Still image from Wheels Across America via Chicago Film Archives.
United States
English
01:18:15
16mm
Colour
Silent
"2 part edited travelogue following young men on a bicycle trip cross country (San Francisco to New York City) with Wandering Wheels, a faith based organization. Along with the noteworthy locations they visit, such as the Four Corners and New York City, this film includes much documentation of their down time and visits to Native American and small town communities to sing and meet with the people." Chicago Film Archives.
This film is a part of the Julian Gromer Collection held by Chicago Film Archives.
Julian Gromer Collection, Chicago Film Archives
"PART 2/2: 00:08 - Title: Wheels Across America. Var. footage of bikers on the road. Includes an ELS of the Grand Canyon, ZOOM IN on the road. Visiting with the Navajo community in Tuba City, AZ. Women weaving, the cyclists singing outside a small church with residents, CU of children, kids riding the bikes. 03:16 - Var. buttes and mesas in Monument Valley, CU of desert flowers. Cyclists interact with Husky dogs and local children. Goats and sheep grazing on a slope near a small desert shack. CU of sand breaking apart on the slope. 07:00 - MLS cycling in circles at the Four Corners. Cyclists entering Mesa Verde National Park. PAN from overlook, var. MS of rock cliffs facades and dwellings. LS and MS of Native Americans group dancing. PAN mountain views in Durango, CO. Cyclists on the Navajo Trail. Down time includes taking a break by the roadside, singing to children, playing football in a field, and waiting for a passenger steam engine to pass. 12:19 - Var. LS and ELS views from on the road along the tree lined Wolf Creek Pass; mountains, green valley, a waterfall. Cyclists riding down a snowy bank at the Continental Divide. Singing in MS and CU in two locations, the second with an audience of children. MS little girl hula hooping, and cyclists attempting to. 16:45 - Var. sand dunes. Entering Kansas under a large sign. Var. flat Kansas scenery and cyclists. A sign marking they are equidistant to New York and San Francisco. Cyclists at the campground. The Eisenhower home, a small church and a garden in Albilene, KS. Time lapse of flowers blooming; roses, lily, gladiolas. 22:05 - Riding through Hannibal, Missouri with motorcycle escort, being interviewed roadside. Historic Mark Twain sites in MLS and MS, including Huck’s fence. Crossing the Mississippi bridge, RA. Sites in Springfield, IL; Lincoln’s tomb, little girl rubbing the bust’s nose, Lincoln’s home. Riding through the campus of Taylor University. 26:10 - Crossing the Ohio the state line. Trying to make a human pyramid in MLS. Talking with army recruits. Outside the National Professional Football Hall of Fame. Cyclists on var. roads in and near Harrisburg, PA, LS with background of scenery. Morning at a rest area; cooking breakfast in the truck, loading duffel bags, checking bicycles. Fireworks. 32:05-36:42 - Var. kids box car racing down a hill, mostly in FA. Cyclists playing frisbee. More cycling through PA. Grounds outside the Hershey factory. MS of amusement park rides; tilt-a-whirl, roller coaster. Footage of down time; guys at a pool, guys eating watermelon. In New York City; interviewed on the street, crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, singing for a crowd with bridge in the background, LS and MS of Statue of Liberty," via Chicago Film Archives.
Amateur Cinema