Part I
It started on the afternoon of Wednesday, 21 August 2002. Seems that everything that could go wrong to keep me in the office...did! I was finally able to escape the confines of Washington DC around 1330. I was on the road to Pennsylvania, in search of 'The West Wing'!
Needless to say, I was putting the pedal to the metal on my road trip to PA. I was trying to get there before dark, but my main reason? I thought maybe I could find the local hang out, and catch the cast there!
Most of the hotels/motels in Grove City, PA were booked. I had managed to call a few days earlier, and got the last room they had, but for only two nights. Seems that I had called just after Warner Bros. had booked a large block of rooms. I was at the Super 8 with a lot of the crew. The cast was staying across the street at the Holiday Inn Express.
Anyway, I get there, check in, and get directions to the local pub. I also met a crew member in the lobby. We chatted for a few moments, and then I headed to the pub.
Had a few brews, talked to JT the Bartender. He said that RS, BW, and JM were in the night before, along with some of the crew. He said that he talked quite a bit with BW, who sat at the bar for awhile. (They had gotten a table in the bar area.) He said he really didn't know BW by name, just recognized him from his role in an Adam Sandler movie! (Rolls eyes!)
So, no one shows up, and I head to the motel to get some sleep for what I anticipated would be a long day of 'stalking'. I still had nothing but a vague idea of where to search for the filming locations. When I place my wake-up call with the front desk, I asked what time the rest of the crew had requested (shame on me!), and was given a 0530 wake-up!
The next morning dawned bright and early. I headed toward Volant, looking for any sign of TWW. What I didn't notice in the dark of my arrival the night before was glaringly obvious in the light of day...a sign! It looked like a garage sale sign, but it pointed the way to 'The West Wing'!
I followed the signs the 8 miles into Volant, through twists and turns. I'm not sure, but I think some of the signs were misleading. The last sign coming into the town of Volant indicated a turn into downtown. No other sign until the other side of town, and that one pointed you out into the countryside. I traveled up and down that road several times, looking for more signs but didn't see any...nor any evidence of filming. (I know now, from an article that quoted RS, that they were filming down that road the day I traveled. There are an abundance of Amish farms along that particular road.)
Finally, I gave it up and stopped to ask directions. (I know! Ladies, please don't faint!) This grungy, short, fat man with only a couple of teeth in his head offered to show me where TWW was filming. I couldn't believe my luck, but the strains of 'Deliverance' music echoed through my head as this little man on the Harley motorcycle in front of me slowly lead me deeper and deeper onto a winding, hilly road. Finally, he stopped next to a brick farmhouse that had seen better days. But, he was true to his word! I could see film trucks and the dressing trailers on the property!
I got out to thank him. He pointed out the Base Camp there, and the McConnell farm you could see in the distance where they would be filming the big rally scene. I thanked him again and asked his name. He gave it to me and smiled his toothless grin. "I'm the Mayor of Volant!"
Anyway, I followed some other WW signs, and found the area in a field that they were using for crew parking. I continued down that road, intent on what I could find. As I topped the next rise, I saw the road across the main highway...and it said 'Road Closed'. I knew I had found my area! I saw no activity at the time, so I drove around for a while longer, trying to spot signs of any other activity. I didn't find anything for a bit, so I stopped by the Farm again, and took some pics.
Anyway, that's it for now. I'll be putting more of my odyssey and the ensuing pics up in the next day or so. Stay tuned!
Traveler
Part I
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V
Part VI
Part VII
Part VIII
Bluemont VA August 2001
Washington DC November 2001
Washington DC February 2002
Pennsylvania Roadtrip August 2002
Washington DC September 2002
Washington DC January 2003
Click on the Presidential Seal to be taken to 'Everything You Need To Know But Are Afraid To Ask...The West Wing Tutorial.
