The last time Hunter Weeks went through Pennsylvania, he was filming his friend, Josh Caldwell during his cross-country trip on a Segway personal transporter.

On Friday, Weeks returned — this time to Penn Cinema in Lititz, one of many stops on a nationwide theatrical tour of his film, "10 mph."

The award-winning documentary is a travelogue as told by two co-workers who decide they've had it with their 9-to-5 jobs at a software company.

They'd rather be making films, Weeks and Caldwell decide — and that passion becomes "10 mph," a journey from Seattle to Boston made in 100 days, in which the pair encounter a lot of beautiful scenery and lively characters in every town.

"Last time we were here, we were interviewed on the radio station WLAN," Weeks said before the screening. "The DJ's corrected the way we pronounced Lancaster and gave us our first taste of shoo-fly pie. That's in the film, too."

The 30-year-old filmmaker from Denver, Colo., said the two-wheeled vertical motorized scooter was Caldwell's only mode of transportation for the entire trip and that at one point they attempted to get Segway's financial support for the project.

"When that didn't work, we realized we'd have to do this on our own," Weeks said, "supporting ourselves."

But why do it at all?

Both Weeks and Caldwell had secure jobs at a software company in Denver before they decided to quit and get on the open road.

"That was the problem," Weeks said. "The job was comfortable, and we weren't doing what we wanted to do.

"Life's fast," he said. "And we didn't want to miss any of it because we were stuck in stale jobs. We wanted to break free."

Weeks and Caldwell did get help from Hunter's twin sister, Gannon Weeks, as well as intern Alon Weisman — a really big Segway fan.

But it's Caldwell who rode the Segway 4,300 miles from Seattle to Boston at a speed of 10 mph — while Weeks used a Sony PD-1 50 digital camcorder to film the journey.

"The film's been on the festival circuit for about a year now," Weeks said. "And this is stop 13 for the theatrical tour. Altogether, we'll be screening the film in 23 cities, so we're halfway there."

Hunter narrates the quirky documentary with a cheery lilt in his voice, in spite of the obstacles that threatened the filming of the independent project.

"Money was an issue," Weeks said. "And we were on a lot of highways with no shoulders — but we were resourceful and got through the journey."

Much of the documentary's charm comes from the individuals they meet in various towns and cities during the trip.

There's a nice DJ from Ohio named Robin who supports the boys' wacky adventure and a quirky motorcycle group in Wyoming that's wholly fascinated with their mission.

"Lots of people were nice to us," Weeks said, "and it was that kind of support that made the trip worthwhile."

Weeks said he plans to bring the film to smaller venues like Lititz, even though "10 mph" has been screened in major cities like Boston and Washington, D.C.

"I think the film's message needs to be heard," Weeks said. "We're excited to bring the movie to audiences that rarely see independent film."

Speaking of indie movies, the filmmaker said he hopes "10 mph" starts a trend in unconventional film making.

"We secured distribution for the film — but not through a large distribution company. So we didn't spend much, but we're going to get some money back," he said. "And we also got to film what we wanted to film without interference."

Weeks said his next film will document fantasy football players.

"I have options now, doing what I love to do," he said.

This is true, since Weeks is now the director of a film that's won best documentary honors at three film festivals.

"I just had to break free from a secure job that I didn't like," he said. "That's when I really started to live my life."

E-mail: cdifonzo@lnpnews.com