Amber Miller - Journal - Dr. Quinn 10th Anniversary Reunion Week Report

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This is my report from Reunion Weekend, and just like Star Week, it was definitely one of the best times of my life. If at all possible, the time spent out in LA and surrounding areas was even better than the time I had three years ago. It was wonderful seeing so many friends again and meeting new people, as well as putting faces to names of those who had been only faceless e-mail addresses or screen names up to that point. There was such a connection among us all, and an instant rapport that we all shared, no matter what country or state we call home. Add to that the openness and welcome from Jane and the rest of the cast at the main event dinner, as well as Lee and Bob (background actors who led the tour at the P-Ranch set and attended all of the events) the first and all subsequent days, and you have a fantastic week!

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Arrival | Beach Party | P-Ranch Tour | Malibu Creek Tour

Dinner | High Tea

Arrival

I've finally been able to collect my thoughts so they're in some semblance of order. Unlike many others, my travels were extended after the events instead of before, so I missed out on gathering with many, but the times spent with everyone during the events were spectacular and moments I'll never forget. I'm going to divide this story into parts, since there's so much that happened at each event, and I don't want to gloss over anything for those of you who are reading. Sit back and relax and enjoy the read. You're in for the long haul, especially with me, who can't seem to stop once I get going! (grins)

My journey began the morning of April 17th as I drove around to finish some last-minute errands before heading to the airport. I had to pick up my dress at the cleaners and find a pair of shoes that matched, which was no easy task. I wanted to find a pair of heels, but there were none to be found (at least not affordable), so I had to settle with a pair of flats and was stuck at my short height of 5'3". (sigh) The only consolation was that if Jane hadn't been wearing 3-inch heels, we would have been the same height! But, I digress. I'm nowhere near the dinner yet!

So, once I completed my errands and grabbed a bite to eat, it was time to load the car and head to pick up Robin, who was flying out and rooming with me. It was her first time to LA and meeting everyone, so it was a very unique experience for her. Anyway, I met Robin at her house around 1:15pm and we loaded up her luggage then stopped at the gas station for some water and hit the road around 1:45. Good thing I could convince my mother to drive with us and take my car back, or I would have had to park my car and pay exorbitant parking fees for 11 days.

We arrived at BWI (Baltimore) around 3pm, which was about 2 hours before our flight and went right inside. On the way to the line to get our tickets, my pull strap on my luggage decided it had had enough of the strain of lugging such a heavy load (my scrapbooks and albums were inside with my clothing) and snapped. Not a problem, since the main end was still connected; however, as I was pulling it behind me, it decided to get lazy and fall over several times. I felt like I was dragging a little doggie behind me. Here, puppy, puppy. Come on, fella. That's actually what Janine and Robin said once we arrived in LA, but I'll get to that later.

All right, we're in line and there wasn't one, so we both made it to the counters in less than five minutes, checked our luggage, received our tickets and proceeded towards the gate. The security line moved fairly fast, and we were through in about ten minutes. I was bringing some special artwork for Jane, so I had to get special clearance for the canvas pieces to go through the scanner.

By the time we reached our gate, we realized we were early enough to make a stop to the restroom, and I realized I had checked my brush in my other luggage. Good thing I wasn't meeting anyone famous until later. My hair was a sight! (grimace) Back to the gate, and we noticed a line beginning to form, but the sign said that check-in for our flight was 1 hour prior to departure. I suppose there was a lot of people anxious to get to the land of Lost Wages (Las Vegas, our connection) so they were lining up early. Since we were flying Southwest, they don't assign seats, only boarding passes. It was first-come, first-served, so getting there early was beneficial, especially when the flight is full, as ours was. Robin went to get a magazine and asked someone in line if they were on the flight to Las Vegas, then came back and said that's our flight. So, almost 2 hours before our flight, we were in line. Thankfully, about 20 minutes later, they realized they should start assigning boarding passes, or the line would wrap all the way down the terminal to the security gates.

Robin and I ended up being 52 and 53, and since our previous seats were taken, we moved closer to the boarding door and took seats to wait again. Around 5pm, they began boarding, and we were on the plane in about 15 minutes. We had reached our scheduled departure time, but since there were over 100 on the flight, everyone wasn't boarded until at least another 15 minutes passed. Then, we remained sitting there even longer due to some storms outside of D.C. However, once we were in the air an hour after scheduled departure time, there was no storm to be found. I still don't know what it was that kept us grounded.

All right, so we're in the air and headed for our connection of Las Vegas. We made really great time, but once we passed Kansas City, we ran into some nasty headwinds which delayed us a little more. Thanks to Sue Berlin, Robin and I were able to find 2 pages in the Sky Mall magazine that featured some of Jane's summer fashions. There's actually 4 new pages for summer, but only 2 of them made it to this magazine. As Robin and I talked about the fashions, I mentioned the web site, and the gentleman sitting to my right (Robin had the window seat) kept glancing over at me and the magazine. Once Robin put on her headphones to listen to CD's, the gentleman finally got up the nerve to lean over and ask, "Should I know you?" LOL! It was hard to keep a straight face! I'd never been asked that question before, but I suppose talking about Jane and her web site and posting new things piqued his curiosity and would sound intriguing to others within hearing distance. Well, I assured him that if he wasn't on-line, he probably wouldn't know me, then we got involved in a discussion about my work on Jane's web site, where I was headed and how I got involved in everything, etc. It was a nice way to pass the time, and he said he would definitely be checking out the site when he had a chance. Chalk one up for Tiff in securing another "fan." (grins)

The rest of the flight passed somewhat uneventfully, and I was able to catch a brief glimpse of the Rockies just as the sun set. Wow! What a gorgeous sight! We landed in LAS with not too long to spare before our next flight, hurried to our gate and met Janine, the second of 3 roommates I would have. As it turned out, because we had a decent layover in Las Vegas, we made up our lost time and managed to take off on time from there to LAX, which was only about a 45-minute flight. We had a late arrival, which meant we missed the gathering at Hamburger Hamlet earlier that evening, but there was nothing we could do.

Finally! We're in LA! Now, we just had to find Brandy, the third roommate, and figure out how to get to the rental car place. Following the instructions, I placed a call and found out we had to take a shuttle to get to the company. So, hoping that Brandy had managed to already take the shuttle, we gathered our luggage and dragged it outside to find the shuttle stop. This alone was enough, considering how noisy my broken luggage was, not to mention the fact that Robin and Janine said it looked like I was pulling a little dog behind me! Flagging down the shuttle, we hopped on and were whisked past the airport terminals until we finally arrived at Fox Rentals. I was shocked to find that there was a long line waiting when we arrived. It was 11:05pm, and I didn't expect anyone to be there this late. I suppose when they're open 24 hours, they're one of the few who service at this late hour.

Seeing that I had no other choice, the 3 of us stacked our luggage outside, and I left Janine and Robin to wait with it while I went inside to stand in line. I peeked in and looked at those sitting down and spotted Brandy, so I called to her and we happily reunited. I nodded to Janine and Robin, and she took her luggage outside with her to chat with them. 30 long minutes later, I had only moved about 2 feet, and I was getting bored. Brandy came in with what she considered a "stumping" Dr. Quinn question about the actress who played Samantha Bing in the episode Before the Dawn. I immediately answered "Holli Coleman" and said that if they're going to stump me, they'd have to do a better job than that! (grins) So, she left and went outside to share the answer. After another 45 minutes, I was finally at the counter. Here is where it gets good!

I gave the clerk (Alan) my reservation information, and he typed it into the computer. After confirming everything, he stepped outside to check on our car, then returned and said they were out of intermediate cars. He offered to *downgrade* us to a compact and said he would discount it, offering a Mustang convertible! Now, ordinarily, I would have jumped at this chance. It was a beautiful gold Mustang with a canvas top, and I would have felt like a celebrity driving in it. However, we had four....count them *four*.....ladies with a week's worth of luggage each. There was no way we were going to fit comfortably in a compact. So, I looked at Alan and said, "Oh, so I suppose the luggage is going to drive itself to the hotel, drop itself off and the car is going to come back to get us?" He just gave me a blank stare, so I realized that humor was not going to get me anywhere with him.

That's when I let him have it (with Janine's help of course)! I told him there was no way we could take a compact, and he said he could upgrade us to an SUV, but it would cost an additional $10/day. Well, that did it! The standard for rental car companies when they don't have the car you reserved is to upgrade you to the next one up free of charge, not penalize you for it! I said, "That's not acceptable. It's not our fault that you gave away our car. I have a confirmed reservation for an intermediate car, which I called and confirmed last night. You're telling me that you don't have the car you said you had, and not only that, but you're going to make us pay for *your* mistake? I'm sorry. We'll take the SUV, but there has to be a discount for it or something else you can do. It's not right to charge us for a mistake with your company." Now, contrary to what some may think, I'm not normally this rude (no comments from anyone in the "peanut gallery" out there, who knows me), but it was nearing 4am according to my time zone clock, and I had been on the go since 8:30 am the previous morning. After 19 hours of travel and delays galore, I was primed! You just didn't mess with me at that point!

Needless to say, we got our SUV, and we got our 10% discount, so we left happy. Once we loaded our luggage and climbed into the car, I played with things for a moment and adjusted the mirrors and seat, etc. We looked at the map they gave us (which wasn't much of a map, hardly any details) and managed to realize that Century Blvd. which was just a block away would connect us directly to 405 which would take us to 101 and Calabasas, to the Good Nite. So, off we went! Two minutes later, we found 405 and we were on the highway towards Calabasas! Finally! We tuned in a country station and had a lot of fun singing to the songs as we talked about our excitement in finally being in LA as well as finally getting together. It seemed the time had passed so fast from the first time we had all agreed to room together, but we were ready for some fun!

Once we hit 101, I began to remark at how some of the sights and locations were coming back to me. Since I knew the Good Nite Inn (hereon referred to as GNI) was in Calabasas, but I had forgotten the exit and the road, I got off at Parkway Calabasas, and we took a detour drive down a very dark Calabasas Rd. that eventually came to a dead-end. Well, that only meant one thing: U-TURN! That's exactly what we did and headed back towards the freeway. We took Calabasas Road a little past the freeway exit to the next one and realized the GNI was a little further down. Janine and I both remembered that you could see it from the freeway, and since we hadn't seen it yet, we knew we hadn't reached it. So, backtracking a little, we return to the freeway! After another 2 exits and seeing the sign from the freeway, we got off at Lost Hills and doubled back on Agoura Rd. to the GNI. Pulling into the lot, I found a parking space (which wasn't easy considering I'm used to driving a Chevy Cavalier), and the girls said I did just fine with parking. Didn't have to back up once.

Janine and I got out and went to the front desk, or night window, since the main desk was closed, and checked in. I paid for the room, got our keys, saw where our room was located, and we went back to the car. As I drove around to the other side closest to our room, I told the girls that they would be paying for me this weekend, since the GNI had already charged my card for the full amount (which included Brandy's and my extended stay). That all worked out well, as they covered me for minor expenses incurred and we made note of money owed. We found a parking space right near the road entrance, all got out and popped the back to retrieve our luggage. Now, remember, mine is broken and likes to be lazy, so I had quite a time getting it to stay upright as I pulled it behind me. Not to mention the jokes from Janine and Robin about pulling a dog behind me, as well as the noise it made with the metal wheels, especially at 2:00 in the morning!

Making our way along the sidewalk, with me being as quiet as I could, we reached our room and entered. I don't think any of us were happier to see beds, as well as a refrigerator and microwave (many thanks to Brandy for that one)! I took a quick peek outside, but I knew no one else would be up, so we chose our sleeping arrangement and unpacked our barest essentials for the night. All of us were far too tired to hardly think, let alone awake enough to even make coherent conversation. However, we weren't done yet. I realized that I had forgotten to pack Saline for my contacts, and since none of the other girls wore contacts, it was off again to a little convenience store that was thankfully open 24 hours. I don't even remember who went with me, but I think it was Brandy. It may have been Janine. Anyway, I took $5 with me, figuring that would be enough. It wasn't, and I was only short about $.40 cents. So, I had to settle for some Visine to soak my contacts overnight, and we knew we'd head to the store first thing tomorrow morning.

When we returned, we all pretty much fell into the beds and were asleep almost as soon as our heads hit the pillows. Janine was fine on time, since it was only about 2:30am (normal for her and late, being from Las Vegas, but not too bad). For Brandy, it was 4:30am and for Robin and me, it was 5:30am. Whoa! Talk about jet lag! I knew I would be up early the next morning, knowing that the voices of everyone else who was awake and gathering to chat and reunite with other late arrivals would wake me, but I didn't say anything to the other 3 ladies. Besides, we knew we would have to get to the store and get ready for the beach party, but all we could think about was how great it was to finally be there and how much fun we were going to have, as well as how tired we all were.

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Zuma Beach Party

I mentioned I would be up early, and sure enough, I was awakened by the excited and animated chatter of many who had gathered outside of Pam's room at around 8am (keep in mind this was only about 5 hours after I had finally fallen asleep following almost 24 hours of being on the go the day before). Adrenaline rushing at the knowledge I was going to see friends again, I threw back the covers and went to the door to peek out, but didn't venture outside because I was still in my pj's. I recognized so many familiar faces. For a few moments, I just stood there at the door, then I called Judi over, and she came over to greet me with a hug as we chatted for a little bit about my trip out here and the "delightful" experience we had with the car rental, etc. Nancy joined us a moment later, and I briefly recounted yesterday's little adventure, then peeked back into the room to see that my roommates were finally rising from their slumber. Judi peeked in and said "hello" to everyone, then I realized that everyone was making plans for breakfast before heading to Zuma Beach for the beach party.

I knew I should get dressed, so I excused myself and said I'd see them very soon, then went back inside to begin getting ready. It wasn't easy sharing one bathroom with four women, but we seemed to manage quite nicely, even with the "killer door" as we affectionately termed it. This was the bathroom door that opened *out* into the area of the sink, counter and mirror as well as the "closet" where we hung our dresses. The area was small enough, but the door was so big, you couldn't be at the mirror without being hit by it. So, we all jokingly made the "beeping" sound of a large vehicle going in reverse each time we came out, just to alert anyone who might be at the mirror.

Once I was dressed and began putting together necessary items for the beach party, not to mention making mental plans of what we needed to do before heading out, my cell phone rang. Since my roommates were all animatedly chatting and sharing their excitement about the upcoming day, I stepped outside and answered the phone. It was a call from Jane's house telling me how Jane and James were looking forward to seeing me again at the dinner tomorrow night. I thanked them for getting in touch with me and said I was also looking forward to seeing them. We discussed a couple of other things, then hung up. I stepped back into the room to 3 very expectant faces, knowing I had been expecting this call. I nodded and smiled and confirmed to them that Jane would be at the dinner, but so as not to spoil the surprise for anyone else, suggested we not tell anyone. We all agreed, but needless to say, we were very excited at hearing this confirmation, especially since Robin and Brandy were on their first visit out here and were really looking forward to meeting her.

All right, phone call done and I was ready. Since my roommates weren't, though, I figured I should go over and check in with Pam, since it was too late last night. This is where I met some people for the first time and saw others I had previously met. Everyone expressed their relief that we had arrived safely, then asked for a recounting of my journeys, so I gave the "Reader's Digest" version of the first day. I believe I ended up repeating that story at least five or six more times before the dinner on Friday night, but I didn't mind. With each telling, my anger and frustration with the car rental place diminished, so it was a sort of healing balm for me. A little bit later, everyone started to leave as they met up with their rides and/or breakfast companions to grab a bite to eat before the beach. I told everyone I'd see them at the beach and left.

When I returned to the room, we all made certain we had everything we needed and were ready to go. We stepped outside, and I noticed a group of ladies sitting at the tables inside the pool area, so I led my roomies over there for introductions. After that, we headed to the car to begin our day. Our first stop was to Albertson's, a new grocery store that had just opened only six months ago. The entire area a block away from the GNI was under construction, with the new Starbuck's that had also opened, not to mention the bridge you had to cross to get to Las Virgines road which led to Malibu Creek State Park and Pacific Coast Highway further down. However, you certainly weren't going to hear any of us complaining. We had a grocery store, strip mall with several convenient shops, McDonald's, Jack-in-the-Box (another fast-food), and Starbuck's all within walking distance. Very nice!

My first stop at the store was to pick up some Saline solution for my contacts, and we also grabbed a case of bottled water, some munchies for the beach and a few other essentials. After checking out, we went out to the van, and I replaced my glasses for my contacts, breathing a sigh of relief to not have to wear those annoying frames. Next, it was a quick stop at McDonald's to grab some breakfast and we were ready to hit the road. One problem. I didn't have a map to get to the beach, and Janine had left something in the room, so we went back to the GNI. Good thing we did, since I saw several others still hanging around and getting ready to leave, so I got excellent directions from one of the other members.

Back into the car we go, and finally, we're ready to hit the beach. Taking a right out of the GNI, we headed down Agoura Road towards Kanan Road, and I vaguely pointed out the area where the P-Ranch was to our left as we approached the intersection. Once we turned left and passed Cornell Way, Janine said that's the road you take to the set and the one everyone else took on a daily basis when they went to filming. We knew we would be there tomorrow, so we had a moment of nostalgia and excitement, then continued. Those of you who have driven down Kanan Road know how beautiful the scenery is, and finding words to describe it is difficult. Not much had changed in the three years since I had last been here, and I was just as awed by everything now as I had been then. The Santa Monica Mountains that rose on both sides provided a stunning backdrop to the scene route we were taking to the beach and Pacific Ocean. It wasn't difficult to imagine the cast and crew taking this route every day on their way to work and thinking about what a gorgeous view they had early in the morning greeting the sunrise over the mountains. (sigh)

After a lot of twists, turns, inclines, hills and tunnels, we finally entered the township of Malibu. Robin got a kick out of the "runaway car lane" that ended with 300 feet of deep gravel with barrels at the end and a cement wall. One way or another, those cars or trucks were going to stop! This is very similar to the runaway truck lanes that you find on the mountain roads for tractor-trailers and large vehicles that lose control of their speed on the steep slopes. Since there was an 8% grade for 3 miles as we descended in elevation, it was easy to understand how problems could occur. Well, about three miles away from Pacific Coast Highway, we spotted our first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean. I pointed it out to my fellow car passengers and we continued our descent. We turned right onto PCH and headed towards the beach. I made the mistake of mentioning that this was the road where Jane lived, and the ladies of course wanted me to show them where her house was. Sooooo, U-TURN!

We drove just past the entrance to Zuma Beach and turned around at a wide part of PCH, then headed back the other direction towards Jane's house. Now, since it had been 3 years since I had last been there, I had a hard time remembering the location. I knew the general layout, but I had forgotten a very important detail about a landmark that couldn't be missed. So, instead of Jane's house, we stopped by someone else's and I remarked how she had changed the front entrance and cleared a lot of her shrubbery and foliage. It was hard to imagine, but I figured perhaps she wanted to make more room for cars that visited. I've seen her driveway and parking area, and when she hosts parties, I have no idea how she manages to fit all of those cars at her house, so this made sense to me. I wouldn't realize until Saturday morning that I had the wrong house.

Oh well, it was fun just thinking we were looking at her gate. Well, we drove past and made another U-TURN, then headed back to the beach. After paying the parking fee, we parked next to the other cars, grabbed our stuff and hit the sand. It was actually a very nice day and the sand wasn't hot, so we trudged across to the designated area and set down our towels and other paraphernalia. Almost immediately, we grabbed our cameras and headed for the surf. Brandy took shots of all of us, and Robin and Janine decided they were going to imitate the BayWatch beauties by running in slow motion, also caught on film. (grins) We hopped around in the water for a little bit, then I was done, so I trudged back up the embankment and headed back for my towel.

Once I sat down, many in the group greeted me, and that was followed by introductions to the international visitors of from Italy, Brazil and Germany. For the most part, I just sat on my towel and chatted with those around me. My roomies decided they were going to be anti-social (grins), so they headed down the beach for a walk to the Point, 3 miles there and back. Needless to say, they were gone for the majority of the time. A little bit later, others arrived, including the two youngest members of the reunion attendees. They all set up "camp" near me, and we chatted for a bit.

This was when Penny and Linda, two staff members of the DQ Times (the magazine hosting the events), came over with their notepads and pens, weaving in and out of those gathered and collecting quotes for the sixth issue of the Times. They joined us for a little while and chatted, then moved on to mingle some more. At this time, Pam walked around and suggested that we all mingle and try to pull some of the "shy" ones out of their shells, so this spurred some of us to get up and start conversations with others, introducing ourselves and connecting through our mutual love of DQ. I met a lot of new people and was finally able to put faces to names and e-mail addresses, matching people with their online personas I had come to know over the months and years. I got up to walk around and saw Sue, a lady I knew from several other occassions (as she lives on 2 hours from me) and met Helga, a lady who was local to the area. She said she had some chairs and a cooler in her trunk, so Sue and I walked with her to go bring them back. In the parking lot, we ran into Diane and her husband, who was heading out to get something he had forgotten, and we went to Helga's car to retrieve the items she brought. Helga and Sue grabbed chairs and Diane and I carried the cooler.

We arrived back at the little group, and I squatted next to Sue and Nancy to chat some more. After announcing that my legs were beginning to fall asleep, Chuck (Joyce's husband) offered the cooler for me to sit on so I wouldn't hurt myself. A few minutes later, a chair was produced for me because Chuck didn't know how to let me know he wanted to get into the cooler. (grins) Anyway, after that, those of us gathered in this little group (Judi, Joyce, Helga, Chuck, Nancy, Arlene, Sue, Sheryl, June, Lore, Bobbi, Mike and Judy) chatted about who we thought would be in attendance at the dinner as well as how great it was to finally be there and see everyone again, meeting new people, etc., and of course Joe! (grins)

Around 1:00, my roomies returned, and Janine and Robin spread out to catch some sun. At 1:30 (2 hours after we all arrived), the wind really began to pick up, nearly freezing most of us. I was all right for a while, but then Helga handed me an extra towel, so I wrapped it around my shoulders to keep warm and continued to chat with friends. Around 2, once everyone was getting restless, we all gathered for a group shot with Chuck, Rick and Paul and other very tolerant husbands hanging a multitude of cameras around their necks to snap picture after picture of all of us. We huddled very close together to keep warm and stood there for what seemed like an eternity as we posed for all of the cameras. Finally, photos were done, and we all mutually agreed to pack up and head back to the GNI, perhaps to gather around the pool where we were protected from the whipping wind.

I don't think you ever saw forty or more people clear a beach so fast! We all piled into our cars and headed back to the hotel. Once I had deposited my things in my room, I went out to the pool and joined the group gathered there. Almarinda and Jeanne and Jeff were there. Mike and Judy joined later, and Conce as well as Jillian and Stefanie arrived to soak up some sun. I also know that Paula and Nancy made an appearance, as well as Penny and Paul, and I know I'm forgetting some others, but so many names, so little brain space! Many of us made a bottle of wine disappear as we sat and chatted about a lot of different topics. I meandered over to chat with Mike and Judy and ended up inviting them to join us for dinner that night. My roomies and I were going to venture into Santa Monica to visit the Border Grill, since Robin knew the chefs that owned the restaurants. There are now 4 of them, 2 in LA, 1 in Las Vegas and 1 in Pasadena.

After chatting a little longer, as well as walking with Judy to get the phone number for the Border Grill, I realized I should head back to the room to change and get ready for dinner. Due to LA traffic, it could take us anywhere from 40-90 minutes to get there, and since we had reservations, we wanted to be on time. Around 6:00, we were ready, so we drove around to meet Mike and Judy. Since they knew their cell phone numbers, Judy rode with Robin and me, and Brandy and Janine rode with Mike. We kept in touch as we drove, and traffic wasn't heavy, so we arrived in Santa Monica with about 15 minutes to spare. After a few wrong turns and several U-TURNs, as well as another call to the restaurant, we finally made it to the parking garage and found spaces. On one of the off-streets, Robin and I were almost SURE we saw John Schneider crossing the street in front of us, or at least someone who looked like him. We both did a double-take, but he was gone, so we just forgot about it. Most likely wasn't him, but it was interesting to at least think we saw him.

All right, so we're making our way around the corner to the Border Grill, and we arrive, are seated and take a look at our surroundings. Certainly an upscale Mexican restaurant with a very stylish and urban decor, representative of the "south of the border" fares served here. One little thing is that the owners are popular TV Food Network personalities, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, affectionately known as the "Too Hot Tamales." From the crowd gathered and the noise from the bar, I'd say it's a popular hangout for the stereotypical LA "urbanite." About halfway through our meal, the table next to us was filled with a group of young adults who all had bleach-blonde hair, fantastic looks, styling clothes, and were obviously out for a night on the town. Hmm, taste of LA culture? (grins) Anyway, back to our meal. When we weren't admiring the "eye-candy" of the young waiters, we managed to place our orders. I ordered Pollo Chilaquiles (which is a Mexican style casserole layered with corn tortillas, chicken, salsa, cheese, with some other ingredients, served with a side of watercress salad). It was delicious! Of course, I can't forget my Strawberry Daquiri to compliment the wonderful flavors. (grins)

Dinner passed very enjoyably, and Janine and I kept pressuring Robin to ask if the main chefs were in residence that night. Finally, when it was time for dessert, she relented and asked our waiter. Sadly, they were out of town at the other restaurants, but he promised to put a note from her in their mailbox. So close! Oh, and before I forget, since it was Mike's birthday, he was presented with a free slice of flan drizzled with caramel sauce, while Judy ordered a slice of key lime souffle. After passing the bill around and settling on the costs of our meals, we thanked our waiter and left.

This is where our two cars parted ways, but not before Mike steered us in opposite directions to locate our cars. My sense of direction is usually pretty good (we'll get to how badly I goofed when the High Tea report comes) and I had a feeling we weren't where Mike directed us. To solve it all, Mike cheated by hitting his car alarm button to show where his car was, and like I had originally thought, we were on the ramp just next to him. I think the problem occurred in getting turned around from the direction of the restaurant and the direction we had taken when we left to go to dinner. Finally locating our respective cars, we thanked Mike and Judy for joining us, then all piled into our car and decided to go on a little scenic detour on the way back to the GNI. Since we weren't in any particular hurry, we headed in the direction of what we thought was the PCH, only we weren't on one of the main roads that connected with it, so we ended up crossing it. Instead of doing a U-TURN, we just look a left and headed for the main road. In a roundabout way, we got back to PCH and headed towards Calabasas again, and we got a quick glimpse at residential Santa Monica. (grins)

Since we had taken Las Virgines/Malibu Canyon road to get to Border Grill, we decided to go back Kanan Road and view the sites again. Not much was visible under the cover of dark, but we did pass by Jane's house again (or what we thought was her house). It was nearing 10:30pm by the time we pulled back into the GNI and returned to our rooms. Since we knew we had to be up early to work out shower schedules and get ready for the P-Ranch and Malibu tours, we hit the hay early. No, sorry, no Sully to join us in the hay, but I can't vouch for our dreams! Let's just say that I had a bit of a problem with being very warm throughout the night, having to throw off the covers several times. (wink)

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P-Ranch Tour

I was up bright and early to hop in the shower and get ready for some hiking at the sets of Dr. Quinn. With the excitement evident among us all, it didn't take long for us to get ready. We even all managed to avoid the "killer door" in our movement around the room to dress and do our hair. Well, no special phone calls this morning (grins), but we couldn't head off without what quickly became our customary stop at Albertson's to pick up some breakfast and spray-on sunscreen so Brandy and I wouldn't get burnt any more on our heads. Mmmm, smelled like citrus fruit! Robin and Janine shared a good laugh over Brandy and me spraying each other with the sunscreen, but since I didn't have the benefit of a hat like I did at the beach yesterday, I didn't want to get burnt. Besides, we had the dinner that night, and I wasn't about to appear looking like a broiled lobster!

So, sunscreen applied, we set off for the P-Ranch. The four of us were in the morning tour for the set and the noon tour for Malibu Creek. As it turned out, the majority had chosen that pairing of tours (there were 2 of each locale) as well, so we had a much larger group than the other one. Made for a lot of entertaining stories, though, so I wasn't complaining. As we turned off of Kanan Road onto Cornell Way, I could feel the nostalgia and memories set in, and I knew Janine was experiencing the same thing. Robin and Brandy had never been here before, and I could almost feel their excitement and anticipation as easily as I could feel the leather of the steering wheel beneath my hands. Truth be told, we were all excited about seeing the set, and I knew it would be fun sharing it with Brandy and Robin, as well as seeing it for the first time through their eyes and the eyes of the others who were first-timers.

We drove around the sharp curve, and the little valley where the set was nestled opened up before our eyes. I vaguely pointed out the area where we were headed, and I saw everyone strain their necks to catch their first glimpse. The road to get here was interesting enough with the rather large estates we passed on our way, and the set almost seemed out of place among these luxurious homes. Some were average size, but both sides of the road were spattered with the estates, and it really gave you a feeling of entering a world that was just a notch above what was normal. Of course, nestled in the hills of the Santa Monica Mountains was just what suited a lot of celebrities. It afforded them the privacy and space they needed while still being convenient to the major roads. Nice combination, I agree!

Driving around the final bend, we approached the sign that sat perpendicular to Cornell Way, turned right and proceeded down the slight hill of the entrance road. At the bottom, we turned left and headed for the gravel-covered parking lot, joining a handful of other cars that were already there. As we got out and locked the car, we stepped towards the area just off the cement and metal bridge that led into the town to wait for Pam and the others to arrive. Deciding that this was a good time to eat our breakfast, Brandy, Janine and I pulled out our donuts (Janine had an eclair and Brandy had a donut with filling). I just had a glazed donut and some water. Robin decided to show us all up with a container of fresh fruit. Oh well, what's vacation if you can't live a little, right? (grins)

So, where was I? Ah, yes, we were eating our breakfast, and everyone just sort of hung around, chatting with each other, some even introducing themselves to one another as conversations formed all around. I saw a few members walk over and get a map from the map box and display board by the bridge, so I followed suit. I know I have one from my previous visits, but figured another couldn't hurt. So, after grabbing my map, I returned to stand near the group. Jeff and I got involved in a conversation about my work on the web sites, then I met a lady by the name of Jean and we chatted quite a lot. Janine and I realized that all three of us were horse lovers, so we had that and DQ in common right away.

Not too long after, Pam arrived, with Lee and Bob Smith following a few moments later, complete in period clothing they had both worn as background actors on the show. Lee even toted one of Barbara Babcock's (Dorothy) parasols from the show, one she's been trying to get back to Barbara for a while now, but they keep missing each other. Lee announced that she was happy to be there and would wait for us at the bottom of the hill, since our first stop was the site of the old homestead. So, off we went, trudging in our group up the hill opposite the town entrance, through the little opening in the trees to the right, around the bushes and there's the site! (sniffle) It looked so empty and barren without the little wooden home, and the barn, and Dr. Mike's garden, but if I closed my eyes, I could get a very clear picture of it all, and when I opened them, it was as if it was all there just like it used to be. (sigh) Isn't imagination a wonderful thing?

We all sort of meandered for a few minutes around the site, many of us venturing out to the bluff which overlooked where the Reservation had been, and if you looked closely, you could just see the tops of the town buildings through the trees. It offered a beautiful panoramic view, and a great photo opportunity. If any time was good to be taking notes, this was it, especially when we returned to meet with Lee, our tour guide, as she was just full of tidbits and stories and interesting facts, most of which are only sketchy details in my mind. Thank goodness for the video tapes of the events.

So, now we're all walking back down the hill to meet Lee, who was standing in the middle of the Reservation land. She pointed out various locations, talked about the Native American inclusion in the show, told some stories about various actors and let us all snap pictures of the area. Then, she told us it was time to step back in time and cross the bridge. So, the tail end of the group led the way. Lee told us to all stop on the bridge, and once she joined us told us about the times when it rained really hard and flooding occurred. She said the bridge was their only means of escape. The water would collect up in the hills on all sides, and when it rained, it would come barreling down the mountains and just dump and collect in the valley at the set. Thankfully, this only happened a handful of times, but when it did, it caused major problems. Cars would float away, people would have to swim to get to dry land, and any number of other difficult situations. Hard to believe when we saw the low state of the creek at that point.

Moving on, we walked further and came to the edge of town with the meadow on our left and the line of town buildings (one of which was used as the Josef Quinn Memorial Library) on our right. The Telegraph/Gazette was directly in front of us, and you could see the edge of the area where the Café was. As we progressed around the town, it was like seeing everything come to life again. Hearing stories told from Lee made the imagery even better, and there were many moments of photo-taking and various snapshots, not to mention a lot of great laughs shared about the stories Lee told.

We wound our way up the main street with the Mercantile directly in front of us, passing by the Saloon on our right and Clinic on our left. As we passed the Gold Nugget (the lettering was still barely visible on the side of the building), Robert E and Grace's house came into view just around the corner to the right and next to it stood the boarding house, a building that is now occupied by one of the park rangers. Turning to the left, you have Jake's barber shop, the bank, the feed and seed, and the often-missed "Chinese" laundry lining the street to the right. The sheriff's office and the area where Robert E's livery was, as well as what was known as the "elephant stage" were all on the left. The "elephant stage" was where they filmed the interior of the church, the recovery rooms of the clinic, and the upstairs bedrooms of the new homestead as well as any other upstairs rooms. Everything else was filmed inside the actual buildings.

Walking a little further up the street, you see the train depot, the train track long since removed. After a few more stories, we wound our way to Grace's cafe where Lee wrapped up her tour, showing a famous picture of William (Hank) with his hand on her......knee......(or so she says) and her petticoats and skirts lifted. She also introduced Don, who had been to the set countless times and knew a lot about the history of the set, not to mention the fantastic photos he's taken, many of which have been used in the issues of the DQ Times. Bob Smith is also a resident expert on history, but he pretty much hung back during the tour and talked with the men that were with us.

One other little tidbit that Lee shared was regarding the large tree which sat in the middle of the cafe. It had been there for over 500 years, and every time a cast or crew member was having a particularly rough day, they would walk over and touch the tree. If that tree would last for over 500 years, their day just had to get better. It was sort of like having a little bush or post outside your home where you leave your problems before entering, and it seemed to work very well for everyone. Just another common bond shared in the "family" on the set.

After this, we were pretty much on our own, so several smaller groups ventured out to the right past the train station and up and over the hill towards the new homestead, the Chateau, and the site of Preston's never-completed homestead. It wasn't easy picking out locations with no real landmarks, but it was a true test of observation skills and memory to locate the areas where the buildings once stood. It was actually funny to think about how close the chateau was to the homestead, as well as the knowledge that every time the family would drive to town, they would leave the homestead and drive off in the opposite direction from where the town actually was.

The hardest part of this little trek was coming upon the homestead land and seeing nothing. The area was very overgrown, but the memories of the buildings and what took place there still remained. We took a lot of pictures in this area, many of us pointing out the various locations we recognized and remembered from the episodes. After that, we all made the trek back, passing by the area where the Chateau once sat and making our way back into town. Lee was sitting on the porch of the saloon, telling more stories, so a few of us hung around and talked with her, while most left to get some lunch before heading to Malibu Creek for the second tour. A handful of pictures and a couple more stories later, and we all ended our walk down memory lane as we headed for our cars and left to go to Malibu Creek.

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Malibu Creek State Park Tour

We only had a few minutes to spare, so we didn't waste any time. Driving out of the set area and off of Cornell Way onto Kanan Road, we made the right turn onto Agoura and drove all the way to the end, where it intersected with Las Virgines/Malibu Canyon Road. Driving the couple of miles, we turned right into Malibu Creek State Park, waited in line to pay the parking fee, then drove to the lower parking lot to join the rest of the tour group. When we arrived, Paula (aka Storm Goodbody), our tour guide, was taking roll to make certain we had everyone.

It was about a mile walk to get to the main area of filming used on Dr. Quinn, but our first stop was about a half mile down the path. We crossed a low bridge over the creek, and Paula pointed out the area where Black Kettle and his wife had been found face down in the water during Washita. This was where I first met Monique and Montse, from France. They are two of the sweetest ladies you would ever meet, and I enjoyed talking with them, even if it was only briefly. From there, we walked some more, the majority of the group hanging back to take pictures. As we walked around the path and took a bend to the right, the area opened up to a small meadow, and I pointed out two deer that were walking across it. They paused and looked at us, almost as if they were posing for us to take their picture, so most of us obliged. It was such a picture-perfect moment, and everything looked so peaceful, it was hard to resist.

A little further down the path, and we reached the park ranger station, which was right at the edge of the bridge over a very well-known part of Malibu Creek. We all gathered on the bridge and waited for Paula to make her way to the middle, where she pointed out the famous shot of the canyon and mountains from the opening credits.

From there, we took a short walk around the corner to the left and came upon that "rock with all them holes in it" from Bad Water. Little did we know then that this was the same rock that housed the "honey & berries cave." In fact, if you look closely in Bad Water, when they show the men on horseback riding towards that rock, right at the bottom of the rock and a little around the left side, you can see a different angle of the cave. You have to know what you're trying to find, though, to see it. This rock and the area around it were actually used quite often for a variety of different scenes and episodes, all with a slight trick of the camera lens to prevent you from seeing just how close everything was. Amazing what they can do with a small area and a lot of camera angles!

Of course, when we reached the "honey & berries cave," we all had to pose for pictures. Some of the couples, like in the first group, posed together, but we did manage to get one big group shot of 18 of us at once. We could have had more if the Times staff had joined us, but they decided to be party-poopers and do a picture of their own. (grins) Wish they would have joined us, then took their own picture later. We could have broken the record of 21 in the cave at once. Oh well, there's always next time. Besides, poor Paul and Steve were probably tired of holding all of the cameras again, so it was good to give them a break.

About six of us hung back to get some more pix without everyone standing around, and the group made their way back to the path to walk down and around the cave area to the lower level by the creek. I decided to be adventurous and take the shortcut down between the split-trunk tree and break in the rocks to join everyone. I didn't expect the rest of those who had remained to follow me, but they turned out to very adventurous souls, too, and we successfully reached the bottom in one piece. Now, we were with the group once again, and we were down below the cave area. Looking up, we see the other side of the rock which Matthew used when he and Peter scaled down the wall to place dynamite in it in Hell on Wheels. The little area between the rock and a smaller rock was where Sully and Matthew had their fight in the same episode.

However, the biggest thing which was down here was the famous "do up the buttons" tree from Bad Water. The floods and rain had brought a lot of rocks around the area and washed away a lot of the dirt, but the area was pretty much still the same, and you could see the roots where they clothes had been laid in the sun, as well as where Michaela had sat and the side where Sully had stood. Obviously, some more great picture moments. Moving along, we carefully made our way over the unsteady rocks and stones that littered the path, then went around to the left to the pool area of the creek that was used for the famous Abduction jump. There were actually 3 parts to that jump, and it was amazing how seamlessly it seemed to occur in the episode. Jane and Joe did the first initial jump where they held hands, but their stunt doubles took over from there and jumped from two different spots. One was higher up and one was where they jumped directly into the water, Jane and Joe taking their place after they surfaced to swim to shore. Ahhh, the wonders of film!

The bank of the pool was also the same area in the Pilot that Sully had run with Wolf when they were searching for Brian, just before Michaela rode up and hopped off her horse to join him on the climb to the bluff where Brian laid on the ledge below. A multitude of other shots were filmed there, and they're far too numerous to mention, but it certainly does make you take a second look at the episodes as you watch them to see how many of the same areas you can catch. Seeing it all and being there really does give you a new appreciation for the filming that took place.

Well, we were about to the end of the tour, but Paula mentioned that anyone who wanted could walk around back up to where the cave was and walk around to the right to a path that led up to the very top of the rock wall to a flat area. I knew of a quicker, but much steeper way, so I led my roomies up there, followed by Jean. Seems I was getting pretty good at this "follow the leader" stuff. (grins) Good thing nobody got hurt, or I would have really felt bad. So, we reach the top and are joined moments later by Paola and I believe Marilyn and one other person. This flat area was used for Harding's camp in Bad Water, for the area where Sully and O'Conner fought in Moment of Truth, for part of the railroad camp in Hell on Wheels, and the smaller rock that paralleled it was used as the "broken wrist" scene in Bad Water. Again, so many things, too numerous to mention.

Well, after a series of photos from all angles, we went down along the easy path only to find that the rest of the group had already left to head back to the parking lot. Since there was eight of us, we knew we'd be fine getting back on our own. Our path back included walking by the two other trees that were used in Bad Water, the hair-brushing tree and the tree where they had spent the first night. Again, amazing how close everything is when it's supposed to look like it's far away. We meandered on back, not really saying much, and after the long walk back, finally joined everyone else in the parking lot, most of whom were in their cars or heading that way to go back to the GNI and prepare for the dinner that night.

Once we were there, since I knew there'd be a fight for the shower and I had taken mine that morning, I decided to hang out by the pool for a little while and just sit. Of course, all of us didn't have much of a choice, since the maid was just then getting to our room to clean it. So, we deposited our paraphernalia, then found seats around the pool.

Brandy and I had our box of extra 2002 calendars, since Diane had requested one, and her friend, Susan, also purchased one, as well as Janine. Jim and Jim (who collectively run Chad Allen's (Matthew) web site) came and chatted for a few minutes, then Diane told us about her Homestead blueprint plans, so we requested several copies of that, as well, then continued to sit and chat while our room was cleaned. Finally, the maid was done, so we all headed back to get ready. As I stood outside the room, Pat spotted me and asked if I was going anywhere. I told her I wasn't, and she said she wanted to chat. So, I waited, and she returned with her folder of collages. I had seen them at Star Week, but these were all new ones, with lots of new features and more beautifully done (if that's possible) than her original ones. She creates very beautiful treasures!

So, I'm flipping through the book and chatting, then a little while later, I excuse myself and leave the pool area to go back to my room. However, I ran into Nancy, and we chatted for a long while outside the gate to the pool area. Penny joined us, and we stood there just chatting about Joe (big surprise!) with Nancy filling me in on the details of the dinner the previous night with him and Shawn and Dynette and Jana, as well as the other ladies from Joe's Corner Group. They have pretty much covered the details of that event, but it was great hearing about it first-hand, as well as reading the couple of reports that have been posted here. What a very fortunate group of ladies, and what an absolutely special time it obviously was! Nice precursor for what would take place later this evening.

Well, finally, the 3 of us finished chatting, and I realized it was around 4:00, so I headed back to my room. My roomies exclaimed how nice it was for me to finally join them, and I filled them in on where I had been, sharing about the special Joe dinner, then proceeded to join them in getting ready for dinner. We knew we wouldn't have a lot of time, since we had to be there around 6:00, and it was already nearing 4:30. So, we hurriedly got dressed, shared curling irons, helped each other style our hair, and put the finishing touches, took a few pictures and gathered our necessary items to leave.

That brings us to the dinner!

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