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Kurt and I are currently in Joshua Tree National Park working as volunteers and in our down time Kurt is photographing for our Un Petit Monde project. Joshua Tree NP is notorious for its climbing opportunities as well as its off-road driving, night skies and of course, Joshua Trees. It’s a good thing that the miniatures in Kurt’s bag are always ready for adventure and exploration. While exploring a wash in the Southern end of the park, Kurt found a good spot for his 4x4 jeep convoy. The sand was smooth enough for their tires to be able to deal with it. Half hour earlier the sky had the most unique display of clouds, it would have been a perfect addition to the scene! On a separate occasion, we scrambled up granite boulders so Kurt could document a miniature climber in action.  Kurt is focusing on a few 4x4s overlanding in Joshua Tree NP  Joshua Tree National Park, California (2015)  Kurt is placing a climber on the side of a monzogranite boulder in Joshua Tree NP  Final image - Climber in JoshuaTree NP, California (2015)   Abandoned structure covered with salt, barnacles and rust (Photo: Edwige)
The temperature was cool enough that the smell from decomposing fish was bearable. The Hazmat crew were the only miniatures used at Salton Sea. Kurt found plenty scenes for the crew to investigate.  Kurt photographs the Hazmat Crew near an abandoned toilet  Yesterday, Kurt got an early Christmas gift: a visit to Old Tucson studios where western movies like Tombstone, Three Amigos and Rio Bravo were shot. We knew it was going to be good we just didn't expect it to be this good! Prior to our visit, Kurt worked on transforming one of his miniature figures (an auto mechanic) into a outlaw by painting and gluing parts from other figures. The holster and the gun came from a policeman, the hat from a gardener. The auto mechanic clothes were painted over and patterns added to the side of the pants. The miniature sheriff was stock. The temperature was cool and comfortable. We roamed the old western village so Kurt could look for angles and perspectives. The sun was a challenge at times but Kurt loved the drama added to the scenes by the harsh shadows. Think Old West, it's hot, it's dry, it's dusty and Old Tucson was all of that and then some. Kurt had more ideas than we had time. We had a lot of fun and never a dull moment. The Old Tucson actors were very talented and skilled. Those guys were not your typical weekend warriors. They played serious roles, humorous ones, perform their own stunts, fell off buildings, these guys were impressive! At the end of the day, Kurt's comment was "I don't wanna go!" I think it's safe to say he loved his Christmas gift.  We spent time in Saguaro National Park to try and capture the saguaro cactus. Pairing the miniatures with saguaros was another one of Kurt's wish for this trip. To him (and to me) the idea of the American West was a mix of saguaros, Monument Valley and friendly road runners. We learned that 1. Road runners are mean 2. Saguaros grow only in the Sonoran Desert 3. Monument Valley is miles away from the Sonoran Desert.  For this project, Kurt was originally looking to capture an orange-sand-blue-sky desert look, similar to the look of the scenes he photographed in Utah back in March 2013. We were set and ready to go to Utah when the weather threw a wrench in our plans. In Moab, the daily temperature highs were in the 50s and the nights in the teens which would make the project very challenging. So, we looked at our options further south within a 2-day drive from Minneapolis, with reasonable temperatures and striking desert looks. We remembered White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. White sands, blue sky, beautiful weather. We spent 8 days in the dunes so Kurt could capture the different times of day. The result is a set of still images, including a few stop motion animations to illustrate a day on the dunes. Here are a few behind-the-scene images:   Kurt photographing a scene on the edge of the Grand Canyon Introducing the minis to the Grand Canyon had been a long time goal of ours. Kurt had visions of an airstream parked on the edge of the rim. In his mind, the airstream would be placed on the edge of one of the stone barriers. He quickly found out that to get the shots that he was looking for, he would have to be on the edge of the canyon, which meant scrambling rocks and walking out above the canyon on narrow ledges. My reaction was a very strong "no way!". I always ended up following Kurt out there anyway. I would stay back to give him room and he would overcome his fear of heights and crawl on his belly to the edge. Things went well for us but I never grew accustom of the whole process and would go through a mix of fear and awe each time. On our last venture on a ledge, the wind picked up. We both agreed that it would be alright to lose a miniature and not to attempt a rescue under any circumstance. Miraculously, we did not loose any of the figures we had brought to the Grand Canyon!  New Mexico Museum of Space HistoryIn our travels, we discovered how important the State of New Mexico is to scientific research and development. Over the past few days, we toured a Space Museum, a Missile Range Museum and an Astronomical Radio Observatory. The Space Museum, in Alamogordo, lays at the base of Sacramento Mountains. We could see the tall rocket on display from a few miles away. Outside the museum, there was an authentic F-1 Rocket Engine. Kurt saw an opportunity for his miniature mechanics to help out on a huge, important job.  Kurt focuses on a couple of mechanical engineers  To get close to his figurines, Kurt leans against a rocket engine White Sands Missile Range MuseumThe White Sands Missile Range Museum is at the foothill of Organ Mountains, between Alamogordo and Las Cruces. It's an active base, carrying research, development and testing of missiles. Kurt found out that the Museum had on display the Fat Man bomb casing on loan from another museum. A miniature scientist is introducing the bomb's design to a high ranking officer visiting the base.  First try at capturing miniatures interacting with Fat Man bomb casing replica  Kurt looks to get into position to shoot a scene on the grounds of White Sands Missile Range Museum Astronomical Radio Observatory: The Very Large ArrayThe Very Large Array (VLA) is 50 miles west of Soccoro between the towns of Magdalena and Datil. It was the most impressive display of science: 27 antennas, combined to form a gigantic one, continuously searching the sky for distant radio waves. Bringing the miniature engineers on site to repair enormous antennas felt just right!  Kurt focuses on a couple mechanical engineers, behind him a field of giant antennas  Kurt on the bottom right, dwarfed by an 82-feet diameter antenna To see the final images go to the gallery The Zenith Project.  We’re back on the road for the winter! We packed the miniatures for a tour of the country, we have a few places on our list to visit in New Mexico and Arizona and a lot of room for unscheduled stops! On our way down from Minneapolis, MN we drove through Tucumcari and the ghost town of Cuervo in New Mexico. Both towns were covered with snow and looked very different from our original Mini Road Trips Route 66 postcards series.  Ghost town of Cuervo, New Mexico  Ranch House Cafe - Tucumcari, New Mexico  We consider ourselves fortunate to be spending extra time in St. Augustine! Every other day, Kurt and I are in the Historic Old Town, photographing miniatures in the streets.  Kurt shoots a scene on the curb of Aviles Street in St. Augustine, Florida  Final image  In the courtyard of Hotel Ponce de León (currently Flagler College), St. Augustine, Florida  Final image  Kurt attempts to place a couple of climbers on the outer wall of the Old Fort (Castillo de San Marcos) in St. Augustine, Florida  Final image  |
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