A RIDE TO REMEMBER MOVIES

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1 { DESTINATION: CINEMATASTIC! MOVIE SITE TOUR } A RIDE TO REMEMBER MOVIES Long-time cyclists Linda Coburn and John Tajiri opened Pedego 101 Electric Bikes in Westlake Village, California, after a vacation to Seattle where they rented e-bikes and learned to appreciate riding in the rain. Their initial exposure was to the Pedego brand, 101 and after Electric researching many Bikes brands, the couple kept returning to Pedego. There were a ride to famous movie sites variety of business reasons that made them even- tually stick with Pedego, but one big reason is that Linda is five feet tall, and Pedego is one of the few brands that offers fers its highest-performance model with a small frame and 24-inch wheels. For short riders who want maximum performance, the Pedego 24-inch Interceptor is a wild ride. (Top Left) This ape village from Planet of the Apes was on the shore of Century Lake. There is no trace of it that is visible today. (Top Right) This shot of the Planet of the Apes costars Charlton Heston and Linda Harrison is from the cornfield location as well. (Bottom Left) This empty meadow was once a key scene where Charlton Heston and the cast of Planet of the Apes attempted to escape through cornfields in

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3 { DESTINATION } MOVIE TOUR Without the water tank on top, you would never know that this hillside was the site of a complete Welsh mining village during WWII. Fear of Nazi submarines sinking passenger liners helped studio executives build a Welsh mining village on this hillside. All that remains is the water tank that allowed the village to have rain in Southern California. 46

4 In addition to being a retail store, all Pedego dealers are encouraged to offer rentals as well. Westlake Village has some very nice destinations, and the area has bike lanes to get to a lot of the areas. Pedego 101 offers a few guided tours as part of the rental program. Being such an avid cyclist, you can see Linda s influence and enthusiasm in how ambitious the Cinematastic! Movie Site Tour is. The minimum ride distance is 22 miles, but that distance can easily grow if you want more. The ride starts from the back door of the shop, and the first few miles are on city streets that feature nice bike lanes. Soon enough, though, you are in the country on the twisty mountain roads of the Santa Monica Mountains and heading for Malibu Creek State Park. For most of the distance the roads have a nice shoulder, if not a bike lane, and road users were courteous. The area is a huge cycling destination, and some of the same routes are used by the Tour of California cycling race. Most car drivers are accustomed to cyclists and these roads and make plenty of room. The Paramount Ranch is bike-friendly, and it is a very cool destination for hiking and exploring. This is the Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman set. 47

5 { DESTINATION } MOVIE TOUR Fox wanted this location for the movie Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. The property was not on the Fox ranch at the time, and the family that owned the property allowed the house set to be built, but insisted that the house be habitable, and not just a set. The building is 7/8ths scale, but it was a working home after the movie. It is now administrative offices for the park. (Top) This parking lot used to be a shallow reflecting pool that allowed studios to shoot water shots like the shipwreck scene in the original Dr. Dolittle with Rex Harrison playing the doctor. (Bottom) This shipwreck scene from Doctor Dolittle was shot in the reflecting pool. The sky is painted on a wall, and the water is only a couple feet deep. 48

6 The first road you pick up is Cornell, which winds through a rural and largely equestrian area leading to the Paramount Ranch. Since 1980 this 326-acre ranch has been a part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area between Malibu and Calabasas. The western movie town on the ranch is best known as the town seen on Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, but the ranch was used for many movie and television locations. MOVING ON From Paramount you take Cornell until it crosses the famed Mulholland Highway on the way to Lake Malibu. A left on Mulholland there at the old Reagan Ranch and you follow the twisty mountain road down to Las Virgenes Road. Most locals simply call it Malibu Canyon. A right on Las Virgenes Road takes you to the front gate of Malibu Creek State Park. There is paid parking for cars, but e-bikes get to ride in for 49

7 { DESTINATION } MOVIE TOUR Riding on the rural mountain roads was more relaxing than we thought it would be. Linda Coburn is a fearless leader. 50

8 The Rock Pool was transformed to look more tropical for this scene in Doctor Dolittle from the mid- 60s. This pool looks largely the same today. free. At that point the tour group hooks up with park docent Brian Rooney. He is author of the book Three Magical Miles r7media.com that documents the interesting history about Cornell, Lake Malibu and the Malibu Creek State Park. The books are available at Pedego 101. The pace is relaxed to allow time for photos and conversation. Riding in and around the park is easy, and the ride getting to the park is not hard and the scenery is amazing. When it comes time to return to Westlake, though, you will feel the climb back up Mulholland, even with an electric bike. We were surprised how well the Pedego rental bikes handled the climbs. Once you are back on Cornell, the rest of the ride is quite relaxed. Pedego 101 can easily customize the ride for you. It is possible to shorten the mileage if you want. Watch the website for special offers and tours. Seeing the locations of so much movie magic was impressive, but equally amazing was seeing how little trace was left where once there was obviously construction, a time of hubbub and activity followed by demolition. Areas that were temporarily thriving cities are now virgin brush and trees. No group is too big or too small, but remember that riders under 16 cannot operate electric bikes in California, but Pedego 101 does offer child seats and trailers. Recent tours that include the normal sightseeing but add a private brunch in Cornell have been selling out at $98 a person. If you just want to rent bikes and explore on your own, prices are between $50 and $85 a day. The more expensive rentals are the 48-volt bikes, but the performance is worth the added cost. Reservations are suggested, and 24-hour notice is required for groups of five or more. 51