DP Tool Club 8/CDASC08.ISO/VRAC/CALITRAV.ZIP/CALIF.TRV

Text File | 1993-09-04 | 31KB | 654 lines

::Title:        California compilation
::Compiled by:  Mark Nowak <[e-mail]>
::Filename:     north_america/usa/california/california.misc
::Date:         ** not maintained **
::Type:         Compilation
::Note:         Volunteer needed to maintain this file
::
This and other travel information is available by anonymous ftp from
ccu.umanitoba.ca (130.179.16.8) in the directory /pub/rec-travel.

For more information about the rec.travel archives, contact Brian
Lucas <[e-mail]>.

========================================================================

From: [e-mail] (Ken Lee)
Subject: Re: Coastal California (plus Yosemite) vacation
Organization: DEC Western Software Laboratory
Date: Fri, 29 May 92 17:37:24 GMT

|>      - What kind of weather are we likely to see in San Francisco?
|>           Several people have told me it's likely to be foggy and
|>           drizzly and only in the 60's; is that really true, or will
|>           it be hotter/summertime weather by then?

Yes, San Francisco is foggy and cool during the summer.  Nearby areas can be
much warmer, though.  San Jose, just an hour away, is usually 20 to 30
degrees warmer.

|>      - We've left two days for driving between Carmel/Monterey and
|>           Santa Barbara (via the Big Sur), spending the night in
|>           Cambria.  I've heard that the driving is beautiful but very
|>           slow along this scenic route; how much time should we expect
|>           to spend on this drive?

You can easily drive it in half a day.  It's only slow if you're following a
RV and can't get around it.  If you stay in your car, you'll miss most of the
best scenery, though.  I'd recommend a couple of half day hikes at some of
the state parks along the way.  It doesn't really matter which park, they're
all great.  The trails will take you up among the cliffs/waterfalls and/or
down to the beaches.

|>      - Are there any summer festivals, crafts fairs, folk music
|>           concerts, or other special events that we should look for?
|>           Any July 4th holiday events in Carmel/Monterey?  Maybe a
|>           good fireworks display?

The visitor's bureaus in those towns or the concierge at your hotel should
have this kind of info.
--
Ken Lee
DEC Western Software Laboratory, Palo Alto, Calif.
Internet: [e-mail]
uucp: uunet!decwrl!klee




From: [e-mail] (Markus Schichtel)
Subject: Re: First time in California:  need advice
Date: 6 Jun 92 08:23:00 GMT
Organization: C.A.T. Kommunikations-System

Eva Zeisky ([e-mail]):
> Hello!
>
> My husband,  daughters 13 and 16 and I will be flying to
> San Diego in mid-August for one week; we've never been
> to California and would  like some suggestions on how to
> best utilize our  6 short days.  In addition to San Diego we
> would  like to include Los Angeles,  Santa Barbara, and
> cross over to Mexico.  We would appreciate your advice on
  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I would not recommend crossing the border i.e. going to Tijuana.
There nothing to seee but dirt dirt dirt.Also there are a lot of beggars
hanging around.

> what are the  "must see" places at each of these locations.
>                ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Here is a list of places you need to see in San Diego
    1) Embarcadero   Square at the waterfront with little shops
    2) Coronado Island   Beautiful beach with the famous Coronado Hotel
    3) San Diego Zoo
    4) Balboa Park
    5) Sea world     (exhibtion of sea mammals like orcas and dolphins)
    6) San Diego Harbor     Take a tour (2h) across the harbor
    7) Horton Plaza          The to be place for shopping
    8) The Hotel Bar   My favorite restaurant in the old harbor district
               on 5th street I believe (have the best cheese cake)
Here is a list of interesting places in L.A.
    1) Universal studios
    2)Exposition Park   with the big IMAX theatre
    3) Disneyland in Anaheim
    4) Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove
    5) Spruce goose and Queen Mary in Long Beach
    6) Griffith Park with Observatory (Gorgeous view at night)
    7) Mann's Theatre and the Golden Mile

furthermore don't miss those nice beach cities like Laguna Beach, Corona del
Mar and Newport Beach when travelling up north form S.D. to L.A.



---
  Markus Schichtel ([e-mail])
  C.A.T. Kommunikations-System, Frankfurt, Germany






From: [e-mail] (Marlena Libman)
Subject: Thanks for the La Jolla, Calif. Info
Date: 18 Jun 1992 16:39:18 -0700
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Just a big THANKS to all the people who wrote me with advice
on places to eat, and things to do and see during my recent
business trip to La Jolla.

I was fortunate on the drive down from LA in that there was no
blocking construction on the 5 and the only delay I experienced was
some crawling for no apparent reason on the stretch of the 5
near Katella in Buena Park, at around 10:15 a.m.  As I drove
through the Camp Pendleton area, I was startled to see signs
warning me that families were attempting to cross the freeway,
and to be careful.  Just as I crossed into San Diego county,
I lost the signal for KROQ, right in the middle of Oingo Boingo :^(
so I switched to 91X and was promptly introduced to a band called
(...and I'm not making this up...) Toad the Wild Sprocket (sp?)!!

La Jolla was beautiful, with temps in the 70s and a sky that was
actually a shade of blue, as opposed to the various brown tones of
Los Angeles.  The UCSD campus was so pretty with all those trees
and hills around it, and the ocean five minutes away by car.  I
got to peek at some really impressive microscopy equipment thanks
to a fellow netter (Hi, Steve!).

I worked up such an appetite during my business meetings and walking
around afterward that I decided to splurge and I ate dinner at Humphrey's
La Jolla Grill which is rated the "best seafood restaurant in San
Diego" by the Critics Choice in San Diego Magazine.  It's located
at 3299 Holiday Court off of La Jolla Village Drive, just south
of the medical school at UCSD.  I had the grilled salmon florentine,
which was a fresh grilled salmon filet with spinach julienne in sundried
tomato butter.  YUM!!  (Are you all hungry now?!)  They served these
wonderful, soft and *warmed* cracked wheat rolls (I hate cold rolls).
For the beverage I had the peach-flavored iced tea, and for dessert
I chose bananas bogart.  Every calorie was worth it.

A few other interesting moments:  as I drove southeast along Genesee
from the UCSD campus, I noticed a sign saying "No shooting allowed in
city limits."  Hmmm.  Then, entering Clairemont, I passed the
prettiest DMV building I have ever seen, at Derrick Street.  It was
amazing both for appearance and for having no lines around it.  I was
so taken by the DMV that I accidentally ...ahem... ran a little
red light but (thank all the appropriate deities) nobody saw and nobody
was around on the roads, so nothing happened.  Whew!  Unfortunately,
back in Pasadena this morning, I was cruising along at maybe slightly
higher than speed limit and suddenly spotted one of those little
white photo radar trucks, so I fear I may be getting a little
"surprise" in the mail soon.  :^(

            --Marlena



From: [e-mail] (Glen B. Glater)
Subject: Travelogue:  Sequoia Natl. Park
Date: 29 Jun 92 16:46:00 GMT
Organization: Cayman Systems Inc., Cambridge, MA

Since I asked for info here, I wanted to follow up with info about our trip.

Driving route from LA:  I-5 North to CA 99 to CA 198.  If you are in anything
bigger than a van, you might want to consider the route thru Fresno, as the
road from 198 into the park is *VERY* "twisty", with something like 25-30
switchbacks.  The road from the North, which enters thru Kings Canyon Natl.
Park and Grant Grove, is supposedly straighter.  We took the road from 198
in and out of the park.

We spent 3 days at Sequoia Natl. Park.  We had originally planned to stay
in Three Rivers, CA, and then drive up to the park daily for visits.  We
were discouraged from doing this by some folks coming out of the park,
so we booked a room at the Keweah (sp?) Lodge in the park.

Sequoia is a beautiful park.  It is very accessable to hikers, drivers,
walkers, bikers, etc. and has something for all of those groups.  Unlike
other parks such as the Grand Canyon, you don't have to be an experienced
hiker to take off into the forest.  Paths are cleared and well marked, and
range from easy to challanging.

The hotel in the park was overpriced for what they offered, but since it was
in the park, I think that it was worth it.  The options for food in the park
are a fair to OK cafeteria or a dining room (which we did not try).  There
are several stores to buy food/camping supplies.  There are also many warnings
about bears and the proper storage of food.  They are concerned that a bear
will have to be destroyed if they learn to raid camps for food.

This is the first time that I've ever really felt that I got a good feel for
a National Park (and I've been to bunches of them).  It was a great feeling
hiking around thru the Giant Forest.  Highly recommended.

One other note:  The park was not crowded at all.  Yes, the typical tourist
sites and the "driving route" had gobs of people on them, but we hiked
several of the longer trails in the park and only rarely encountered any other
people, and never any bears (dispite the warnings).

My advice:  Go there, stay in the park, have a blast.

Glen



From [e-mail] Wed Jun  2 09:52:16 1993
Return-Path: <[e-mail]>
From: Petra van Haaften <[e-mail]>
Date: Wed, 2 Jun 1993 16:52:08 +0100 (METDST)

               ***********************
               *SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK*
               ***********************

[e-mail] (Glen B. Glater) writes:
>walkers, bikers, etc. and has something for all of those groups.  Unlike
>other parks such as the Grand Canyon, you don't have to be an experienced
>hiker to take off into the forest.  Paths are cleared and well marked, and
>range from easy to challanging.

I don't agree with this statement as formulated here. TRAILS are well
marked: they are indicated by yellow triangles on trees. PATHS which are
not part of a trail, however, are not marked and not so well cleared.
TAKE A MAP with you, then there will be no problem.

There are signs on path crossings that direct to sites/parking places etc.
Following this signs does not always work, because sometimes spots are left out
on the signs. When we were in the park, we were following signs to the
Sherman Tree, until one crossing were no direction was given for the
Sherman Tree.  A couple of crossings later, it was mentioned again.
We didn't bring a map, as the article above said the paths would be well
marked, so we got lost here.

When we were in the park, half May, there was another problem. We started
our hike at Crescent Meadow. There was a lot of water and snow, and
meadows had spread outside their normal borders. At some spots the path
disappeared in snow or water, which made it quit a challenge to follow the
path. Here too, a map would be of great help!

About MAPS [e-mail] (Glen B. Glater) writes:
      ****
>The park service has several loops in both parks, great hikes and well
>marked.  You might want to try to get a map of the trails.  They had a
>fantastic one for sequoia, which included a description of the trails.

I'm not sure, but I think this might be referring to the free map, you
get on entering the park. This map gives you a good idea what the trails
are like and which will suit you best.  It is not detailed enough for
hiking outside the trails, or when you want to combine several trails.
There are more detailed maps for sale however, at the souvenir shop in
the village and at the ranger stations. We bought a map for only one
dollar, which did just fine.

We enjoyed the park VERY much, much better than the crowded Yosemite.  We
took a ten mile hike (we combined some of the marked trails and some other
paths) and we met very few people on our way. I recommend to walk one of
the longer trails: it's definitely worthwile!


----------
SANTA ROSA
----------
A nice day trip from San Francisco.  Close to Santa Rosa, there's a geyser,
called the Old Faithful.  It's one of the three geysers that work at regular
intervals (avg. 40 min).  Admission is $4.50 per person!  In the same area
you can find a petrified forest, which has the largest petrified trees in
the world (sequoias). It's very small and has a one room museum. Admission
is $3.00.  There are also a lot of wineries in this area.





From: [e-mail] (psb)
Subject: SUMMARY + REPORT (was King Canyon Advice?)
Date: 23 Jul 1992 07:27:11 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Summary: Kings Canyon, Cedar Grove area


Hi, I posted a request for info on hiking the area around Cedar Grove in
Kings Canyon. I'm enclosing a brief story about the trip and concating the
advice sent to me [I had a couple of requests for the info]. I'd like to
thank everyone who replied and apologize for not thanking them personally,
but I've been pretty busy ...

Scott and I ended up going up the Copper Creek Trail up to Granite Basin.
We got a bit of a late start and camped the first night at a very nice
camp site around 9000ft (flat ground, reasonably close to water, fire pit,
bear-bagging trees).

We spent the next day wandering around Granite Basin. We ended up not
pushing on because we got separated (because of a bonehead move Scott
pulled ... deciding to take a shortcut without waiting for me, as I
marked the trail. Of course he had all the food, iodine and map and I
had the tent, compass and apparenly the brains. Anyway, he got lost on
the way to Granite Lake and I had to do a fast traverse (with just 1/2
baguette and 1/2qt of water of the Basin up to Granite Pass looking
for him) ... fortunately yelling carried pretty well in the basin and
I eventually found him. Pretty tough to act grown up and not start screaming
at him ... so I just gritted my teeth and said "Give me some water ... now."
Between the altitude and becoming a bit dehydrated (conserving water in case
I had to go back without Scott) my nose was bleeding pretty good and I
apparently a reasonable amount had found it's way onto my t-shirt ...
considering my appearance and tone, Scott wasn't to argue. We did a pretty
rapid decent and planned to do a day hike into Paradise Valley ... but
15 minutes after we got off the mountain (about 8:30pm) a terrific thunder&
lighting storm started up ... boy was I glad I overrode Scott and decided not
to stay at the camp site at 8000ft. We saw quite a few people on the way up
nowhere near any reasonable place to pitch a tent ... the veritable UNhappy
campers I'm sure.
Given the change of weather we decided to come back to Berkeley. We stopped
off at Cedar Grove gift shop so Scott could buy a Gatoraid and I could get
a trail patch for my backpack (a pretty dinky one for the CC trail, considering
the effort!) ... I got a couple of stares from the turists ... mussed hair,
blood on shirt etc ... not quite as bad as when I got on the Yosemite Valley
bus after falling into some rapids and getting cut up in 60+ places ...

Although the CC trail wasn't the prettiest I've been on, it certainly was
one of the more satisfying ... a real workout and challenge so a pretty
satisfying sense of accomplishment during and after.

If anyone wants info on ascent/descent times, where to camp, trail capacities
etc, send me mail. I wont bore the rest of you. If you dont get one in advace,
there is a large area plastic topo map avail for $5.60 from the rangers who
issue you your wilderness pass. These are really to get an idea about the
trails ... not so good for local area orienteering. I dont think they have an
15 or 7.5 min maps of more localized areas.


Here is the net.advice. Thanks again to the sages ...
                                --psb

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From [e-mail] Sun Jul  5 14:49:08 1992

you wrote:
> two-day hike in
> Kings Canyon, probably starting from Cedar Grove. We're planning
> to get on the trail Friday morn, and start driving back to Berkeley
> early afternoon on Sunday.

>From Cedar Grove, you can't get very far in two days. A classic trip
from weekend. A nice 2-day trip is to go up to Paradise Valley and
back. Lots of bear activities in Paradise Valley (lost food to a
clever bear there once) In my opinion, Paradise Valley is a better
destination than those along Bubbs Creek.

An alternatie is to go up to Kennedy Pass and wander in the basin
above the area. However, you are talking about lots of uphill walk.

Have you considered the idea of starting your trip from Mineral King
area in Sequoie NP? The trouble with Cedar Grove is that its elevation
is fairly low (~5000 feet above sea level). You have to work hard to
get the the high country.  As I get lazier, I tend to start from
trailheads that are already high, like South Lake (near Sabrina),
Mammoth Lake, or Toulemne Meadows. Because the Sierras slopes from
west to east, then drops abruptly, trailheads on the east side of the
Sierras allow you to get to high country fast.

There are several high country loop possibilities in the Mineral King
area. Look at a topo map. Browse in your local bookstore (e.g.,
Wilderness Press's Southern Sierra guidebook.) I don't have my map or
guidebook on hand.

Samson

I usually carry quart of drinking water at the beginning of each day's
hike.  Some people drinks more. It also depends on high much uphill
work you have to do.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From makesys!makesys.COM![e-mail] Sun Jul  5 17:15:34 1992


The difficulty with short loop trips from Cedar Grove is the depth of
Kings Canyon. To get very far north of Cedar Grove one must typically
climb 4000 to 5000 feet! I've climbed up the Copper Creek trail to
Granite Lake, and it's a long, hard climb.

Lake Sabrina is pretty, but often crowded. I'd recommend driving to Big Pine
and driving up to roadend at Glacier Lodge. You can camp there, or camp higher
up by one of the lakes. Then you could climb up tp Palisade Glacier, or just
cruise up the valley. Jaw-dropping scenery!

When Tioga pass is open, it's not much harder to drive to Big Pine than to
Cedar Grove; King's Canyon is a surprisingly long drive from the Bay Area.

-sheldon white-

[e-mail]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From [e-mail] Sat Jul  4 13:52:44 1992


"Cedar Grove" (really the end of the road in Kings Cyn) is one of the
lowest trailheads in the Sierra.  The parking lot is at 5000 feet.

Trips that "get somewhere" have large altitude gains.  I once did
forty miles and 13,000 feet of altitude change (13000 gain and 13000
loss) on a two-day weekend.

"Lake of the Moon" and vicinity are an interesting place to visit, and
can be reached on a two day trip, although three would be better.
They will not be crowded.  It's about 6000' gain out of the canyon
on the Copper Creek trail.

Lake Sabrina is a trailhead far away from Cedar Grove.  Have you
looked at a map?

Bob

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From [e-mail] Mon Jul  6 10:33:04 1992

Lake of the Fallen Moon involves 5000 ft elevation gain from Cedar
Grove and crossing Granite Pass; LAke Sabrina access is from Bishop,
on the E side of the Sierra.   Usual loop from Cedar Grove is over
Glen Pass, 30 or 40 miles, not casual.  High country is a good ways
from Cedar Grove, situated as it is in the bottom of what is at one
point the deepest canyon (check out the relief at Yucca Point on your
way in) in North America.  You want high country?  Go to Yosemite
(Tuolumne meadows) or approach the Kings Canyon Sierra from the east
side.  BUT Kings Canyon is a beautiful place to hike, just go up
canyon a ways and enjoy the river and rock formations...I doubt you'll
be disappointed.  Permits are required, so get to the end of the road
the night before and queue up at dawn or before for your best choice.
Go up to Paradise valley, or else up Bubbs Creek, the major tributary
of the S Fork of the Kings.

Cheers,
Richard

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From [e-mail] Mon Jul  6 11:44:36 1992

Hi Partha,

>Hi, I'm interested in some recommendations for a two-day hike in
>Kings Canyon, probably starting from Cedar Grove. We're planning

My SO and I just returned from a trip there 3 weeks ago.  We followed a
trail from the book _Sierra South_ and were very pleased.  We left from
the Florence Lake trailhead and walked up 9 moderate miles to a small
lake called "Lost Lake".  It is a small, very beautiful lake.  There was
great fishing (even for an rank amateur like me) and a great climb around
and up the cliff on the far side of the lake to a great view in all
directions.  We hiked only in the afternoons and did this trip in 4 days,
including one layover day.  We both feel that with a earlier start, it
could be done in 3 days and still have the layover day.

Good luck finding a trip.

-Bob

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From [e-mail] Mon Jul  6 12:46:26 1992

|> any interesting destinations which someone could recommend ... I'd rather
|> not just walk n/2 miles to some arbitrary point on the trail and then
|> turn around and walk right back. I would very much prefer getting out of
|> the valley/canyon/forest into the "high country".

Hard to do in just one day from Cedar Grove, unless you're into serious self-
punishment.  Granite Lake & Granite Lake Basin, up around 8-10 K ft is a doable
weekender (though pretty brutal).  Another possibility is the Sphynx creek
loop.  Up Bubbs Creek to Sphynx Creek (brutal climb); up Sphynx Creek trail
to the Sphynx; back down along Roaring River trail.  But I don't think that's
a two day loop.

|> around Lake Sabrina, north of Kings Canyon. Comments about that place
|> (probably for a late summer trip)?

Lake Sabrina:  Fine area.  A bit of a long drive to get there.  It's out of
Bishop; near the trailhead of Bishop Pass.

|> Advice on day/night temps, how much water per person, where to camp and

Day temps at 9 Kft: In the 70's.  Night temps: 40's.  Water per person:
Lots.  Where to camp: Talk to the ranger when you get your permit.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From [e-mail] Tue Jul  7 06:40:28 1992

I just returned from Sequoia park.  Beautiful.

The park service has several loops in both parks, great hikes and well
marked.  You might want to try to get a map of the trails.  They had a
fantastic one for sequoia, which included a description of the trails.

If you are planning to hike and camp, remember that you need to get an
overnight permit before heading in.  Also, there are a zillion
warnings about bears, so be aware.

glen

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From [e-mail] Wed Jul  8 09:18:43 1992

In article <[e-mail]>, you write:

> I'd really prefer a loop, but dont know if there are any interesting
> ones managable in two days.

The shortest one is to Rae Lakes, but it's a 4-5 day trip.
Another big, but great one is over the Monarch Divide
to Simpson Meadow on the Middle Fork of the Kings River, thence to the Muir
trail at Palisade lakes, then down the Muir Trial to the South Fork of the
Kings River, then back to Cedar Grove. A mere 95 miles.

> Barring that, I was wondering if there were
> any interesting destinations which someone could recommend ... I'd rather
> not just walk n/2 miles to some arbitrary point on the trail and then
> turn around and walk right back. I would very much prefer getting out of
> the valley/canyon/forest into the "high country".

Getting to a high country lake from Cedar Grove means a 5000' elevation
gain the first day.   Cedar Grove to Granite Lake is a common choice
for really ambitious weekenders.  It's the first stop on the big loop I
mentioned.  Once you're up there, it's pretty easy to get to the
State Lakes or Volcanic Lakes.  Not too heavily visited because
of the first-day elevation gain and not being on the Muir Highway.

I've been to Tehipite Valley from Wishon Reservoir in a weekend.
Tehipite is the Sierra's 4th major glaciated valley after Yosemite,
Hetch Hetchy, and Kings Canyon, but no one goes there because the
nearest practical trailhead is 16 miles away.  It's also not
really high country.

If you want to do some deer- and bear-watching, Paradise Valley is a nice,
heavily wooded destination from Cedar Grove.

John Reece

--
/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\
|* Partha S. Banerjee                              Sic volo, Sic jubeo;      *|
|* <[e-mail]> || <{spine}!ucbvax!psb>      Stat pro ratione voluntas *|
\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/*\*/







From: [e-mail] (Gordon Barbay)
Subject: Paramount Studios Tour Report
Date: 5 Oct 1992 19:07:11 GMT
Organization: Vulcan Science Academy, Tau Ceti Sector



Paramount Studios in Hollywood conducts tours at 11 AM and 2 PM every
weekday at a cost of $10 per person.  It is a two hour walking tour of a
working studio.  The studio is located at the intersection of
Melrose and Gower streets in Los Angeles.  The ticket office is a block
and a half down Gower.  There is a parking structure which costs $4.50 or
you can take your chances parking on the street (if you can find
a spot).  There are no fancy tourist trams or
shows as at Universal Studios.  We were warned not to call out
to any celebrities since this was there work place and should not
be disturbed unless they came over and talked to us first.
For those that are interested we saw John (sorry, don't remember
his last name) the mailman on Cheers, John Tesh and Arsenio Hall.

We toured various places around the studio.  We were shown various
buildings which housed offices of various people over the years.
Our guide pointed out buildings which were used in
various scenes from TV and the movies.

We also were able to get onto several sets.  We saw the sets of
Entertainment Tonight, Hard Copy, Cheers and the set of a new
show called Local Heros which may be a mid-season replacement.
We were not able to go on any movie sets.  Set visits are purely
a function of if the productoin people are able to let a group
of gawking tourists in while they are trying to get their work
done.  There is no way to tell beforehand what sets you'll be
able to see.

Let me get to the Star Trek part of the tour.  The sets of both
STTNG and Deep Space Nine are both closed unfortunately so tour
groups are not allowed in.  We were shown the buildings where they
are filmed.  Although we were not allowed on the sets, we did see a
one of DSN's sets because one of the buildings had the door to
the outside open and we were able to peek in.  It was a rectangular
tunnel about 10 feet high and 15-20 feet deep.  The walls were
bowed out and the inside was ribbed.  On the outside edge of
each of the ribs was a white area which I took to be lights.
Apparently, there will be a painting or some special video effects
placed at the rear of this structure to make it look like a very
long walkway.  There was a circular hole in the side about 4 feet
in diameter.  Halfway covering the hole was a large gear.  I can
only guess that this is an alien doorway and door.

I took the 11 AM tour so many people were out for their lunch
breaks.  I did not see any of the ST stars although some people
dressed and madeup as Bajorams (sp) were taking a break from the
filming of DSN.  Our guide informed us these people were "atmosphere".
They are no longer refered to as extras.  She didn't know why.  Oh
well, thats show biz. :-)

We saw several prop storage wherehouses.  Paramount never throws anything
away and we they had things like the model they used in the movie
Airplane and portraits used in the Addams Family movie and the big bear
used in the Addams Family TV series.  Another wherehouse we saw had several
ST shuttlecraft.  They had a model of the Onizuka.  It was about
8 feet long, 4 feet wide and 4 feet tall.  I don't know if they have
another Onizuka full size.  The Fermi was full size and we got to
climb in.  It was open at the back and we were able to sit the
seats.  Just the two front seats were there.  It looks like they attach
a back portion to this one to get the full shuttlecraft interior shots.
The seats were very comfortable, cloth covered and padded.  The
console was plexiglass but it was dark in the wherehouse and I couldn't
see any patterns or designs.  During filming, the console is backlit.
Also in this wherehouse was the machine used by the time traveling beings
from a couple of seasons ago (I forget the episode name).
We walked by one wherehouse that had a portion of the inside of a cave
It looked very familiar to me but the guide did not know if it was used
in the Time's Arrow episodes.

The building where Gene Roddenbery had his office is now named after him.
Near this building is the B-tank.  This is a parking lot about 150 yards
on a side with a four foot levee around it.  At one end is a large wall
which can be painted to look like the sky.  The lot is cleared and filled
with water so ocean/lake/river scenes can be filmed right at the studio.
The Sam/Diane marriage proposal scene on Cheers and the climax from
Patriot Games were filmed here.  This is also San Francisco Bay where
the Klingon Bird of Prey crashed at the end of STIV:TVH.  Paramount got
grief from Greenpeace until they proved to them fake whales were used in
these scenes.

It is a very good tour and I would reccommend it to anyone (even non-ST
fans).  It includes a stop at the Paramount store where you can buy
various items including STTNG shirts and pins.  You can also get
preferred tickets to Paramounts TV shows giving you a better chance
to get in.  Apparently this can be a problem with popular shows like
Arsenio Hall.  If you come to LA, this tour is definitely worth doing.

        -Gordon Barbay
         [e-mail]