I’ve probably been to Inyo County, California's Alabama Hills, in my imagination at least, about as often as I’ve been anywhere in the world. I grew up completely devoted to my favorite film stars, western heroes such as the Lone Ranger and Tonto and Hopalong Cassidy. As far as I could tell, they actually lived in the Alabama Hills. Many of their movies and television series were shot among these rounded rocks at the base of the Sierra Nevada’s sharp east side and at the foot of the tallest peak in the lower 48 states, Mt. Whitney. As a kid and later as an adult, I’ve traveled in person throughout the Alabama Hills many times. The best day I ever spent there was with the late Dave Holland. Dave devoted himself to interpreting the movie history of the hills and their surrounds and wrote a terrific book, “On Location in Lone Pine.” He loved showing people around his favorite haunts. We had a lot of fun together. I enjoyed his personal warmth, his affectionate way of telling stories and his large and spontaneous sense of humor. As far as I’m concerned, Dave will always be in the Hills riding shoulder-to-shoulder with those he honored, the legends of yesteryear.
