Following a long drive through the desert at night, Richard/Cooper and Carrie Page stop for gas in Twin Peaks Part 18 on Showtime. This location was pretty easy to identify as so many details were available in the shot, including the gas station’s name. I first identified this location via Twitter on September 4, 2017 shortly after the episode originally aired. But let’s take a closer look at this scene.
FINDING THE LOCATION
The Valero Gas Pepper Tree Farm is located at 9661 Sierra Highway in Santa Clarita. The approximate coordinates where the crew set up the camera are 34°31’12.0″N 118°18’09.6″W.
The gas station located about 10 minutes from the film location for The Zone from Twin Peaks -Part 11. That scene was shot on November 30, 2015 so it’s conceivable that the crew grabbed this shot later that night after the Zone shoot was completed.
HISTORY OF THE LOCATION
The building was constructed in 1941 but I’ve been unable to determine when it became a gas station. According to the Valero website, the corporation was created in 1980:
“Named for the mission San Antonio de Valero – the original name of the Alamo – Valero Energy Corporation was created on Jan. 1, 1980, as the corporate successor of LoVaca Gathering Company, a subsidiary of the Coastal States Gas Corporation. Valero is the direct result of a $1.6 billion settlement approved unanimously in 1978 by the Texas Railroad Commission, the state’s natural gas regulatory agency, which ended more than six years of litigation brought against Coastal by its municipal gas customers.”
This location has been used in other films and television series including The Last Man on Earth, Episode 2.1.
VISITING THE LOCATION
This Street View image from Google Maps was taken in May 2016. The gas prices appear to almost match what is seen in the episode.
I visited the location on September 20, 2020.
FILLING UP AT VALERO
The scene opens with Richard/Cooper and Carrie Page leaving the store and walking to their vehicle.
I love that Richard/Cooper opens the door for Carrie – always the gentleman!
Richard/Cooper starts the car and turns on the headlights.
The gas prices in the episode appear to read $2.89, $2.99, $3.09 and $2.59. The image above from May 2016 almost matches, except the Diesel price which is $2.69.
Thanks to internet searches, I two location images of the gas station. They offer a better look at the banner hanging on the side of the shop and the gas pumps. By the way, Richard/Cooper was filling up the car at gas pump #1.
LEAVING THE STATION
Three cars pass the gas station before Richard/Cooper and Carrie turn onto the road.
They pull out of the station and continue the drive. These scenes also give a good idea where the camera was placed.
The giant red circle is most likely were the camera was placed to capture this scene. The smaller circle contains the reflective pavement markers that appear in the shot.
After they leave, the scene hangs on the empty gas station lot for a moment.
The scene transitions with a super imposed image of Carrie Page, the gas station and an unidentified road. For the latter, I believe it’s a road in Washington State as the scene cuts to more roads that appear to be from the Pacific Northwest. But that’s another story for another time.
