"A man went looking for America and couldn't find it anywhere," read the advertising tag line for 1969's Easy Rider. The subjects of 10 MPH, however, had more luck. Not surprising, considering that they could travel no faster than the film's title.
People have traveled from coast to coast in or on pretty much every type of vehicle imaginable, but until 10 MPH was made, I'm pretty sure no one had ever done it on one of these Segway scooters we were all supposed to be using by now. (Top speed: you guessed it.) Producers Hunter Weeks and Josh Caldwell, who left their well-paid but dull jobs at a software company to become filmmakers, decided to travel from Seattle to Boston on a $4,500.00 Segway and film the beautiful sights and interesting people they met along the way.
According to Google Maps, that's a 3,079-mile trip. According to Weeks and Caldwell, it was more like 4,200 miles, on a route that took them through Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri. Josh rode the whole way, even managing to pilot the scooter through a hole in a fence in Wyoming (lifting it over the fence would be cheating, and when you can only go 10 miles per hour, circling back and finding another route isn't really an option) while Hunter and a couple of friends followed, filmed, and chronicled the trip on a website.
The real stars of 10 MPH are the friendly and interesting people they met along the way, especially in the sparsely populated Western states. Things get more hectic after Chicago, as the roads become more crowded, the weather takes a turn for the worse, and some promised sponsorship money fails to materialize. Fortunately, some media attention (including a New York Times story, and even an on-stage appearance with Michael Moore) earns them enough donations and care packages to make it all the way, and the Segway company (which wouldn't sponsor the trip at first) organizes a parade and ceremony for them when they reach the factory in New Hampshire. Except for frequent battery changes, the little scooter makes it all the way across America without a hitch.
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Article comments
1 - Bryan
Truly a wonderful film and an original take on the slice of American Pie we all hope to enjoy some day. An excellent way to spend a couple hours of your life, and the movie will give back much more.