"Mystery Trips" Sleuth Around Bottle Village

Once a year, Dave Green organizes a "Mystery Trip" for about 25 of his friends. He charters a Big Yellow Schoolbus and their itinerary is top secret. It's a whole day of fun filled suprises: away from the job, away from the kids, away from the Saturday to do list, away from driving though the snarly LA traffic. Time to be a kid again and sing songs on the bus! What a fabulous idea! What a great friend!

The afternoon stop was "Over the Hill and through the Burbs, to Grandma's Place we go..." To Grandma Prisbrey's Bottle Village, that is. Imagine not knowing your destination while traveling the usual LA Freeways and exiting at Simi Valley.

"Why are we going to Simi Valley?..What's in Simi Valley, Dave?..This is bor-ing... More stores, more houses..Samo,Samo..I know, we're going bowling!...Ya right...I heard there's a paintball place out here...Maybe that's it...Daaaaaave,when are we gonna get there?"

The Big Yellow Bus finally pulls over and stops on a regular suburban street with houses all around. Sandwiched in a thick loaf of suburban sprawl is a gourmet slice of pure creation, the likes of which Dave's 25 friends have never ever seen or heard about. Peering out the windows in disbeleif, amid shrieks of delight, Dave pulled off a "great gotcha". There's a wonderful catch here, so stay with me.

"What the...? What is Grandma Prisbrey's Bottle Village?...In Simi Valley?

People who want to visit Bottle Village do so through BottleVillage.com They already know something about it. They're prepared. They have some connection, an established interest and definite reason for wanting a tour. Imagine going into the DMV and randomly choosing 25 people for a surprise trip to Bottle Village. After all, they were Dave's Mystery Visitors.

Everyone knows about the wide range of reactions toward Bottle Village and Dave's friends were strangers to the world of Grandma Prisbrey. They could love it, hate it, be confused, afraid, enchanted, inspired, disturbed, disgusted, delighted, amazed, or awed. Catching people off guard, away from what's familiar and comfortable; a visit to Bottle Village was a brand new experience. That's the important part. Whatever their thoughts, discovering something new, unseen, unknown is a rare commodity. Especially in LA.

They tumbled off the bus, hurried through the gates, and took off exploring; exactly like a bunch of kids. Tons of questions and wide-eyed curiosity. Not really a tour, more like you kicked over an anthill. A group portrait around the infamous Doll Head Planter. "Hurry up, gotta go, there's still another stop." Dave said.

The Big Yellow Bus drove away and one more mystery was solved. What is in Simi Valley, anyway?