July 2015 – Wandering Dawgs

I love movies. Comedies, westerns, mysteries, thrillers, science fiction, love stories. I love them all. One of the things we love to do on our RV trips is visit film locations. It’s fun to visit a place and imagine the actors playing their parts while the cameramen capture the action.

Here are a few of the most memorable film locations we have explored.

Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota – This cold war spy thriller had Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint being chased around the Black Hills in “North by Northwest” (1959).

Mount Rushmore National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota

Devil’s Tower, Wyoming – Who can forget Richard Dreyfuss making a sculpture of the Devil’s Tower and then climbing the actual tower in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977)?

Moab, Utah – In “Thelma and Louise” (1991) starring Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis, Thelma and Louise drive off a ledge into the canyon at Dead Horse Point State Park near Moab.

Thelma and Louise drove into the Canyon at Dead Horse Point State Park

Between Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico – When taking a day trip in New Mexico we turned off the road to stop at an overlook and stumbled upon a filming location for “Wild Hogs”(2007) starring John Travolta.

When looking for a scenic overlook we found this movie site where "Wild Hogs" was being filmed — When looking for a scenic overlook we found this movie site where “Wild Hogs” was being filmed

Dyersville, Iowa – The baseball field and house from “Field of Dreams” (1989) starring Kevin Costner and Amy Madigan are surrounded by corn fields.

If you build it he will come — If you build it they will come

Winterset, Iowa – In “Bridges of Madison County” (1995) photographer Clint Eastwood and housewife Meryl Streep fall in love.

Roseman Covered Bridge, one of the Bridges of Madison County, Iowa

Pembroke, Virginia – Patrick Swayzee and Jennifer Grey fell in love in “Dirty Dancing” (1987) filmed at the Mountain Lake Lodge.

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada – “Niagara” (1959) While honeymooning at Niagara Falls, Marilyn Monroe plots to kill her husband.

Monument Valley, Utah and Arizona – although many westerns were filmed in Monument Valley, the most famous is probably director John Ford’s “Stagecoach” (1939) starring John Wayne.

Goulding’s Lodge near Monument Valley, Utah – John Wayne’s cabin from “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” (1949) is next to Goulding’s Lodge.

Savannah Georgia – “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” (1997) starring Kevin Spacey and “Forrest Gump” (1994) starring Tom Hanks are two of the many movies that have been filmed in and around Savannah.

Forsyth Park Fountain in Savannah, Georgia

We’ve also explored a few places where the stars lived.

Winterset, Iowa – John Wayne’s birthplace

John Wayne's birthplace in Winterset, Iowa — John Wayne’s birthplace in Winterset, Iowa

Harlem, Georgia – Oliver Hardy’s birthplace

Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee – Elvis Presley’s home

If the idea of visiting film locations sounds appealing to you, the IMDb website includes film locations for many movies.

A great resource for finding film locations in the southwest is the book “Cinema Southwest” by John A. Murray

Nine years ago this summer we purchased our fifth wheel and set out on the first of our many RV journeys across the United States and Canada.

During these nine years we have traveled to the west coast and back, crossed the Rocky Mountains and Continental divide several times, wandered around Florida, enjoyed campgrounds in our beautiful home state of Georgia, and made the ultimate RV journey to Alaska. We’ve visited National Parks, National Monuments, State Parks, tourist traps, historic sites and museums. We’ve seen the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, most of the Great Lakes, many rivers, creeks, streams and lakes. We’ve enjoyed birdwatching, wildlife viewing, wildflowers blooming in every season, sunsets and sunrises. We’ve attended RV rallies, met many friendly and interesting people, and made new friends.

In all, we’ve camped in 41 of our beautiful United States including Alaska. We discovered that there is something interesting to see and do no matter where you are. Here are a few of our most memorable experiences.

We learned not to head north in early April because you never know when it might snow!

We had the park to ourselves at Blue Mounds State Park in Luverne, Minnesota

One very hot day in August we made the hike to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Utah.

We hiked to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Utah

We enjoyed many magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean as we traveled south on the Pacific Coast Highway from Washington to California.

We felt small beside the Redwoods in California.

In Yosemite National Park, we took a drive on Glacier Point Road to the Washburn Overlook.

We took a drive on Glacier Point Road in Yosemite National Park, California

On the American side of Niagara Falls we took the Cave of the Winds tour and stood on the Hurricane Deck underneath Bridal Veil Falls.

On the Hurricane Deck at Niagara Falls in New York

We visited the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Itasca State Park, Minnesota twice and walked across it once.

We enjoyed walking around the bases at the Field of Dreams Movie Site in Dyersville, Iowa.

The highest point of the Blue Ridge Parkway was one of the highlights of our several visits to the parkway.

Being snowbirds in Florida is a great way to spend the winter.

St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Florida

You can’t beat the views from some of our campsites.

Watchman Campground, Zion National Park, Utah

Watching for whales in Haines, Alaska

Sagebrush Campground Palo Duro Canyon State Park

It’s been a wonderful nine years and we have so many great memories! Although our future trips will probably be closer to home we are looking forward to many more adventures.