photo by achangeinscenery, from the Carload Flickr pool

It’s Day 34 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, with one last (almost) two-hour drive, this time from Twentynine Palms CA to the Rubidoux Drive-In Theatre in Riverside. Now that I’m in the greater Los Angeles area, I’m looking forward to a lot less time on the road.

The Rubidoux, which calls itself “the last of the classic drive-in theatres remaining in Southern California,” opened in November 1948 with room for about 700 cars. It offered “a variety of pre-show entertainment,” including a miniature railroad, playground, and petting zoo. The screen was widened (for wider movies) in the mid 1950s, then the Rubidoux added two more screens in 1983.

Unlike too many other drive-ins, the Rubidoux specifically tells patrons that they are welcome to bring their own drinks and snacks. I’ve often thought that (a) it’s too easy to sneak in food for a ban to really work, and (b) if you can’t interest your captive audience in buying your offerings, you should reconsider what you’re selling. To support each drive-in, I always buy popcorn and a drink, since they’re typically the highest-margin products. I also like to try what’s different at each snack bar, and this one featured carne asada nachos.

I had seen all three of the Rubidoux’s early movies, so I had to pick which of them I’d rather see again. I chose Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, so that should make it even final-er.

Miles Today / Total:  95 / 4579 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Resident Evil: The Final Chapter / 24

Nearby Restaurant: After my great, not so cheap, experience at the 29 Palms Inn, I was looking for something economical. Although it’s a fast food chain, albeit regional, Farmer Boys tends to focus on healthier entrees. A nice salad was good penance for my indulgence the night before.

Where I Virtually Stayed: It’s not often that my choice will be an Americas Best Value Inn, but I needed to balance my budget after the previous night’s expenditure in Twentynine Palms, plus this location had good reviews. Everything turned out fine, with a mini-fridge in the room and a little something to eat in the morning.

Only in Riverside: According to KABC, Riverside quarry workers discovered a 340-ton solid piece of granite. An artist worked with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to acquire the boulder, called “The Rock,” for $120,000. A 200-foot trailer with 200 wheels carried it for eight nights (to avoid tying up traffic), and the “Levitated Mass” exhibit debuted at the LACMA in June 2012.

Next Stop: Van Buren Drive-In Theatre, Riverside CA.

photo by v snow from the Carload Flickr pool

It’s Day 33 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, and I finally made it to California. It took a four hour ride from the Phoenix area to reach the Smith’s Ranch Drive-In Theater of Twentynine Palms, in the shadow of Joshua Tree National Park.

This is your basic ancient, small-town, single screen drive-in. The Smith’s Ranch opened in 1954, and thanks in part to traffic from park visitors and a marine base, it’s still going strong.

Smith’s Ranch wins the low cost competition so far – admission for the double feature was just $5. The concession stand was basic, with hot dogs and popcorn, but the prices were good.

My timing worked out great tonight. I arrived in Twentynine Palms on a Thursday, and the Smith’s Ranch is one of the few drive-ins with a Thursday to Sunday schedule. The early movie was one I’d already seen, but that beats the heck out of a dark screen.

Miles Today / Total:  275 / 4484 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Split / 23

Nearby Restaurant: Not only does it have great atmosphere, looking out over Joshua Tree National Park, the 29 Palms Inn has some great food. Butternut squash hummus, other vegetarian dishes, or steak and lobster if that’s what I wanted for dinner. Add some live music and those great views, and I’ll try not to feel guilty about how much I paid.

Where I Virtually Stayed: The restaurant experience was so nice that I wanted to stay all night, so I also got a room at the 29 Palms Inn. After the cookie-cutter efficiency of the nice chain hotels, I was glad to have another night where the rooms don’t all look the same. I slept in an adobe bungalow with a fireplace, then enjoyed homemade sourdough bread in the morning. There aren’t any chains that can give me an experience like that.

photo by Kathy Drasky

Only in Twentynine Palms: Just up the Twentynine Palms Highway in the town of Joshua Tree, you’ll find the World Famous Crochet Museum. Artist Shari Elf took an old one-hour photo booth, painted it lime green, filled it with little crochet pieces, and gave it this name. According to its web site, HSBC is using a photo of the museum in a “favours the unorthodox” ad campaign in airports around the world. Which matches that whole World Famous part, of course.

Next Stop: Rubidoux Drive-In Theatre, Riverside CA.