One thing I loved about Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me was seeing memories shared from the television series brought to life. Take James’ last time he saw Laura Palmer. While he explains what happened during the Pilot and Episode 1.001, it was even more heartbreaking to see the scene replayed in real time during the film. The film location for this scene (and its recycled footage in Season 3) is found in Snoqualmie, Washington, near several other spots.
WHERE IS SPARKWOOD AND 21 LOCATED IN TWIN PEAKS?
Sparkwood and “21” is located at the intersection of SE Reinig Road and 396th Drive SE. The approximate coordinates are 47°31’49.1″N 121°48’20.1″W.
The spot is surround by other film locations such as Ronette Pulaski’s bridge, Laura Palmer’s drive to Harold Smith’s house and part of the scene where Mike the One Armed Man follows Leland Palmer’s car.
This scene was shot on October 4, 1991 according to the official shooting diary by Charlotte Fraisse.
SPARKWOOD AND “21”
According to “Welcome to Twin Peaks – Access Guide to the Town,” the location for Sparkwood Road and Highway 21 is north of town.
During the Pilot Episode, James Hurley first mentions the intersection while speaking with Donna Haywood in the woods:
“,,,we stopped at the light at Sparkwood and ’21’ and she did something so strange, she grabbed me around the neck and she screamed she loved me…”
According to the original “Northwest Passage” script, Sparkwood Road was most likely named for Sparkwood Hill, a small mountain overshadowing the town. This unused establishing shot was mentioned early in the script.
EXT. TWIN PEAKS DOWNTOWN – DAWN
In the shadow of a smaller mountain Sparkwood Hill, we see the slightly run down business district, the core of Twin Peaks’ old downtown. A slow-moving freight train rumbles through the train station.
The script also mentions the lonely traffic light cycling from green to red. We first see it in the Pilot after Special Agent Dale Cooper addresses the townsfolk at the Town Hall.
EXT. INTERSECTION – DAWN
Where Sparkwood Road meets Highway “21”, a traffic light cycles from green to yellow to red.
The solitary light is never identified by name in the series, yet I’m guessing this could be the “light at Sparkwood and ’21.'”
James mentions Sparkwood and “21” again in Episode 1001 when speaking with Cooper and Truman. Basically the same story he told Donna in the Pilot.
Interestingly, there is a Washington State Route 31 in the northeast corner of the state, near where the town of Twin Peaks would have been located. This 26.79 mile road runs from SR 20 in Tiger north to British Columbia Highway 6 (BC 6) at the Canada-US border, located north of Metaline Falls.
Washington State Route 21 is located more toward the upper center part of the state. The 191.34-mile long state highway crosses four counties: Franklin, Adams, Lincoln and Ferry.
SPARKWOOD AND 21 IN TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME
For this article, I’m only discussing the Sparkwood and “21” scene from David Lynch’s feature film. The scene will reappear in Part 17 from Season 3 with a slightly different edit, so it will be discussed in a separate article with monochromatic images.
The scene opens with a red traffic light. The August 8, 1991 script implies more action, which is partially seen in Part 17.
EXT. HIGHWAY 21 – NIGHT
Laura and James on the bike make their way down to Sparkwood and Twenty One. Laura leans way back on the bike.
LAURA’S POV
Looking up at the trees as they fly by in a dark blur.
LAURA AND JAMES
LAURA
The trees… the trees…
The traffic light is different than what we seen in the Pilot or series. There wasn’t an actual light installed at the intersection (which is more a curved road), so the crew added one.
This command traffic light has the words “Stop,” “Caution” and “Go” printed on the colored glass. It is most likely a Crouse-Hinds Type DT signal which were produced from 1952 to 1959.
JAMES AND LAURA APPROACHING THE TRAFFIC LIGHT
James and Laura are headed south along 396th Drive SE. You can see the shadow of the lighting used to illuminate the area projected on the road.
If you head north on 396th Drive, you’ll end up at Dirtfish Rally School, the site of the former Weyerhaeuser Saw Mill (aka Packard Sawmill).
The script describes the action:
Laura screams with agony and tries to get off as they approach the light. Laura falls off as they skid to a stop.
Since this scene was shot on October 4, 1991, you’ll notice the trees are full of leaves
It probably would have looked more like the image above if they had shot the film in winter.
Either way, it was cool to visit such an important part of the series and film. If Laura had not jumped off the bike, perhaps things would have been different.
DARK WOODS AT SPARKWOOD AND 21
When I visited the location in September 2019, I had the brilliant idea to visit the location at night. With no street lamps, the area is completely dark.
The long-exposure image above was captured using my tripod. While standing along the side of the road for a handful of minutes, I could feel the darkness of pressing in on me. Sheriff Truman wasn’t kidding about that “presence” in the old woods. I definitely felt it!
THE SCENE TOOK FOUR TAKES
According to Charlotte Fraisse’s official shooting diary, they did four takes of “Laura” falling off the bike:
Tough night. We are supposed to shoot the scene where Laura falls off James’ motorcycle and runs, then several shoots near Jacques’ cabin, a few miles away.
The first scene takes place at the crossing of two narrow, shoulderless roads, which makes driving the vehicles and setting up our equipment difficult. A broken-down railroad bridge adds a suitably ominous gloom to the place. The stuntwoman does four takes. It’s not easy and all the more courageous since she is only wearing black stockings and a miniskirt so short we can see her garters.
Based on my research, I believe the stunt player for this scene was Diana Wagner-Boyd. At the time, she may have been a theatre student at Cornish College of the Arts in downtown Seattle. I’m hoping to confirm my findings upon receiving a response from Ms. Wagner-Boyd.
Hannah Kozak did stunts for Phoebe Augstine (Ronette Pulaski) and Kathleen Reilly appears to have been a choreographer.
JAMES HURLEY REACTS
JAMES
(confused and terrified)
Laura…
Laura crawls back up and puts her hands around James’ neck.
In the film, Laura yells “Don’t!” as James tries to help her up off the road.
LAURA PALMER SCREAMS, “I LOVE YOU, JAMES”
In the film, Laura wraps her arms around James and screams, “I love you, James!” The scripted dialog is slightly different, placing “James” before the “I love you.”
LAURA
(from far away she screams)
JAMES, I LOVE YOU.
I yelled “I love you, Twin Peaks” when I visited the spot on September 16, 2019.
LAURA PALMER RUNS AWAY
The script continues:
For a moment she focuses on him. She looks like the Laura that James loves. Innocent and Beautiful. Laura turns and sees the woods. It pulls her. She releases her hold on James and runs into the waiting darkness.
Again, the scene would have looked more like this if they had shot it in January / February versus fall.
JAMES HURLEY HESITATES AT THE LIGHT
James looks at Laura as she runs into the woods.
We see the green light change to yellow. The script describes the action:
The red light swings in the wind above James.
It turns green, but he doesn’t move.
When the light turns red again, James guns the engine and lifts the bike up on its back tire. James screams then roars down the road away from us.
We get a great look at James’ license plate in this shot – Washington 7481D2.
The scene ends with James rocketing his bike toward the darkness.
DOC HAYWARD’S WILTED ROSE
In the August 8 script, the scene ends with a different shot, which was a reference to an earlier scene at the Hayward house:
Off to the side of the road lies Doc Hayward’s wilted red rose.
In The Missing Pieces, we see Doc Hayward in his living room attempting to perform a magic trick.
They hear DOC HAYWARD in the kitchen. He walks in with a magician’s handkerchief. With a flourish he tries to pull something out of it.
Instead he stands there empty handed.
DOC
The red rose. Where is the red rose?
(frustrated)
You know the light at Sparkwood and 21? It worked right there. I just did it right there.
The wilted rose scene was not a part of The Missing Pieces but I imagine it was shot. Why?
You’ll notice the camera slowly pans down to the right as James pulls away on his motorcycle. It abruptly cuts to Laura exiting the woods to meet Jacques Renault, Leo Johnson and Ronette Pulaski. The circled area is probably where the rose would have been found. When the Doc Hayward scene was cut, there was no reason to show the wilted rose.
But now that’s all I want to see!
