With February 24 just a few short days away, I returned to Kiana Lodge in Poulsbo, Washington to visit the Twin Peaks film location of the log where Laura Palmer’s body was first spotted by Pete Martell. Upon arriving at the Lodge on February 22, 2023, I was greeted with a rather surprising sight – the log had moved!
MAPPING LAURA PALMER’S LOG ON THE MOVE
It’s one of the most iconic openings in television history. Sawmill worker Pete Martell leaves his house for a morning of fishing. After stopping to listen to the “lonesome foghorn blow,” he spots something strange at the base of a giant log on the shore by his home. We soon discover it’s a dead body, wrapped in plastic.
The scene was shot around mid-March 1989 at Kiana Lodge located at 14976 Sandy Hook Rd NE in Poulsbo. The location was used extensively in the pilot episode both as The Great Northern Hotel and Blue Pine Lodge, the Martell’s home. Today, the Suquamish Tribe owns this private wedding and meeting location. While they welcome visitors, they ask you give their paying clients their privacy and plan to visit when there are no events going on. Call ahead to check on their schedule – (360) 598-4311.
One thing I immediately noticed is the log was a lot closer near the spot where Pete stops to look. So when did it break free from its decades old spot and travel down the shore?
I had previously visited the location on January 22, 2020, just before the entire world changed. The log was found in its original spot. I turned to Google Earth to determine when it happened.
According to an aerial image from June 19, 2021, the log was still located in its original spot.
About a year later, the log had moved down the shore. This confirms what Leslie from the Kiana Lodge staff shared with me – the log started drifting at some point within the past year.
I found this photograph by Jeff Hitchcock taken on February 9, 2017. You can see how the Kiana Lodge staff attempted to keep the log from moving using an anchor and chains. The anchor was wedged between another log on shore.
Those same chains are seen at the log’s right side to prevent it from traveling further down shore.
Em Casey shared these images of Laura Palmer’s log taken during a visit in September 2022.
The log had already started moving away from its familiar spot.
KING TIDES IN PUGET SOUND
Shortly after publishing this story, a fellow Twin Peaks fan named Daniel who lives about 10 minutes from this location explained what has been happening in the region:
“Puget Sound gets what are called King Tides between December and January being the highest. If you look at Google Earth you can see that before and up to May 2017, [the log] has been pretty stable. It clearly moved some judging by the May 2018 image. January 2018 was a very high tide, so more than likely moved some then. Then it pretty much remained in that spot until the July 2022 Satellite Image. January 2022 set another record high tide at +14.47 feet. 2023 hit +13.47.”
The Washington State Department of Ecology echoed Daniel’s sentiment in an article published on January 23, 2023 titled, “King Tides showcase future sea level rise.”
The article offers a glimpse at the effects of rising sea levels to Seattle’s shorelines. They state during the past 100 years, sea levels have risen about eight inches in the area. The king tides of today will be regular high tides in the future.
LAURA PALMER’S LOG MOVED
Fortunately, a silver plaque was added a few years ago to the seawall that indicated where Laura Palmer’s log was originally located. The plaque states:
“A pivotal scene in Twin Peaks’ pilot episode was filmed here in 1989. Laura Palmer was discovered right next to the immense log tethered before you.“
There is a small challenge with this plaque now.
The log is no longer before us. You can see just how far it traveled in this image above.
Looking back at the spot now is surreal. In Twin Peaks Part 17 on Showtime, Laura’s body disappears in front of the log when the past is changed. This time, the entire log is missing!
Here is another look at the giant log in its current position along the rocky beach.
You can see where the log should be located in this image of Pete Martell looking down at Laura’s body. Part of the log appears on his left side.
A similar shot, sans log, was captured during my visit in 2023.
LAURA PALMER WRAPPED IN PLASTIC BY THE LOG
The movement of this log effectively changes the ability to capture images as seen in the pilot.
The log is now positioned parallel along the seawall versus dipping into the water.
The front of the log where Laura’s dead body was found is still similar to the pilot episode shot nearly 34 years ago. The passage of time has unfortunately worn away some of the log’s features.
THE LOG’S FUTURE
What’s next for the log? The staff would love to move it back to its original spot from the show. Yet it’s very heavy and becoming quite fragile. Where is super strong Nadine Hurley when you need her?
Amazing, im visiting seattle from the uk from the 12th sept for 5 nights and am doing a big twin peaks location tour and would love to do this if possible. Going by google maps., it says the lodge is about 20mins away from the bainbridge ferry terminal by car so i was looking at getting a taxi there once we arrive on the island so i can visit and get some photos.