Uneasy rider in the Hollywood Hills

When I woke up this morning, I was looking forward to an exciting day.  After braving some morning rush hour traffic, I drove up a winding road to Sunset Ranch, nestled in the Hollywood Hills. Now, I haven't ridden a horse since I was a teenager, but I wanted to give it a try...and hopefully, have a little fun doing it.  Initially, I was thinking of doing the 2-hour ride, but due to my novice horse riding skills, I was talked into the shorter 1-hour ride.  Later, I would realize that was a good idea.  I was required to fill out a liability release form before getting on a horse.  There was stuff about falling from a height, horses possibly getting spooked, etc...it certainly made  a little nervous.

After putting on my protective helmet, I met my horse.  His name was Scrappy, as in Scrappy the Appy...he was a spotted Appaloosa.

After climbing on board, I felt confident things would be all right.  That evaporated pretty quick once we got going.  The ride was a lot bumpier than I remembered way back when. Plus, Scrappy sensed he had a newbie and tried several times to turn around to go back. Eventually, the nice guide used the rope attached to my horse to keep him going in the right direction. Once we turned around for the return trip, I was on my own again. I was quite relieved to make it back without being thrown off, although Scrappy was really a gentle horse.  I wasn't sore after my ride, but we'll see how I feel tomorrow.

Before leaving the area, I walked up a short trail to a viewpoint to take a few photos of the Hollywood sign.  I'm not sure if you can get any closer, but I think this was pretty good.

Next on the day's agenda, I drove north to Sylmar to visit the Nethercutt Museum.  This museum has a lot of old cars on display.  I love auto museums, especially those with older vehicles, such as the unusually modern-looking 1937 Cord 812 Supercharged Convertible.

After grabbing a quick dinner, I headed over to CBS Studio Center in Studio City for the live taping of the hit CBS-TV comedy, Last Man Standing. I've attending such live tapings in the past, and they are a lot of fun. Audience members are encouraged to help provide the laugh track for the show.  Last Man Standing stars Tim Allen, Nancy Travis and Hector Elizondo...three actors I'm familiar with.  The audience was kept entertained by a very funny comedian during breaks in the action on stage.  Filming started at 6:00 pm, and around 7:30, we were all provided a little snack...a slice of pizza and a bottle of water.  Things wrapped up much quicker than my previous experiences...a little over 2 hours, as compared to about 4 hours.  The show is really funny, and I'll be watching it on the tube in the future.  You can't go wrong with Tim Allen...he's ALWAYS a laugh riot!