Today, I’m introducing a new series called “Setting the Stage” which looks at the sets and places that make up the world of Twin Peaks. I begin this series with a look at one of the first film locations I visited in 1996 – Kiana Lodge. It’s located at 14976 Sandy Hook Rd NE, in Poulsbo, Washington.
In the series, it’s named Blue Pine Lodge and serves as the home for Josie Packard, and Catherine and Pete Martell.
In episode 2001, Sheriff Harry Truman answers a telephone call by saying “Blue Pine Lodge.” The name is a nod to one of the fictional names for one of the two mountain peaks over looking the town – Blue Pine Mountain.
For this article, I’m taking a closer look at the Blue Pine Lodge exterior shots in Seasons 1-3.
SEASON 1
The first scene in the Pilot episode just after the opening credits is an establishing shot of ducks floating on a pond. It transitions to an exterior shot of Blue Pine Lodge.
After announcing to Catherine Martell that he is “gone fishing,” Pete Martell is soon seen leaving Blue Pine Lodge. His appreciation of the sound of a lonesome foghorn is interrupted when he sees a body wrapped in plastic. For this story I’m only focusing on Blue Pine Lodge. The giant log on the no-bank waterfront where Laura Palmer’s body is examined in this “Setting the Stage” article.
Pete returns to the lodge to investigate which gives a nice pan of the outside. Josie and Catherine are later seen standing on the porch as Sheriff’s deputies roll the body over.
Toward the end of the Pilot episode, Sheriff Truman returns to Blue Pine Lodge where Josie and he share a kiss on the porch.
This scene is the final exterior shot from the Pilot episode, yet footage captured during the location shoot in Washington State will continue to appear throughout seasons 1 and 2.
A nighttime shot of Blue Pine Lodge is seen in Episode 1002, while in Episode 1003 there is a nighttime shot of the no-bank beach (sans the giant log).
In Episode 1004, there are two different nighttime shots. One has Sheriff Truman’s vehicle and what appears to be a BMW. The second nighttime shot has no vehicles parked outside.
Two additional shots of Blue Pine Lodge close out season 1. In Episode 1006, a daytime shot of the lodge is shown with Sheriff Truman’s car and the BMW parked outside. This time the cars are parked in an opposite direction from how they were parked in Episode 1004.
In Episode 1007, it appears a recycled two cars parked outside shot first seen in Episode 1004 was used.
SEASON 2
Season 2 kicks off with Episode 2001. There is a brief but beautiful morning shot from the porch of Blue Pine Lodge. The scene is looking toward the area of the giant log (seen on the right side of the image).
After Episode 2001, Blue Pine Lodge is not used as a set or shown again until Episode 2004. You may recognize the totem pole briefly seen in the Pilot Episode.
Episode 2006 shows Sheriff Harry Truman walking toward the Blue Pine Lodge at night.
Another exterior image is not shown until Episode 2013 where Sheriff Truman is shown walking toward the Lodge during daytime. This daytime shot with two cars parked outside has the cars positioned differently than Episode 1006.
The “Piano Concerto in A Minor (1st Movement)” by Edvard Grieg accompanies views of giant totems outside Blue Pine Lodge in Episode 2013. These same carvings are seen in some aforementioned establishing shots.
For some unknown reason, Episode 2014 also contains a nighttime, no-bank beach scene that appears just before cutting to the Marsh Mansion. This quick look is similar to the nighttime scene from Episode 1003.
It’s unclear why the establishing shot was used for the Marsh Mansion as the scene picks up with James Hurley packing to leave.
The final exterior shot of Blue Pine Lodge is seen in Episode 2020. It’s a nice bookend to one of the first shots seen in the Pilot Episode.
SEASON 3
Then in 2017, viewers returned the Blue Pine Lodge in Part 17 of season 3. There is a brief scene of Pete Martell headed to his morning fishing spot. The scene appears to be a different part of a take that used in the Pilot Episode.
In the Pilot (seen way above), the scene picks up with Pete walking just as the grass turns to gravel. This scene in Part 17 shows Pete walking to that spot from the Blue Pine Lodge porch.
Specifically shot for Part 17, the area where Pete went fishing is the last exterior image of Blue Pine Lodge.
The funny thing is the fishing spot is actually in the opposite direction from where Pete was walking. You can see the top of the giant log just below the tall pine.
