredibly rude or too stupid to know how basic human interaction works. 

Even in businesses, I'll be completely ignored when looking for help and just left to my own devices because the owner or person behind the counter is "busy" having a conversation about random crap. It's like Provo is the biggest version of a small town with all the worst aspects of one and none of the benefits. Despite Provo also being a huge hub for new and or startup businesses, it's also the biggest place I know of where every kind of pyramid scheme imaginable is just rampant there

Lastly, there's BYU. A lot of good things do come out of BYU, but let's face it, it's just kind of overshadowed by all the bat-crap insanity that comes from there as well. For example:

https://nypost.com/2021/09/27/what-is-soaking-the-mormon-teen-sex-act-going-viral/

Sorry for posting that, but people in Provo are just crazy enough to do it. It makes me sad. I don't take the title lightly either, as I have lived in San Francisco and been through Oakland, CA a number of times, too. So, can you guess I had to go there recently?

Monday, December 13, 2021

The triumph of man over evil

I may have written about the Christmas truce of 1914 on here before, but I don't know if I've written about the movie made about it that has quickly become a tradition in our house to watch it every year.  


Joyeux Noël is a french made film from 2005 that compiles some of the traditional stories from the 1914 truce. It's exceptionally well made, and perfectly encapsulates the triumph of humanity and kindness in the face of a pointless war. I would highly recommend it to any one who wants an actually good Christmas movie when wading through the drecks of hallmark-level fodder that is spewed out this time of yer. 

As far as I can tell, there are no places to officially watch it for free, but most places that do stream it, only change about $4 for it, so I would say it's worth every penny. 

Sunday, December 12, 2021

Sunday songs

Saint Motel - The Moment

Saturday, December 11, 2021

I'm no nerd

All growing up, I considered myself a nerd. However the one thing that all my friends loved that I never did was the entire genre of high fantasy. Especially Tolkien and Lord of the Rings. Everyone I know was into both the books and the movies, but I just couldn't enjoy either. 

Now later on, I was recently watching the movies again with the family, and I can still say that I can appreciate the great technological accomplishment the films are, and the immense work that Tolkien did to complete his novels (like inventing the elvish language to say the least). I think they are both monumental works in their fields, but they still bore me to tears, and the only fantasy story that keeps my attention is Star Wars because it's in a sci-fi setting, even if it's not a sci-fi story. 

I dunno, I'm I just the weird one here? I'm not crapping on Tolkien or the movies, I'm just not entertained by them or most other fantasy stories. But as for something that is at least interesting if not entertaining is this:

Friday, December 10, 2021

Holiday Cheer

There are not only an endless sea of adaptions of Charles Dickens' a Christmas Carol, but a good majority of them, I would think are all pretty good.  However one stands out as being unforgettable in my family's mind and that is the one from 1984 with George C. Scott playing the famous Mr. Scrooge. 

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to be one of the more remembered versions by the public at large, and is kind of hard to come by. If you have an Amazon Prime subscription and pay for the paramount + package, it's available there, but for the unwashed masses, the only place I could find it for free was at tubi (with commercials, of course. Ugh.)

It ain't perfect, but George C Scott is worth the watch for anything he is in. I mean, with a reputation of The Changeling, Dr. Strangelove, and The Rescuers Down Under he can do no wrong. 

On the opposite side of the spectrum, how in the hell does Tig Notaro have a career in show biz? That woman is supposedly a comedian and I sat through over an hour long special without laughing once. Wish I could get that time back, as it wasn't even entertaining in any other way either. 

Of course, it figures that she would be a big fixture on STD, because that franchise isn't entertaining anymore either, and hiring talentless dolts is their specialty. Heaven forbid that franchise mean anything fun or interesting to anyone anymore. 

UPDATE: Totally forgot to mention George is most famous for his portrayal in Patton as well! Silly me. 

Thursday, December 9, 2021

Whew!

Had a nightmare last night where I was late for work, then woke up, then was late for work again then I actually woke up. So yeah, not quite fully defrosted yet this morning. Maybe I'll post something later when I'm feeling more coherent. 

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

more retro gaming

With the Battlefield franchise slipping further up it's own orifice by trying to be more like COD, I've been really enjoying my time replaying Battlefield 2 again. The bone stock game kinda shows it's age, but with mods, it's still a great time to be had. 

I've probably mentioned it here before, but my far and away my favorite mods for BF2 (in order this time) are:

MG3s and G36s everywhere. I love it.

Point of Existence 2: I can't praise this mod enough. The setting is very original with mostly the fights being between Germany and Ukraine. The mod is fantastically balanced, extremely well-polished, and stable for any mod along with excellent models and animations. Best BF2 mod by far.

Crazy vehicles galore in AIX.

Allied Intent Extended: Specifically built for Co-Op with friends and is insanely over the top fun. really powerful vehicles and weapons abound. Not quite as well polished, but still extremely fun with a plethora of maps; just be prepared to have to deal with nearly a dozen installers (worth it).

Great for those missing the BF Vietnam days but don't want the old crappy engine.

Eve of Destruction 2: Vietnam is back with this one. The vehicle play and maps are not overly well balanced (a common problem with BF2 mods), but the Vietnam setting and equipment is well done and still fun. No single player support, though from what I remember. 

The best part is that these mods all still work and there's even more big mods still being developed that you can check up on at ModDB. There's all sorts of stuff in the works that show some promise, like Alpha project, a Warhammer 40k mod, and one that restores it back to a WW2 setting. 

The only problem now is that all my joysticks are broken and I'll need a good one for the helicopter and jet action. It's the only way to fly. Pics all from ModDB.

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Bat bitten

Early Last month I wrote on here about my experience taking a short flight with my brother and then encountering a Vampire on the flightline. I had misplaced my actual photos of the experience, but thankfully my Mom had found the copies I had sent her about it at the time. So, without further delay here it is:

I certainly prefer the wartime camo paint to the newer black racing job. Note the gorgeous Grumman Albatross in the background, too. 

A nice view of the Wasatch Mountains from the air on our flight. 


The last picture here is from a nice little stop we made at the Utah National Guard West Jordan Armory.  The gate guard here being a nice Vietnam era Huey gunship. The place is still home to the 211th Aviation Regiment with an ANG AH-64 Apache attack squadron, a UH-60 Medevac unit, Aircraft Maintenance Unit, and the 23rd Army Band. I tried to find if there was any more detailed history on the unit, but I didn't have much time and results were sparse after a cursory google search.  

Monday, December 6, 2021

Precious Resources

Just heard on the news last night that the last of the men from Easy Company, 506th Airborne has passed away recently. His name is Edward Shames, and he certainly has quite the story to tell, with some amazing accomplishments. I'll link to the article here, just be sure to give it a read, as it's not worth missing:

https://www.dailywire.com/news/last-surviving-band-of-brothers-officer-a-jewish-soldier-who-toasted-his-sons-bar-mitzvah-with-cognac-stolen-from-hitlers-eagles-nest-dies-at-99?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=benshapiro

Pretty sure I've mentioned how much I like the HBO adaptation of their story here before, as I can't think of a more accurate and respectful telling of that story on film. That being said, here's the fantastic and memorable intro to the show. 

I've also suggested to the family to make it a traditional viewing on every June 6th, and people seemed to really like the idea, and enjoyed it the first time around. Gotta also now see if we can watch The Pacific as well, since no one in my wife's side of the family has seen it yet. 


Sunday, December 5, 2021

Aint got nothin

If you tell me modern pop music can compare to stuff like this, I'll have to respectfully disagree.

Eddie Floyd - Knock on Wood (Remastered)

Saturday, December 4, 2021

Dang shames and high points

Was going to give another shout out to an awesome local restaurant (well, somewhat local), and then just come to find out a few minutes ago from a friend that the place just closed. Crap! Well, I'll press F to pay respects to the formerly wonderful Chile Amore restaurant in Bountiful. 

In other news, I took my father in law to go see the new Ghostbusters Afterlife movie yesterday, which makes it the third time I've seen it in theaters.  I'm trying to remember the last time I payed to see a movie that many times in a theater, and it's been so long, I just can't recall it. Though, I have a suspicion it was the last Incredibles movie. Basically, go see it if you still have a chance, it's worth supporting.

Totally worth it.

Friday, December 3, 2021

One big project

On a roll with these movie posts recently, but bear with me. The wife just found a neat little podcast the day before yesterday called Dis-Order which goes into pretty great depth on the behind the scenes trivia and details of the productions on Disney movies. I'm not the biggest fan of Disney in the world, but there are a lot of underappreciated gems that are among my favorite movies that I'd love to hear more on. Some of which are: The RocketeerThe Emperor's New Groove (both of which I know they have an episodes on), Flight of the Navigator, and The Black Hole. Their goal is to go through all the Disney movies,which is a pretty tall order and they are only on their second season. 

They haven't gotten to most of my favorites, but even some of Disney's more standard fare would be pretty interesting too, like Lilo and StitchA Goofy Movie, and Tangled would be some I'd like to listen to. Had a good time listening to a few already with the wife and I'm planning on binging more of 'em during the slow hours of work. 

Thursday, December 2, 2021

Modern zombies came from vampires

I love the story of I Am Legend, and I have watched the adaptations to films starring Charlton Heston and Will Smith (the latter being good but a bit inferior to the prior). Strange though, that I had never seen the first adaptation to film, The Last Man on Earth starring the late, great Vincent Price until now.

I was utterly enthralled with it, as it does a far better job than the newer films of building an atmosphere of loneliness and despair. It makes the job of surviving the post-apocalypse alone seem more of a routine shambling than living, along with a bit more terror. 

It's especially more effective in the horror, as it's a far more accurate adaptation of the book, in that it distinguishes that there are two types of vampires in the world, the more shambling zombie-like hoards and the more cerebral predators who can more carefully reason and think. Either way, both are willing to feed on their own when a lack of food presents itself. This makes Dr Morgan's life even more depressing in this version of the story, as he is constantly collecting and burning the bodies in a futile attempt to stop the spread of the disease. It also makes his hunting of the vampires far more personal and disturbing, as he's not able to use a gun, and has to stake them himself to prevent them form coming back. 

Freaking disturbing

As for the legacy of the movie and the title of this post, it's funny that the book it is based on won an award for it's depiction of vampires, with Interview With A Vampire losing out to it. Yet nowadays, Anne Rice's work practically defines the vampire genre, and I Am Legend is nearly alone in it's style of vampires. The only other work I can think of to use it, would be the anime Hellsing. 

However, it's legacy is not completely lost, as George Romero has stated this as his primary inspiration for making Night of the Living Dead and thus starting the zombie genre as we know it today. In a funny apocryphal quote, when Richard Matheson (the author and screenwriter) watched Night of the Living Dead and had afterwards confronted Romero about having adapted his work without permission, Romero put his hands in the air and stated emphatically, "I didn't make any money on the movie either!"

They also used extras for most of the bodies, making his handling of them very authentic and saddening.

For such a low budget film, it holds up really well, but some of that does show, especially in the action scenes. Overall, I still love it far more than the other two adaptations. If you have a chance, be sure to give it a try, as I think it's certainly the most true adaptation to the book.  Just be sure to watch it in the original black and white version, as it adds to the disturbing aesthetic as well as the colorized version being just inferior. 

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

On a rail

I think all young boys go through a phase in which they are crazy about trains at some point or another, and I was no exception. I'm not as crazy about them now, but what I would really like to do is take my wife's family to Jamestown and Sonora, California to ride the Sierra Railroad. 

It's got a great museum there, that has some interesting history tied to the gold rush and mines in the area (with the mines closed as recently as 1994). It's also the location for plenty of movies, which I mentioned on this blog before

However, what I really remember it for is the filming of a majority of Back to the Future III there. Totally not ashamed to admit it's the sole reason for me wanting to go back with the wife's family, despite the sets having burned down in a wildfire many years ago.  Thankfully, as a kid, I was able to see it before it being lost to time by the fire, but I still think it would be a really cool family trip to take, as we are all big fans of the trilogy.

Just a shame that it's not there anymore.

If we have time, I also stumbled across a fun interactive map of filming locations for the movie, that would be a fun trip to go on as well.