Movies by Star Light

That’s right we went to the Drive-In! It’s funny the first couple of times that I told people where we went, the usual response was a quizzical expression, followed by “They still have those around?” Strangely enough, they do. There are only three located in the Inland Empire still remaining and few more in Southern California as a whole. They are a dying breed with a little breath still left in them. I’m not sure if they will recover of not, so I thought that we should go before they go the way of all towering dinosaurs. Here’s our story:

Kellee has been nudging me for some time to take her and Faith to the drive-in, but I have had some reservations in doing so. Since most are located in the seedy parts of town, I was a little leery about taking them, and I was worried about subjecting them to these “passion pits” as they were so often called. However, I came across a small write-up in the local paper on the last remaining open-air theaters in Southern California and thought that I should take my family before they go the way of extinction.

When I got home in the morning, I told Kellee to call up some friends and see if anyone wanted to go (It’s always better to walk into darkness in a pack). To my dismay, when I awoke in the afternoon, I found that no one was able to go due to our late planning. So I almost canceled our trip too. But the girls were so excited about going that it was hard to tell them no; Faith was excited to go to the movies and Kellee about going to the drive-in. I decided that I was going to have to stick this one out; I went online and looked around at the local theaters in the inland Empire. The Mission Tiki in Montclair had a well done website (as well as a myspace) and the SoCalDims seem to highly recommend the place. Plus, Huell Howser did a whole show from the Mission Tiki, so it couldn’t be that bad…or maybe it could.

We packed up our chairs, blankets, Faith’s blow-up bed, and set out. The girls were giddy with excitement. I was just nervous. We arrived an hour early; I wanted to walk around the place and take pictures. I imagined, that for the most part the lot would be empty, except for the occasional gang members and drug dealers, and thought that I would be unhindered in my snapshot quest (unless I was mugged). To my thrilled surprise, when we arrived there was already a massive line of cars waiting to get in!

The owner’s of Mission Tiki have completely refurbished the place (as much as you can to a parking lot). The drive-up box office looks like grass huts. There are Easter Island Statues greeting you when you first drive thru; the concession stand is decorated with palm trees and tiki masks. The restrooms were really clean; I was surprised to find little graffiti. Kellee told me that the women’s restroom toilets had backed up, but the place is old (built in the 1950’s) and they had people there on the spot trying to fix the situation. So I cut them a little slack. Overall, there was a great pride in ownership displayed. I was wrong in my estimation that the place would be crawling gang members and drug dealers (If they were there they were with their families). We saw a lot of Families in the lot and noticed a lot of people were having BBQs or potlucks while waiting for the movie to start.

We had a great time! Faith enjoyed Ratatouille and afterwards she laid down and went right to sleep, allowing us to relax and watch Pirates of the Caribbean. I think I preferred the Rat movie to the long over done pirate bore.

Not all was grand on our outing though, as one might expect there are some set backs to going to an open-air theater. First, the sound quality is not up to the standards that an enclosed theater offers. No matter that they have done away with the speaker box and went to FM, it’s still a lesser quality. Also, when someone wanted to leave, it wasn’t just a matter of tucking your knees in close to you so they could get by; no, you had blaring headlights in your face or beaming at the screen. Also, right in back of the Mission Tiki is railroad tracks. I have thought they were largely defunct and non-operational. I was wrong. It only happened once during Ratatouille, which was alright. But the trains and more importantly their horns came by no less that 5 times during our viewing of Pirates. That got on my nerves a little. If you can get over that, it’s a great experience and one you should have with your children.

While there are set backs to going to the Drive-in, being able to go with your kids and not worrying about them bothering other people far out weighs the little quirks. Going to the drive-in was an enjoyable way to spend the evening with the family.

The question might be asked, why is this on your Roadside Traveler page and not on your General Family Blog? I suppose the answer is that it’s because the Drive-in was once a popular mainstream place to go and is now on the verge of extinction. It was once not just an outing, but an American pastime. It was ingrained in our culture; at its core it was Americana.

The Drive-in first started in 1932 and was the invention of RM Hollingshead with his 1928 Kodak projector. By 1939 there were 17 theaters in 14 states. After the 2nd World War there was an explosion in Drive-in Theaters and by 1948 there were 820 theaters in the United States. At its peek there were over 4,000 Drive-in theaters in operation. As of 2003 the number had sunk to 432.

The deterioration of the Drive-in came from a number of factors. Rising real estate prices found owners selling their lots at a hefty price. Malls became big business, and teens were more inclined to hang out in the stores. VHS and home rentals also hurt the already wounded Drive-in business. Star Wars actually had a part to play in the demise of the Drive-in. Prior to the arrival of SW sound was not a big factor. Then Lucas came along with his THX!

Not to mention the elements were also a factor. While indoor theaters were booming, the Drive-in had to contend with rain, snow, and mosquitoes. Also, the outdoor theater had to wait until evening to show their features. Daylight saving compounded the problem even more, because now the theater had to wait an extra hour before they could run the movie.

Owners began to shoot themselves in the foot. The open-air theaters were usually only showing second run movies, and then they went to explotation movies. Some were even trying XXX to bring in the customers, but were further isolating themselves from the public. The time of family entertainment had left, along with the playgrounds for the children. In came the idea that the drive-in was a “passion pit”. Rumors of gang hangouts, drug deals, steamy windows, and B-grade movies were all that was offered at your local Drive-in.

However, there seems to be a revival in the Drive-in. As noted when we went, families are once again finding that the drive-in a good way to go. For around $7 a person as opposed to $10 you can watch two first run films. Plus, children are usually free (some might charge a dollar of two)! So, the next time your thinking of going to the movies, change up the routine a little and go to the Drive-In.

I scream, You Scream, We all Scream for...

Did you that the Inland Empire has the world's best Ice Cream Parlor? That is not just by my estimation, that is the opinion of National Geaographic. The place is called Handel's Ice cream it's located on Mountain Avenue in Upland. Interestingly enough, the runner up is Doctor Bob's in Pomona. Handel's beat out the all of the top competitors like 31 flavors, Ben and Jerry's, and Cold Stone; as well as places from our the world like Berthillon in Paris and Vivoli Gelato in Italy.



We went last night and when we got there close to their closing time (at around 9:30 pm) there was still a line of people lingering to get their frozen treats. Kellee and I decided on Sundaes; Kellee had black Cherry and I had a mint chip. They gave Faith a child size cone of Sour apple ice cream for free...she said she wanted green ice cream! The sundaes were a little pricy, but not over the top.

My sweeties and their sweets!

Yikes, That's Sour!"Some More of yours Papa..."

Since it was our first time, I admit I stayed traditional on my flavor, but how can you not love a place that has flavors like Elvis (Bannana and peanut buttter, of course), Rasberry Jalepno, Tin Lizzy, and Spouse like a house. So next time your in the area and are craving the the cold taste of cream stop by Handel's you won't be disappointed.

Handels's YEAH!!!!

The Battle for Burbank (May 21st, 2007)

It's been awhile since I've taken my family out to explore the weirdness that is Southern California, so today we decided to head down to Burbank at eat at the Deli inside the Fry's electronic store. It was pretty cool, they have it all set up like an old drive-in theater; they even show movies to watch from the dinning cars. The food is so-so, but it was worth the trip.

However, the craziest thing happened while we were eating; I'll never doubt again! While I was stuffing my face with my Ham and Cheese a Flying Saucer Crashed into the Building. At first, we thought it was one of the planes from the Bob Hope Airport across the street, but then all of the sudden strange creatures came out of the UFO. Little green spacemen with ray-guns were disintegrating everyone in the store. There was an enormous fanged-octopus monster that was grabbing customers with his huge tentacles and gorging himself with people shopping for new PC's. Giant ants were roaming about the store causing havoc, and there was what appeared to be their leader taking a blonde bombshell as his slave.

We were terrified of course, and I did all I could to protect my family without peeing my pants! Help finally arrived. The US military came into the store, but were outnumbered and their weaponry inept in dealing with these creatures. We saw one little Martian with his ray-gun cut a military jeep right in half! After that we ran for our lives out of the store.

I know must of you wont believe this story, so I took pictures. They aren't the best, because MEN IN WHITE (posing as clerks) were swarming around and trying to contain the site. As you know MEN IN WHITE do not want pictures taken as evidence to the world. Nonetheless, I did get a few.

Big (Adoption Day) Bear (April 6th, 2007)

Kellee and I decided that we wanted Faith's adoption to be special to her. We didn't want to keep it under wraps and then spring it on her later in life, so we have decided to do like many other adoptive parents and celebrate that day. Many call this the "Gothcha Day" and celebrate it on the day they actually become the legal guardians. For us however, this is a little difficult, since we became Faith's parent on her 2nd birthday. So we decided to celebrate her adoption day as April 6th the first time we were able to meet our daughter!

Are These for the Truck???

Cold Bottom, my girls gottem....

So last Tuesday we went to Big Bear and celebrated (I know April 6th was on Friday, but I was working)! We walked around the downtown part and ate lunch. Then I took her on to the Alpine Slides and went on the only snow patch left in Big Bear. She liked the snow and going down on the inner tube, but I think she loved the Alpine slides most of all. When we went down I didn't hit the brakes at all; Faith laughed and giggled the whole way! When it was said and done, she ran to the lift again ready for more. After that we went and had some Ice cream with Mama. That night we read her a little book that Kellee had put together on her adoption story and told her how important she was to us and how much we love her. Overall not bad for our first Adoption Day Celebration.

Hold ON!!

Don't Look Now!

Where's mine, Papa???

Here we Go!!!

Captain Tinkerpaw and Nit Wit Ridge (April 19th, 2006)

Nit Wits???
Picture Perfect Place to be Married

The Inventors Labratory

In the town of Cambria rest a little house on the hill that goes by the name of Nitt-Witt Ridge. It was created by the town eccentric Art Beale, better know around these parts as Captain Der Tinkerpaw. The Captain was for some time the town*s garbage man as well as the garbage man for Hearst Castle. He had a hard time parting the garbage though, so most of it went to his own land. There he tinkered and toiled. With his idiot stick in hand (a pick) he dug into the side of the hill and began to build himself a house. Not of the regular fashion mind you, but one out of scraps from the garbage he had collected from around town, Hearst Castle, and anything that floated in from the ocean. Tire rims stacked up that had concrete poured over them made the pillars for the house, the stair rails were also the pipes that carried water about the place; abalone shells lined the stairs that gave off a magnificent light when the house was lit up. Toilet seats lined the walls as picture frames for his heroes, and in the restroom there were two toilets so that Captain Tinkerpaw could have someone to talk to if need be.

Mansion on a Hill

Picture Frames

Garden Fountains

The house is now California Historical Landmark 939. This is really in name only, neither California nor Cambria give any money so that the Landmarks upkeep might be maintained. Of course, it would probably be anathema to the spirit of the place if they did. Nitt-Witt Ridge is really a squatters pad on steroids.
I have to admit that I thought the place would be more admirable, more moving. Interesting, but not what I had hoped it would be. On the other hand, Kellee was very intrigued by the place and enjoyed the tour very much.
I found that I was more interested in our tour guide than the house or the history of Captain Tinkerpaw. He looked a little like a squatter himself, though his new truck in the driveway said otherwise. I asked myself though, why would this person who has never met Captain Tinkerpaw be so interested in the man. Our tour guide owned the property and has tried to find out as much as he could about Art Beale. He has spent much of his time restoring the decaying and crumbling hobo pad. Why? I mean while the land might be worth money, it*s a Historical Landmark, so he can*t change anything without a permit, and the tour business cannot be that profitable. So, why would he take so much time and care for something so unprofitable. Why does this young man care so much about the life of a grouchy, feisty, old trash man turned hermit?

I wish I could give an answer; It*s remarkable though. I suppose he just fell in love with the Nitt Witt Ridge and it*s previous owner. I could only hope that I leave behind that kind of impression on people that they for no apparent reason would want to continue my legacy whatever that may be...


Guest Rooms


Night Lights

Rimmed Archways

GRRRR!!!