Published: August 15, 2008 11:12 pm            

McCort grad takes the long way to see the U.S.

Amy Wargo knows what it’s like to take the road less traveled.

The Duquesne University senior from Richland Township recently participated in a documentary series, “ALT: Taking the Back Way Through Our American Landscapes.”

Wargo, 21, majors in digital media arts with a minor in advertising and public relations.

Her educational background made her an excellent fit for the team of 12 Duquesne students who followed two adventure motorcyclists along a system of byways and sometimes rugged roadways.

The group traveled approximately 8,000 miles on routes that took them to elevations of 13,000 feet and spots 200 feet below sea level.

“We were known as the ALT Project. ALT stood for Alternative Routes because we stayed on back roads in the states instead of interstates,” said Wargo, a 2005 graduate of Bishop McCort High School. “We had two Suburbans and two of the men who run with us have motorcycles. We ran through 20 states. We went through a lot of National Parks.

“We did a lot of interviews. We did conservation and preservation pieces. We did an angle on motorcycle traveling and adventure riding. Those were the primary focuses.”

The trip originated in western Pennsylvania and extended to the West Coast.

“We started in Pittsburgh. We went to Crater Lake, Ore., as the furthest distance,” Wargo said.

“The three main highlights for me were the Badlands in South Dakota, the Moab in Utah and Crater Lake in Oregon.”

The crew also visited sites in West Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho and Nevada.

“A lot of things happened to us that were completely unplanned,” Wargo said. “We have a lot of footage of us overcoming obstacles.

“We ran into a lot of bad weather. There were times when we were really close to tornadoes. We went through tornado alley,” she added. “That was scary. Our vehicles got stuck in the Salt Plains in Utah. That was an obstacle. We had six flat tires total. That slowed us down. But it was beneficial, because we adapted ourselves to whatever situation it was. We worked together as a team. It ended up being some of the best moments on the trip.”

Wargo gained insight through the experience while also earning college credits.

“It was more of an internship. It was an actual job. We were paid for doing it,” she said. “One of our professors came up with the idea. One of our grad students took a different leg of the journey. He was traveling in a wheelchair. He traveled with his family. We have two parts.

“Our professor really wanted to show the experience and show what is out there and all that the American character has to offer.”

The project’s Web site is www.jma.duq.edu/alt and provides more details about the yet unfinished documentary.

“We’re aiming for December, but it depends. That’s the goal,” Wargo said of a potential completion date. “They have all the tapes that they’ve filmed. They have all the film captured. They just have to create it. I’m in charge of contacting media outlets and television stations. We still have a lot of work to do.”

The experience had an impact on Wargo’s career plans.

“It definitely made me want to go into the film industry eventually,” she said.

“It made me want to travel. Being on the road and basically living in a vehicle and not knowing where you were going to be at the end of the day, I found out I loved that. It inspired me to find out more about our country.”

        

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