SEVERAL weeks ago I brought you Part I of the Welcome To Twin Peaks Travel Guide, which also happened to be our first ever Reader’s Choice feature.  So if you are digging this mini-Twin Peak-athon (there’s one more in this three part series) make sure to swing by Facebook and tell Ava thank you, because this is all her doing.  Excellent choice, Ava!

If you want the chance to have your article idea featured then make sure to follow me on Facebook so you can make your voice heard the next time I announce an upcoming Reader’s Choice (I’m seriously loving this.  I hope you guys will join in the fun).  Okay.  Enough of the formalities. Let’s get to why we’re all really here – our deep, abiding and, in all probability, unnatural love for Twin Peaks.  To quote Man From Another Place…

LET’S ROCK!

AVA’S CHOICE (part II OF III)
WELCOME TO TWIN PEAKS TRAVEL GUIDE PART II

THE TWIN PEAKS WELCOME SIGN

How could you possibly call yourself a fan if you go through all the trouble of visiting a dozen Twin Peaks destinations but don’t visit the location of the Welcome to Twin Peaks sign used in the opening credits?  This iconic spot is located in Snoqualmie, Washington, at (approximately) 41469 SE Reinig Road.  Granted, no sign stands there, but that’s okay.  If you’re crushed that no sign has been erected to mark the sacred spot you could always make & bring your own or, through the magic of computers, you could edit the sign into your own photo when you get home.

THE ROADHOUSE

The Roadhouse’s exterior is the Fall City Roadhouse & Inn (formerly The Colonial Inn) in…you guessed it…Fall City, Washington.  If the front façade looks completely unfamiliar then you’re right.  They actually used the side of the building for filming…and when you compare the two exteriors, the reason for the choice is clear.  The real façade just doesn’t feel right…it just wouldn’t work for the series.

But let’s be honest, when we think of The Roadhouse what we really want is the interior complete with Julee Cruise crooning her melancholy medleys from the stage as we have a whiskey (because that’s what you drink when you listen to Julee Cruise sing “The World Spins”) and are whispered ominous warnings from The Log Lady…and for that you have to head over to the Raisbeck Performance Hall (formerly Timberline Spirits) which is now owned by the Cornish College of The Arts in Seattle.

All the interior shots for the pilot were filmed here.  Thanks to a restoration you can still go visit and enjoy a performance while you’re there, but don’t expect a whiskey.  Luckily, visitors report that the hall still has a very Twin Peaks vibe to it, so go enjoy a show (and just sneak in your flask *wink*).

BIG ED’S GAS FARM

We all know Ed Hurley as the uncle to James Hurley, Laura’s secret love interest, and husband to Nadine, the wacked out, freakishly strong, eye patch wearing ginger obsessed with inventing the first 100% quiet drape runners.  Ed was also a member of the local secret society known as The Bookhouse Boys.  Big Ed’s Gas Farm was his business.

I’ve found some conflicting information about the exact address of Big Ed’s Gas Farm, but Google Maps has assured me that it is, in fact, located at 8606 Preston-Fall City Rd SE, Preston, Washington, and is now Indoor Garden & Lighting.  This is the location used in the pilot.  There is a second Big Ed’s Gas Farm located in California that was used for the rest of the series…but let’s be honest, all the Washington locations are just flat out cooler than the California locations and that’s why I’m sticking with good ol’ Washington State.

**  An added bonus:  Ed and Nadine’s house, which is conveniently located right by his gas station in the series, is located right by it in real life as well.  I’ve read that it’s clearly visible from the front of the “Gas Farm.”  You can’t miss it.  Since it is a private residence you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone online offering up the exact address purely out of respect for the privacy of those who live there, but you can still take a gander at it.  Two birds, one stone.  **

HORNE’S DEPARTMENT STORE

Where, oh where, would One Eyed Jack’s be without the perfume counter at Horne’s Department Store?  The exterior of Horne’s is  located downtown at 240 2nd Ave S, Seattle, Washington.  From what I can gather through numerous searches it is currently available for lease.  It has clearly had a bit of a face lift but much of the original façade remains the same.  Hoping to have a Horne’s shopping experience?  Sorry to say but the interior shots were filmed on a sound stage in Los Angeles.

THE BOOKHOUSE

The Bookhouse, home to the aforementioned secret society known as The Bookhouse Boys, is conveniently located just behind the Fall City Roadhouse (which you can see in the background of the second image) in Fall City, Washington.  So when you visit The Roadhouse just pop around to the side of the building and there you are!  Another two for one location.

Obviously this location was used for the exterior shots only.  Since the building isn’t a TARDIS there’s simply no way you can fit the interior Bookhouse inside the Bookhouse exterior.  Many interior shots were filmed (with the aid of many shelves and books which were added to the location) in California at The Old Place, a restaurant and bar.

LAURA’S LOG (WRAPPED IN PLASTIC)

Who can forget when Laura Palmer’s body was discovered wrapped in plastic by the sweet and beloved Pete Martell…the crucial scene that establishes the purpose behind the entire series.  The giant log that marks the scene of the tragic discovery is located at the Kiana Lodge (which also serves as the Martell home as well as the interior of the Great Northern) in Poulsbo, Washington.  They even have a plaque there commemorating the famous scene.

THE BIRD BRANCH (OPENING CREDITS) – FOR THE TRULY HARDCORE

Tremendously huge kudos to the hardcore fan that actually tracked down the exact branch with the exact view of the bird on the branch from the opening credits.  How the hell do you even manage that?  I mean seriously!  How?  Remote viewing?  Dowsing?  Consulting the Oracle of Delphi?  A lost quatrain penned by Nostradamus?  How?  That’s insane!  But whatever magic and supreme obsession led to this discovery, we get to the reap the benefits.  Aren’t we the lucky ones?

(And if you’re curious you can read the actual account of how this super-fan tracked down the tree branch here.)

SO WHERE THE HELL IS IT?

It’s actually about 30 yards behind Laura’s Log.  According to the super-fan who tracked it down it’s “the first tree hanging over the beach near the gazebo.”  BA-BAM!  There you have it.  Possibly the most obscure travel destination in the history of the world – a single tree branch as viewed from a very particular angle.  Now that’s dedication.

THE BLACK LODGE

High on the creepy scale and definitely one for the books should you manage to visit, the Black Lodge, another dimension with its odd speaking doppelgangers, red curtains and seizure inducing flooring is certainly the most elusive of locations to visit.  The doorway to this other dimension is hidden in an area known as Glastonbury Grove.

Its appearance is innocuous enough – a small clearing marked by an unusual pool of a black liquid with a foul odor and was originally surrounded by twelve small sycamore trees.  Recent visits indicate that the trees are gone and the black liquid has vanished, but then these reports are given during daytime visits.  Who knows what you may find there at night.

CURIOSITY KILLING THE CAT?

Satisfy your inner kitten by following this map to the location.  I only hope that if you’re successful in reaching the Black Lodge that satisfaction will bring you back, kitty cat, with all your garmonbozia in tact…where would we all be without it…?…it is, after all, so often how we learn out greatest lessons.

Should you actually dare to visit the Black Lodge and manage to return in tact, please do fill us all in on your experiences.  I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say we wait on tenterhooks to hear about what you encountered on the other side.

Well boys and girls, this concludes our virtual romp through Twin Peaks, but don’t be glum, chum.  There’s still one more part in this three part series, so make sure to tune in next week as I serve up one last plate of delicious cherry pie and a damn fine cup of coffee.

Owl Pecked Kisses & Log Lady Chaos,
Alli Woods Frederick

PS – I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for being so understanding and wonderfully supportive of my time away from Kisses & Chaos to take care of my precious furbaby, Mischa.  Your well wishes and patience mean the world to both of us.  We’re finally falling into a groove with all his medications and I’m hoping to return here full time in no time at all.  Thank you, again, for everything.  I love your guts.  Hugs from me and Mischa to each and every one of you (unless you aren’t the hugging type, in which case you get a high five (I’m looking at you, Lemons. *wink*) instead).  *Squeeze!*

IMAGES :: READER’S CHOICE LOGO © ALLI WOODS FREDERICK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. :: BLACK LODGE VIA FANPOP ::  SOURCE UNKNOWN  ::  via life between frames  ::  A TREASURY OF ::  VIA IN TWIN PEAKS  ::