On the roll again

Out among the snowdrifts and station wagons of Brookline, five windblown travelers, their faces reddened from weeks on the road, pulled up to the B&D Deli on Beacon Street for a little sustenance.

Behind them were 4,000 miles of highway, the snows of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and the lightning in Colorado. Oh, and one llama ranch in Wyoming.

Along the way, they saw poverty and riches. They learned something about the nation on this uniquely American journey. They learned as much about themselves.

They didn't come in secondhand cars like Jack Kerouac or motorcycles like Che Guevara. These 20-somethings dissatisfied with their soul-numbing West Coast office jobs criss-crossed the country aboard big-wheeled, battery-powered Segway scooters.

So much for rebel chic.

''Seattle to Boston at 10 miles per hour -- why?" asked one bewildered onlooker, engineer Edward Chisholm, on Commonwealth Avenue yesterday. ''It seems odd."

Backed by a Jeep Cherokee with a GPS tracking system and walkie-talkies, the group of five embarked on the journey as part of a fledgling documentary project, something they hope turns into the next ''Super Size Me," this year's cult favorite about overindulging in fast food. This one will feature countless burritos, starry nights, and freezing toes.

Yesterday, just 3 miles from the end of their odyssey, it was time to reflect upon inward and outward change (and contemplate the menu of Jewish deli favorites).

''I'm going to have the Hungry Man special, even though I know I can't finish it, with white toast," said Alon Waisman, 25, settling on the three-egg dish. A Nashua native, he's the technical guru of the trip, guiding lead Segway rider Josh Caldwell, 27, from a laptop in the shotgun seat of the Jeep.

Caldwell, his nose and fingers icy from the cold, rode the entire trip from Seattle to Boston on a Segway, cutting through everything from farmland to urban grit. They started Aug. 9.

Caldwell's college buddy, Hunter Weeks, 27, is directing the movie and took turns on a second Segway with the rest of the crew: his twin sister, Gannon Weeks, 27; Waisman; and Rose Kontak, 23, the band's intrepid public relations assistant, whom they met in Toledo, Ohio.

''It feels like a lifestyle now, like we have to travel 50 miles every day," Hunter Weeks said.

Hunter Weeks explained how leaving the security of a Web marketing job in Phoenix had changed his outlook on life and on the elusive ingredients of happiness. An aspiring full-time filmmaker, his ruminations are something that many of his generation can probably relate to.

''I didn't want to have that 9-to-5 job in a cubicle," he said. ''I couldn't stand it just to have pay and medical benefits. But now that I've done this, there's no way I can do that again."

Caldwell, who worked at the same Web marketing firm, shook his head at the now-fading memory of office stagnation. ''We finally realized that if we're going to do what we want, we have to make a leap at it," he said.

Hunter Weeks jumped in. ''The idea of letting go has really resonated with people on the trip," he said. ''That's the great outcome, and I'm really surprised by that."

Back in the van, Waisman checked the trip log and triumphantly announced the distance traveled. ''We've gone 4,000 miles!" he radioed to Caldwell, who was out front on a Segway.

Behind the wheel, Hunter Weeks bobbed his head. ''Four-thousand miles, man; that's unbelievable," he said.

The hearty band averaged about 50 miles a day. They clocked 105 miles in Wyoming one day; on others, when they were waylaid by friends or a late night, they managed just 5 or 6.

The cost of the voyage is estimated to reach $50,000, defrayed in part by donated provisions. They said they're going into debt to do this. They've learned, as did 15th-century conquistadors, that exploration is best undertaken with the backing of a wealthy patron.

''It's definitely a costly project, and you squeeze where you can," Hunter Weeks said. With more than 200 hours of footage on tape, he said, they'll need more money.

When it is complete, Hunter Weeks hopes the movie will weave together the band's own tale with stories from the people they met along the way: Democrats and Republicans who welcomed them in the midst of the bitter presidential campaign, businesspeople, and ranchers.

''The story is about Josh and I pursuing this passion and going after this dream of ours," Hunter Weeks said. ''We've met a lot of successful people who are rich in other ways. And that's a great American story."