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Originally Posted by Buddahaid

Because it was filmed in Marin County. Why else?

Actually the speeder bike sequence in Bilge_Rat's post was filmed in Owen R Cheatham Grove in Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park in Humbolt County along a tributary(this being a Uboat forum) of the Eel River... the Van Dusen River.

The most memorable parts of the speeder bike chase in the second Star Wars movie, Return of the Jedi, were filmed in this grove. In particular, the forward-looking steadicam shots were taken in Cheatham Grove because it was photogenic and gets few visitors. Other parts of the scene were shot elsewhere; in particular, sideways shots showing the riders in profile were taken from the back of a truck driving down the Avenue of the Giants, also in Humbolt County, and scenes in which actors walk around in the redwoods were shot on private land (with much less impressive redwoods). The latter scenes couldn't be shot in a state park, since they required removing the groundcover to allow camera and lighting crews to walk around freely.