Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Touring an Old West Movie Set (Premium)

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hi, Thomas here. You're listening to a preview episode. You can enjoy the entire story tonight by subscribing to our supporters' feed. There you'll get access to the entire back catalogue, bonus episodes, and more, and it's all completely ad-free. Click the link below to learn more and thank you so so much. Me and the team really appreciate your support. Rustic buildings, flank the wide, unpaved road. There wouldn't be the size worn by the scorching desert sun. Each building is fronted by a boardwalk that spans the length of the town and runs parallel to the solitary road. The boardwalks are partially covered by wooden canopies that slope gently overhead, offering

Starting point is 00:01:20 shelter from the sun. They're elevated from the ground and can be accessed by a series of wooden steps connecting them to the main road. This is the fictional town of Sweetwater. It's a movie set modeled after the many boom-downs of the old American West that rose and fell with the gold rush of the mid-1800s. The 1848 discovery of gold in northern California prompted more than 300,000 prospectors to venture west. They traveled on horse-strong wagons across vast, very trails. Or they sail around the dangerous waters of Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of South America. At first glance, the sweet water movie set feels like a real town of the old west. feels like a real town of the old west, or at least the kind that's been immortalized by classic western films. It's so lifelike that when you close your eyes, you can almost hear the sound of horses

Starting point is 00:03:02 hooves and the fierce cry of a bird overhead. It's currently off season for this otherwise busy town. The movie set is now welcoming tour groups to explore some of the studios and sound stages. Each is mass by a rustic building, all of which were built from scratch. You're joining one of several tour groups today, standing near the entrance to town. You take in the scenery.

Starting point is 00:03:49 There are a number of false storefronts lining the boardwalks. One of these is a two-story building whose wooden columns support a wrap-around terrace on the second floor. The sign above a pair of swinging doors at the entrance says, the old saloon in a red typeface. Across from the saloon is a storefront with a large picture window and the words, attorneys at law written in thick white brush strokes on a wooden placard. The sign hangs not sided from the chain, nailed to the front door. Next to the lawyer's office is the sheriff's bungalow, a quaint building, with two wooden

Starting point is 00:04:55 benches and a hitching rail for horses on the main road. There are a few others joining your tour group today. One of them is a blonde woman in a yellow shirt, khaki shorts, and white pen issues. She uses her hand to fan her neck and face. It's a hot day under the desert sun. Also joining you is a man with a salt and pepper beard a corded chin strap. He's standing with his arm on his hip, sighing dreamily at the scenery. He inhales the warm desert air with a grin.

Starting point is 00:06:07 The hot weather doesn't seem to bother the bearded man in the slightest. But when a strong gust of wind whips the soil at his feet, it sends up moats of dust in the air. He comments on the wind and his voice echoes beyond the edge of town, where a dilapidated clock tower strikes high noon. The tower, with its cracked terracotta dome, holds the tolling bell that signals the beginning of the tour. Just then, a figure emerges from the oval archway at the base of the tower. This must be your tour guide.

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Touring an Old West Movie Set (Premium)

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.