It’s a long journey from Seattle to Boston, about 2,500 miles as the crow flies.

It’s even longer when you do the whole trip at 10 mph winding through the backroads of America.

But that’s exactly what a documentary film group calling itself “America at 10mph” wanted — to slow down, see America, meet people and here their inspiring stories along the way.

So they bought a Segway. Remember the two-wheeled, battery-powered, self-transportation device that was supposed to revolutionize the way people get from place-to-place? This group of five people, all in their 20s, is instead using Segways to get from coast to coast.

“Partly because it’s never been done before, but it’s also our ice-breaker,” Segway rider Josh Caldwell said. “It’s a way to go out and meet people, and that’s ultimately what we wanted to do.”

Caldwell is the one member of the five-person crew riding every single mile of the journey.

Their expedition started Aug. 9 in Seattle after several members of the group decided to quit their corporate jobs with a national software firm in Phoenix and hit the road.

“Corporate America is definitely good for some people, but for me it stifled my creativity,” said Hunter Weeks, 27. “For me, I just had to get out of that cubicle.”

The group travels about 60 miles a day, documenting its progress on its Web site, www.10mph.com. After 45 days on the road, nearly 2,200 miles and 218 battery changes later, the group arrived late Wednesday night in Lawrence, via U.S. Highway 40.

Clinton Jackson, a Leavenworth freshman, left, gets a chance to try out a Segway as members of a documentary film crew stop on the Kansas University campus. From left Thursday are Jackson, Angela Liu, Shawnee; Hunter Weeks, documentary director; and crew member Gannon Weeks.

“We actually ended up having a sheriff’s escort into town,” Caldwell said.

The group avoids interstates and tries to stay on back roads. That’s where the riders meet the most interesting people whom they hope to portray in the feature-length documentary they are creating along the way.

“It’s so inspiring to go out there and see the country and see what people are doing and how they’re living their lives,” said Gannon Weeks. She’s participating in the expedition alongside her twin brother, Hunter. “It’s been fantastic. We’ve been welcomed, and we’ve had a lot of people take us in.”

The group “glided” Thursday morning around the Kansas University campus, getting several strange looks from students. One student asked if he could borrow the Segway to get to class. Other curious students hopped on for a ride, but at $4,500 a pop, many students said they won’t be buying a Segway anytime soon.

“We get people on these every single day as we travel across the country, from farmers to 2-year-olds,” Hunter Weeks said.

6News video: Documentary film crew rolls into town on segways (09-23-04) American Dream: Segway Across America at 10 MPH Segway.com

The group left late Thursday afternoon, en route to Overland Park and then onto Blue Springs and Sedalia, Mo.

Members of the crew said they were pleasantly surprised by Kansas — the halfway point in their winding journey.

“I absolutely love Kansas, and I didn’t think I would think much of it, but the small towns and some of the places we’ve gone, the people are so kind and have so much heart,” Hunter Weeks said.

And the man you may have seen behind the Segways heading east out of town agreed.

“When you go the pace of a tractor, I think it really allows you to appreciate Kansas; the vast prairie land, especially in central Kansas, was cool,” Caldwell said.

The group said it’s those experiences that people who travel the interstates, in a car at 70 mph, too often miss out on.

“The whole idea of 10 mph is really resonating well with people out there,” Hunter Weeks said. “It’s a way to slow down, take a different road, meet some amazing people and really see things differently.”