From South Bend to North Bend – My Twin Peaks Trip Across the US.

By Cheryl Lee Latter

February 24th – On this day in Twin Peaks – Laura Palmer is murdered, Dale Cooper enters the town

11.30am, February 24th. Twin Peaks fans everywhere are today celebrating Twin Peaks Day, the date Dale Cooper first drove into the town to investigate Laura Palmer’s murder. Many of those fans are arriving in North Bend and Snoqualmie today to visit the filming sites.

I am making a more circuitous route, via Iceland. Fear has stopped me getting on a plane until now, the thought of several hours in the air being the worst thing I can think of. But now I’m ready to fulfill the dreams I’ve had for thirty years, and to finally make my pilgrimage to the US.

For the last few years, I’ve admined many Twin Peaks groups and pages, written online articles for 25 Years Later, and print articles for the Blue Rose Magazine. I’ve made many, many friends I haven’t yet met in person. I have dedicated my life to Twin Peaks, and for a long time, it kept me alive.

Having the show return in 2017 brought back the teenage girl I once was, and felt like a good time to try to repair old wounds and move on from past traumas. It was a new start and a time of healing, but my anxiety has been skyrocketing lately, and a kind of mid-life crisis is descending.

Now it feels like it finally time to confront those fears, to face the flights with perfect courage! What better day to do this than the day we remember Laura, and where the story all began? 

First I’m heading to the Midwest, where I’m eager to explore Lynch’s small-town America, and the interesting characters therein. From there, I have a Twin Peaks pilgrimage across the US, where I will meet fellow fans, meet cast members, and finally see those beautiful falls and smell the majestic Douglas Firs.

After dreaming of this for so long, it’s hard to believe it is finally happening. Please follow me for the next couple of weeks as I blog my total immersion into the world of Twin Peaks.

Wheels up!