Recommended music for this post: Van Morrison – Snow in San Anselmo
This #SomethingElseSunday, we’re spending a little more time looking at pictures from last month’s trip to California, where I was joined by this Legacy Collection R3-A2!
After a full morning and afternoon at the Presidio and around San Francisco, the party shifted north to San Anselmo. Our next stop was Imagination Park, found right in the middle of downtown San Anselmo. The park commemorates being the birthplace of two masterpieces from George Lucas’s mind – Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
Marked, not just with small plaques, but with two life-size statues of Yoda and Indiana Jones found on top of a fountain at the far end of the park.
Following the success of American Graffiti in 1973, Lucas soon developed the initial outline for Star Wars from his home in San Anselmo. A few years later, the town was also the location where he screened the first unedited footage of Star Wars to his peers. The next decade saw Lucas return to San Anselmo to begin work on that other well-known franchise, Indiana Jones.
To commemorate the importance of San Anselmo to these franchises, Lucas donated Imagination Park and two statues to the community in 2013, with the goal of creating a place where children and adults alike could stop for a moment of peace and inspiration.
Like the Yoda Fountain at Lucasfilm, the Yoda and Indiana Jones statues themselves were sculpted by Lawrence Noble, who was a part of the Lucasfilm team during The Empire Strikes Back.
The base of the Indy statue also features some great details that fit with the franchise.
A couple more individual pictures were taken amongst the group shots with Star Wars friends.
Yes, I was there too.
Before long, it was time to get back on the road and head further north. We unfortunately didn’t stick around town long enough to check out a local bar with the Blues Brothers on the roof.
That evening, we reached our destination of Petaluma, California. With a population of just under 60,000, Petaluma has a great little downtown area. Besides the many memorable scenes in American Graffiti, which were filmed here in 1972, this area is also home to McNear’s Saloon & Dining House. A Petaluma staple for more than 100 years, it was also our home for late-night libations.
The next morning, there was some downtime to watch college football and to visit Crooked Goat Brewing.
After a decade in business at their Petaluma location, Crooked Goat offers a wide variety of drinks. With a restaurant next door that delivers right to the tap room, it’s a great set-up.
This was our last big stop before the main event for the weekend. R3 and I will be back soon to share more pictures from the trip.
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Dale's Toys 