Someone told them about a place called California, about a warm sun and a blue sky, about rich land and fresh air, and at this moment, almost a year later, they've seen nothing but cold, heat, exhaustion, hunger, and sickness.
Christian is dangerously ill and the others advise Horn they wish to turn back, as they are running out of supplies and lack medicine for the sick.
Upon crossing over the rim, Horn suddenly finds himself in 1961 New Mexico and is perplexed to see telephone poles, a hard black road, and a large, fast-moving truck coming at him.
The doctor finds him fit and seemingly rational, with only the implausibility of the man's story giving him reason to think otherwise, and calls the local sheriff.
After giving his son a dose of penicillin, Horn leads the party onward to a fresh water spring that Joe had mentioned and California.
Mr. Christian Horn, one of the hearty breed of men who headed west during a time when there were no concrete highways or the solace of civilization.
Mr. Christian Horn, family and party, heading west, after a brief detour to The Twilight Zone.The location shooting for the scenes of the wagon train in the sand dunes and the exterior of the roadside diner was carried out at Olancha, California in the Owens Valley, located on U.S. Route 395, approximately 300 km (190 miles) north of Los Angeles, adjacent to the Sierra Nevada mountains.
The distinctive geography of the Olancha area was also used for location shooting for the feature films Tremors (1990), Bug (2006), and Iron Man (2008).