Bob & Xita's Guide to Fun With Joshua Trees

[xita]

Ok, just got back. I drove an hour and half just to get lost. I had never been to Palmdale and it showed. Streets just don't make sense there. Anyway, I get a call from Bob, there's no way in. He waits for me till he's moved along and waits for me at a gas station. Except, I am still lost driving through dirt roads etc. At one point, no warning and I hit a dirt road. As soon as I get in there I notice two cars parked with their lights on me.. looking very intimidating. I turned around. Half an hour later I find my way there and Bob is sitting in his car. I park the green Saturn next to the green Saturn. He drives us over and we see road blocks and itimidating cops. Huge lights light up trees and hillsides and desert. We see nothing. This is in the middle of nowhere, but we could see all the stars in the sky, I think I saw the Big Pineapple. One more drive through and the lights are out and the cop has moved. So we head closer and we get to drive by. The light truck is moving. They are shooting in and around this boarded up place. Looked like a truck stop gas station (I don't know), something, but I definitely saw the words Motel on it. Anyway, Bob and I scare easily around cops so we moved on. There was just one thing to do and that was go home. It was a nice relaxing drive back though, no traffic, it still took me 45 minutes.

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Tara: Tripled? Like first money, then
money money money?

[This message has been edited by xita (edited March 16, 2001).]

[This message has been edited by xita (edited March 16, 2001).]

[BBOvenGuy]

Okay, here's my version, which was originally labelled "Bob & Xita's Guide to Fun With Joshua Trees"

We ventured over the mountains tonight, up to the high-desert town of Palmdale, where the Buffy crew has been hanging out since Wednesday. I took the Angeles Forest Highway, a twisty-turny road through the mountains, which was great fun although I'm glad I took the regular old freeway going home. By the time I got to Palmdale the sun was just going down and I was ready to head for 140th Street and Avenue Q. It certainly sounded like a nice suburban area to me. Maybe it was supposed to represent Sunnydale.

Boy was I wrong.

I could see the lights from the shoot about three miles away. Why? Because there was absolutely nothing in those three miles. Nothing but lots of Joshua trees. I got up to 140th Street and found a big "ROAD CLOSED" barricade across half the road. Not good. Figuring there might be another way in, I called Xita and settled in along the side of the road to wait for her. Unfortunately, a few minutes later several cars came up behind me from behind the "ROAD CLOSED" sign, and they acted very much like they wanted me to move along. My mind flashed back to too many "X-Files" reruns and I hastily retreated to a gas station a few miles away.

Eventually Xita caught up to me (I'll let her tell her story). She got in my car and we went back up to the shoot. After a few wrong turns and U-turns to avoid California Highway Patrol cars, we finally managed to get close enough and see what the fuss was about.

The shoot was in what looked like an abandoned motel in the middle of the desert. I think it's an actual old 1950s style motel, although it could have just been made up to look like one. There were people milling about outside, but it looked to me like the shoot was actually going on inside. It's possible that they filmed various inside/outside scenes during the day, then were filming inside at night with light shining through the windows to make it look like it was day. I've seen film crews do that at my church before.

What the heck have they been doing at an old motel in the middle of the desert for the last three days? We couldn't talk to anyone to find out, but I have a theory. My guess is that at some point the Scooby gang will flee Sunnydale and take Dawn into the California desert to hide from Glory. That's only my wild guess, though, so don't go spreading rumors (unless you want to, of course... ).

On my way home I passed by the town of Acton, where supposedly another Buffy crew was shooting this week also. It just looked like a typical truck-stop fast-food set of places to me - I don't know what Buffy would be doing at one of those, but I suppose we'll find out.

Anyway, despite the dearth of solid information I think Xita and I both enjoyed the adventure of going out there. We've still got a few weeks of shooting to go, so maybe there will still be another more accessible shoot we can go to. At least we hope so.

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Remember the Kitten Board mantra - "Joss is nuts about Tara, Willow/Tara and Amber!"

[This message has been edited by BBOvenGuy (edited March 16, 2001).]

[Kalita]

In story terms, sounds quite fun, actually - headin' out on the open road and all. The truck stop's on the way to the motel, maybe?

Oh the possibilities...

Kal

[Wiccagrrl]

humm...desert... another Restless tie-in??? Anyway, glad it was a safe, if uneventful excersion.

[judy]

I don't think this has been posted already (apologies if it has and I missed it), and it sheds some light on what xita and Bob saw:

(from Slayer's Sixth Sense)
- Buffy will be filming at several locations on 4-aces during the next week or so. The 4-aces is a professional
film set designed for feature film commercial production and still photography. A taste of OLD ROUTE 66
complete with a weathered gas station, a classic roadstop diner, and a 50's motel. You can visit their website
here.

[Roxton]

Xita, Bob thanks for the update, it sounds like you both had quite the adventure.

You may be on to something there Bob. If the battle against Glory was not going well then the Scoobies might feel it's in Dawn's best interest to get her away from Sunnydale. What better place to hide than an old motel in the middle of the California desert.

[tvsurfer]

one of the buffy writers was at the bronze last night (about 5 or 6 bronze time?) and he wrote eppie 20 and said he had just come from shooting it. Amber said they are having a big blow out with glory in eppie 20 in her horror on line interview so this seems to fit your theory Bob.

[BBOvenGuy]

Judy, you've got it! That's exactly what we saw last night. They were at the motel. I didn't see any of the other spots, but they could have been on some of the roads that were closed.

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Remember the Kitten Board mantra - "Joss is nuts about Tara, Willow/Tara and Amber!"

[xita]

This is what I saw http://4-aces.com/motelext.html

[Roxton]

Given Glory's fondness for the luxurious I can see her being really pissed at having to follow the Scoobies to a motel in the middle of the desert. I'm sure she will have a few caustic comments to make about this.

[tommo]

I don't know why I'm replying to this.....

....oh I remembered...I'm jealous of you two living so near everything.

That's it....

Incidentally, my gf seems to find Amber unattractive...is this possible?

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"I'm going to be a mummy."

"Yes, yes you are."

[Dr.G]

Thanks for the info Bob and Xita. This makes for some interesting speculation.

Ruth? Say what???????

[BlackLab]

Ahhhh, vicarious location peeps. Thanks to Bob & Xita.

[Roxton]

No Ruth that's not possible, at least I don't think it is.