Vanishing Point: Argo's Car Delivery Service, Denver

[Speet]

Where did Kowalski pick up the gay hitchhikers?

About 5.6 miles south of where he later throws them out a short distance north of Sportsmans Park Road, where the telegraph line crosses State Route 376, even though they are traveling southbound for the entire scene.

 

[Last Highway]

Just found this fantastic thread and joined! Fantastic work here on some locations that have eluded me. I have traversed the Goldfield-Carvers-Austin area a few times hunting VP locations and recently filmed parts of feature film last June, we took shots of our movie car racing through the area and a few other scenes using the same 35mm camera system and lenses John Alonzo employed on Vanishing Point. We go back very soon to film some post production pick up shots. I plan on visiting dry lake and getting some good shots. If anyone has anything they want verified I will do my best to hunt it down.

Cheers!

 

[Last Highway]

Some film stills from the area...

 

[Last Highway]

Not a Dodge if thats ok to post here, but for any Chevy car fans here's our movie car 1970 SS 454 Monte Carlo 454 (bored over) 12 bolt 373 posi.

 

[MrLocation]

Hi Eric (Last Highway) - it's John (MrLocation on Flickr). I'm on here too! Long time no hear. Did you see our latest location work? (831 HQT, Speet and me).
Vanishing Point (1971)

 

[Last Highway]

Hi John - did not realize it was you. Yes I saw the new updates and its a great body of work! Im going back to film in a couple weeks now and plan to visit dry lake round Lone Mountain and see if I can find the Dean Jagger car snake area.

Did you see the shots I posted from our film above. We took the movie car to a few Vanishing Point locations and used the same angles etc.

 

[831 HQT]

Just found this fantastic thread and joined! Fantastic work here on some locations that have eluded me. I have traversed the Goldfield-Carvers-Austin area a few times hunting VP locations and recently filmed parts of feature film last June, we took shots of our movie car racing through the area and a few other scenes using the same 35mm camera system and lenses John Alonzo employed on Vanishing Point. We go back very soon to film some post production pick up shots. I plan on visiting dry lake and getting some good shots. If anyone has anything they want verified I will do my best to hunt it down.

Cheers!

35mm film and John Alonzo style lenses: This really sounds great (and adventurous)! And I guess all we are waiting for here are some crystal clear pictures of that
dry lake west of Tonopah. And of course the icing on the cake: The exact flat tire scene location....

 

[Last Highway]

Hey 831 - we are really excited to have the chance to go back for pick up shots and do some serious location hunting, we have a few weeks. I am gonna need some help from you three Im sure. John has helped me before. I hope to find the flat tire spot and get some great stills to share.

Can you guys give me any additional google earth images with circles around the most likely vicinity you may think the flat tire interlude occurred? Help me zero in. I also have to figure out road access then how far on foot with equipment. Anything helps. Im looking at maps now and reviewing all of your data points so far.

I know John is in the UK but where are you and Peter located? How often have you guys gone hunting the VP locations?

 

[Last Highway]

Just some global thoughts and observation as I prep. Given Dean Jaggers age then and the limited time Richard had to film, I believe 38 days, wouldn't it stand a reason that they were not going to just go miles and miles out of thier way if they could get quicker access via some old road and stay pretty close to the highway? Like Gemfield e.g. So far with just a few exceptions it seems like they just grabbed shots as they traveled east to west. I feel they spent the lion share of their shooting time with the cast and crew stationed in Tonopah like us, consulting with locals on good spots. Although I'm sure they did some prep and scouting before hand like we did in 2015, but based on Richard's comments it seems like there was some latitude and "play it as we go" quality to some of the production


Anyways I'm trying to use aerials to find logical access points around Lone Mountian.

 

[Last Highway]

This area here looks maybe possible, there is access albeit not looking like a smooth road.

 

[Speet]

Hello there, uh, Eric, and your stuff looks pretty awesome! Some of your shots look like they're on the older alignment of US 95 south of Tonopah.

As far as accessing the dry lake site goes, a film crew reached it with their vehicles. I wouldn't advise aiming for the old railroad path like you have indicated. I looked for a route safe for a street car like that Chevy and I think best access is from the southwest side.

On US 6 between Millers and Coaldale, look for a dirt road to the south. It leads to a driveway (old airstrip?) heading out on to the lake.

Veer off the driveway to the right and thread this path through the vegetation and you'll hit the open lake bed like Kowalski did. The dark patch in the upper right of this image is the target area for flat tire change/rattlesnake wrangling/root right in.

In and among the silt dunes right here, center of image.

 

[831 HQT]

Hurrah, we're getting closer, closer, closer!

 

[Last Highway]

Its true my friends!

 

[Last Highway]

Peter thank you, this is a huge help. Just some thoughts is it possible they shot this in and around the airstrip? As some of the veggies look similar. So my challenge will be transport, as our equipment van will not be a good thing to drive on the flat Im assuming (getting possible stuck if it been wet recently). So I think I can get our location scout and local friend to drive me to the end of airstrip with his F150 and from there Im backpacking it on foot for what looks like a mile then wandering around until I can find the angels. I wanted to bring my laptop with maps and pic plus tripods and still cameras for some really nice shots but the weight may impede me. The heat will be around 90-95 ish so I will try for later afternoon. So, I have to figure out the logistics.

 

[Last Highway]

We filmed our own flyby of the 70 Monte to pay tribute. You'll recognize this one. Yes Peter those early screen grabs where shot between Tonopah and Goldfield.

Also a flyby we filmed on one of the roads they shot on. Thats the Smokey Valley on the other side of the car in the first pix.

 

[Last Highway]

Guys are there any satellite 70's aerials we can reference to see how much the islands have moved around sine June 1970?

 

[Speet]

The USGS site today is reluctant to let me download high-res historic aerial images of the site for comparison. Maybe another day.

If you would prefer to hike to the site rather than drive, there is an alternate route that may be less time consuming: There is a hard-to-miss outcropping of rock alongside US 6/95 (I mislabeled it 6/50 above) a little over a mile from the site, where it looks like one can safely park and then take the off-road means of choice about a mile and a half down a well-established dirt path south to cross the old railroad grade and reach the lake bed.

 

[Last Highway]

Awesome and thank you. I found a USGS pic (the site is almost impossible to navigate) from 1978 and to my surprise the area is almost virtually identical down to the srubs etc. So this is an fairly unchanging landscape but its going to be serious hunt, but I have 3 weeks there again so I can make a few attempts. I also plan to go up to Wendover and collect all of the shots you located via google maps along the way.

 

[MrLocation]

Great stuff happening here for 'Mission Desert Rat' guys. Go, Eric, go! (Did you get the present I left for you at Windy Messa Road in Cisco?).

 

[Last Highway]

John - not yet but we will pass by on our way back. Looking forward to it. Wish me luck!