I did a Tour of Twilight filming locations in the Portland area in 2014. Read about it here- https://wp.me/p3tCLD-G0.
I felt satisfied at the time that I had fully experienced the magic of Twilight in the beautiful sites I saw.
I had no great desire to see any additional film sites such as Cannon Beach, Oregon and the Swan house in St. Helens, Oregon. I had even less desire to go to the true Mecca of Twihards-Forks,Washington-the true life setting of the fantasy.
Nevertheless, I just returned from a 5 day stay there and discovered that the film sites did not come close to capture this breath-taking area.
I was led to Forks via The Forever Twilight in Forks Festival-an immersive Twilight experience of the events and places of the book.
I attended the festival as an opportunity to promote my book Confessions-of-a-Christian-Twihard.aspx.
The Pacific Northwest is a beautiful place, but the closer I got to Forks,the more beautiful it was. My drive along Lake Crescent was the intro to the pristine nature of the area. The highway 101 is mostly desolate from Crescent Lake to Forks. It is flanked by tall, thick groves of pine trees. The foilage is nothing like the Portland area, which is more of a mix of pine and Poplar trees. This was the vision I had in my mind as I read Twilight.
As I got closer to Forks, I crossed the bridge as seen in the movie, but not just one bridge, maybe 5 bridges. Then I saw the famous “The City of Forks Welcomes You” sign.
Forks is situated in the Quialute Valley. The valley opens before you as you cross the final bridge. You can see the forested mountains surrounding the town.
The downtown area seems frozen in time with its unassuming, wood siding covered businesses. It is only about maybe 1 square mile.
As I stepped out of my car to check into my hotel, which is really a motel, I breathed in the pine scented air and saw the beautiful source of the scent interspersed among the homes and businesses.
That evening, I watched Twilight, just after twilight with my fellow fans under the canopy of an A-frame log canopy at Tillicum Park. The audience reaction was almost as fun as the movie!
The town was still and quiet,and the stars in the sky were brilliant above as I headed to my hotel for a deep sleep.
Friday began with an early morning buffet breakfast, that was lumberjack sized, at the Forks Elks Lodge. The cosplay actors recreated the school cafeteria scene for us from the movie.
I had just enough time to get back to Tillicum Park to set up my table for my book signing.
It was an exciting day of sharing about my book and making sales.
My fellow twihards are wonderful and I enjoyed meeting and spending time with them.
That night was Bella’s Italian Dinner.
We had mushroom raviolis under a big white tent and watched the re-creation of Bella and Edward’s first date.
Saturday was Forks High School day. It started with the autograph signing opportunity by our special guests from the movies, Ashley Greene, Rachelle LeFevre and Erik Odom. It was exciting! The actors were kind and engaging. I was able to give each of them a copy of my book!
I hung out the rest of the day at Forks High school to experience time with Edward in biology and hear the special guest panels.
That night we were back under the white tent for apps and dancing for Senior prom. Edward and Bella were there complete with Bella’s foot in a boot brace. It was more like prom at an all girls school, but fun nonetheless!
Sunday,thankfully, I got to sleep in. We had a Mexican lunch at the Kit’la Roundhouse Center as we paid tribute to the other half of the story, the Quieute Tribe.
We had the privilege of having Ashley Greene’s husband and baby girl join us along with the other guests.
I had free time until dinner, so did my touring.
The road to the beach referenced in the book,is stunning. It is lined with thick forest that understandably Bella could get lost in.
The Beach itself was long and white, and there are rock formations and islands off the shore. It was a gloomy, gray day with fog in blanketing the forested hills in the distance.
The magic of this setting put me right in the fantasy of the story.
When I got back to town, I checked out a few more sites from the books. I saw the Swan house, Dr. Cullen’s parking space, and the Cullen house.
That night we were back at the Kit’la Rounhouse for a fabulous barbecue salmon dinner.
I said my goodbyes and then headed back to my hotel for an early bedtime to get ready for my long drive to the airport in the morning.
I decided to take the southern route to the airport through Tacoma. Once again, I passed through the tunnel of green that is the Olympic National Park. On this route, I also had the Pacific Ocean on my right as I passed Ruby Beach. It was a stunning sight between the trees.
I drove through country roads that led me to the main highway and finally back to the airport and reality. It was a wonderful weekend, and I look forward to returning next year.
cindybiondigobrecht 