Chasin' the Movies

I'd never been to Colorado before, but something was vaguely familiar about it. Much of the scenery rolling past reminded me of the westerns I used to enjoy years ago. One town, in particular, had me thinking deja vu from the moment it appeared. Ready for something to eat, I stopped in Ridgeway, Colorado and found the True Grit Cafe. Once inside, it became clear this was no ordinary restaurant. On a brick wall to the left was a mural that had been painted for the John Wayne movie, True Grit. Originally an outside wall, it was visible in one of the early scenes of the movie. In later years, the restaurant was built around it as a tribute to John. It was a treat to have lunch there and see the memorabilia.

Once back out on the street, I visited the tourist office and found that there was a good reason the town looked so familiar. Many of the scenes from the movie were filmed there. The park which is across from the restaurant was where the "hangin" took place.

Around the corner was the building that appeared
as the Undertaker's place of business.

The prisoner wagon from the movie sits next to the main highway.

Since True Grit has always been one of my favorite westerns, I decided to search out some of the other nearby scene locations as well. The chase was on! It led me down old washed out roads that no Gold Wing has ever had any business on. There were a few times I would've turned around if I could've, but Wildfire kept rollin' on. Eventually, we found the field where Rooster put the reins between his teeth and with a gun in each hand charged ol' Ned Pepper and the other outlaws. Never dreamed I'd ever walk that field myself!

Then it was on to Mattie's Ranch on the other side of Ridgeway. The ranch appeared in the opening and closing scenes of the movie. Although still recognizable, the years haven't been kind to it.

And then a few days later, while traveling through Monument Valley along the Utah-Arizona border, I once again found a place that looked familiar. Since returning home, I've found through a little internet research that this valley has been the setting for several movies over the years ... and a famous car commercial as well. But the movie that came to mind as I pulled over to the side of the road was Forrest Gump. He'd ran across the country for "three years, two months, fourteen days and sixteen hours" in an effort to put the past behind him. It was here that he finally said, "I'm pretty tired ... think I'll go home now".

Speaking of home, it was in Arizona that the wheels had rolled about as far west as time allowed so I nudged Wildfire toward home. As the desert grudgingly gave way to rising mountains, the 100 degree plus heat did as well. Eventually, miles turned to hours and the towering mountains in my rear view mirror began to lay down. The fresh alpine smell I'd grown so fond of was traded for the aroma of endless farmland ... all the way across Nebraska.

On the way home, there was one more place I wanted to stop though. Glad I did ... Madison County Iowa reminded me so much of Tennessee, I felt at home immediately.

This beautiful area has at least two claims to fame. After spending a couple of days in Colorado chasing down True Grit movie locations, it was interesting to take a guided tour of the house where John Wayne was born in Winterset. The house is larger inside than it looks and has memorabilia on display. There's a gift shop next door.

The other attraction around Winterset was the covered bridges of Madison County. They're all over the midwest and northeast, but none are more famous than these. Robert Waller put them on the map with his bestseller The Bridges of Madison County. And Clint Eastwood gave them a starring role in his movie adaptation.

The movie locations are easy to find. Francesca's House is not too far west of I-35. It was open for tours until someone set it on fire a few years ago. Don't know how heavily it was damaged, but the best you can do now is photograph it from the road.

Cedar Bridge is just northeast of Winterset. And like Francesca's house, an arsonist unleashed fury on this historic bridge in 2002. The fire destroyed it and a replica was built and dedicated in 2004.

Then there's Roseman Bridge, which is the one Robert was looking for when he drove up Francesca's driveway. Didn't find any notes tacked to the bridge, but there was plenty of graffiti written on and carved into the wood.

Southeast of Winterset is the Holliwell Bridge, which also appeared in the movie.

In the city park, you'll find the Cutler-Donahue bridge. It's not in its original location. The bridges were originally named after the family that lived closest to them. In this case, both the Cutlers and the Donahues shared honors.

The stone bridge, where Robert and Francesca had their picnic, is also in the park.

The Northside Cafe ... on the square ... still open for coffee.

And the Blue Note Lounge, which was used for some interior film shots, is still jammin'.
.

A few miles outside of town is Pammel State Park, where Francesca's children sat on a table and grappled with the implications of their mother's diary.

Anyway .... it seems I have a new hobby. In future travels, I'll keep an eye out for other places that seem kinda familiar. And when found, I'll share .... :)