tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239062544101975016.post1668545438562399450..comments2024-03-18T20:11:19.504-07:00Comments on Sacnoth's Scriptorium: Hobbiton USA Is No MoreJohn D. Rateliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12324926298336489295noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239062544101975016.post-9270801723491991092013-07-02T09:30:12.666-07:002013-07-02T09:30:12.666-07:00My brother and my wife and I stopped at this locat...My brother and my wife and I stopped at this location at the end of 1979 and the guy running the gift shop was telling us all about the plans they had for the place. He even showed us some stuff under construction. We were big Tolkien fans and were excited about the plans they had. I'm just learning that it finally opened in 1981 and sadly, we never made it back to see it finished. I purchased a Treebeard mug there and kept it for years but have since lost it. My brother and I are riding our Harleys to the Avenue of the Giants this coming August (2013) and will be checking out what's left anyway.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07452251380949969375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239062544101975016.post-3938527099391547392011-02-22T12:22:36.315-08:002011-02-22T12:22:36.315-08:00I was saddened to see that Hobbiton, USA was no mo...I was saddened to see that Hobbiton, USA was no more. I remember this trail from when I was a child and experienced it in the mid 80's. As a child it was amazing to see and hear the story as you walked along the trail. It was very low-tech, but as a kid, who cares? Adults were probably not thrilled, but even as I visited again in the early 90's it brought me back to the child-like thoughts of make-believe and wonder. So sad that it is gone. :-(Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09418409422110227653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239062544101975016.post-68943319690383503262010-03-31T07:08:19.326-07:002010-03-31T07:08:19.326-07:00During my residence in Seattle, I made a point of ...During my residence in Seattle, I made a point of visiting every county in Washington and Oregon that I had not previously been to. This netted me drives through some beautiful countryside, and led me to a small used bookstore where I nabbed a copy of Pat Murphy's <i>The Shadow Hunters</i>. So it was worthwhile.<br /><br />The first time I ever saw Lake Michigan, the shores were covered with endless numbers of dead fish. The locals acted as if this were normal.David Bratmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08090662884600828582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239062544101975016.post-53690929773868034512010-03-30T22:44:53.346-07:002010-03-30T22:44:53.346-07:00Perhaps I was too harsh; my own attitude is that I...Perhaps I was too harsh; my own attitude is that I wanted to see it, because it was connected w. Tolkien, however bad it might turn out to be, because I want to see everything connected with Tolkien. And so came away disappointed to have missed it, but without any illusions about its quality. <br /><br />I view such peripheral Tolkienia as like the little fairy queen on Nokes' Cake: tacky, but harmless enough, and for some a first glimpse of a world of wonder. I'd say the same of the Rankin-Bass film, the Bakshi movie, and even (worst of all) the Hildebrandts. I know people who encountered these at an early age and credit their later love of Tolkien to that event.<br /><br />I wd like one of those little souvenir rings, though . . .<br /><br />Thanks to all for sharing their memories.<br /><br />--John R.<br /><br />P.S.: Redwoods are great! And I know what you mean about not visiting things in your own area; that's why Janice and I have made a concerted effort to do so the past few years (during which I've finally made it down to Mt. Rainier, over to the San Juans, and east of the Cascades). But then back in my grad school days I'd been living in Milwaukee for almost a year (well, nine months) before I saw Lake Michigan . . .John D. Rateliffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12324926298336489295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239062544101975016.post-77749749478474558822010-03-30T09:29:15.258-07:002010-03-30T09:29:15.258-07:00I grew up in Eureka, CA, and I was able to persuad...I grew up in Eureka, CA, and I was able to persuade my parents to take a trip to visit Hobbiton USA around 1983 (I was 10 years old at the time). I'd learned about it from the Tolkien Enterprises fan club newsletter, and was excited that such a thing was so close to where I lived. I seem to recall being moderately pleased with the place, although not overwhelmed. I remember buying some LOTR playing cards at the gift shop afterwards--they had the Bakshi movie animated characters on it (hey, I was only 10!). I also recall that my Dad, who had zero interest in Tolkien, but who was very interested in botany (he was a wildlife biologist), was impressed with some of the signs pointing out various flora along the trail.<br /><br />John, it was nice reading details of your trip through northern California--as someone who grew up there, I sometimes took the redwoods and other natural phenomena for granted.<br /><br />Ed PierceEd Piercehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16660513977428598030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239062544101975016.post-37106419668017015152010-03-30T07:51:32.364-07:002010-03-30T07:51:32.364-07:00It was kitschy and tacky, but charming in a way. S...It was kitschy and tacky, but charming in a way. Sue and I went there in the early 2000s and it really felt like it would have been more appropriate in the 70s, with hidden speakers telling the story of the hobbit as you went from scene to scene. If memory serves, a few of the scenes were pretty well done. Most were not. I still have the One Ring I got at the end of the tour. I bet Sue has hers too.MonteCookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08154073889172996244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239062544101975016.post-17601058420279324202010-03-29T23:53:30.854-07:002010-03-29T23:53:30.854-07:00Thinking further, the haze of distance may be lead...Thinking further, the haze of distance may be leading me to be too kind. I do remember making less than sympathetic remarks about it after my one visit many years ago.<br /><br />Possibly Hobbiton U.S.A. could have been classified as one of those rare endeavors which is so bad that it's good.David Bratmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08090662884600828582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239062544101975016.post-17398782512089607752010-03-29T23:06:49.925-07:002010-03-29T23:06:49.925-07:00I suspected it might no longer be with us, as goog...I suspected it might no longer be with us, as googling it had produced the kind of results I associate with restaurants that have gone out of business.<br /><br />But rather than awful, I found it rather charming on my visit. However bad illustrations the art would have made, as physical dioramas they were disarming. The recorded pushbutton narration, outlining <i>The Hobbit</i>'s plot as related to each diorama scene in turn, was fairly accurate, and the last line of the last narration was unforgettable:<br /><br />"And so Bilbo returned safely to his hobbit hole, just as you will soon return to the parking lot."David Bratmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08090662884600828582noreply@blogger.com