Title: June 27th - 12:21
Medium: Super-8 film
Aspect Ratio: 4:3
Resolution: 2880 x 2160
File Type: H.264 Codec / MP4.
Comments: We rode out to our first destination from the heart of the country. Toadstool Geological Park in Northern Nebraska. We aimed to travel state to state by the natural beauty. Scoping the map of America, I found and was fascinated by the idea of mushroom rocks and geologic events. It was the a blazing hot day and we found ourselves in the barren. We were sitting in the truck formulating a plan. It was time to make the portrait. I chose to shoot most of the portraits in forests and parks because I am representing the people of this country through the beauty of it's nature. The primal gathering places for humans to honor the land and mother. There was a couple people coming and going. A ranger on duty at the entrance. And a mom and her son. When crossing their paths they shared water with us. They warned us to stay hydrated and be careful in this heat. We bowed thank you and continued on. Ethan turned back to return to the car and I kept going a little bit further. Watching out for snakes, walking cautiously. And Just as I am about to turn back to head to the car I run into a group of men once I turned the corner. I said hello to the group. Introduced myself and met the entire family, Christopher, Austin, Jack, Mark. It was an awkwardly hot day and you can tell we were all overheating. I shared with them the story of the project I am working on and they all agreed to be filmed by me. The family mounted on the mushroom rock and then they departed. A family photo somewhere between the stillness and exit. They walked back to the parking lot and I kept on walking further. Soaking up more of the sun in excitement of connecting and creating art with strangers, who are simply a family enjoying each other's company. My path wrapped around to the beginning of the mushroom rock trail and was greeted by Ethan meditating. There was a sudden overcast and it started to drizzle. We decided to head up north to South Dakota. To visit the migrating buffalo's at Kruger national park right before sun down. We got there an hour before it was dark and were parked in the middle of the roadway with cars on each end letting the buffalo ruffle through the metallic river. Their horns scathing against the truck. I am glad I checked the insurance box at the rental lot. We left and I saw in the rear view mirror red tail lights reflecting off the sacred buffalos face. We continued up north to have a pizza party at midnight at Mount Rushmore. We got to the pizza place 500 miles and 5 minutes before closing. "It took us 6 hours to get here!" Ethan and I each had a personal pie. Apparently, the lights were on and the gate open. The Federal Park was open all night so we were the only two people there, eating pizza, high on acid and weed, grateful as can be. Face to faces with the presidents of the "Founding Fathers" Purple lighting bolts shooting through the sky. Electricity right above their political heads. It was time to go see Crazy Horse. Suddenly there was a tornado and we were driving blindly into the rain in the night. I thought we were going to die. It felt dangerous and I could not see where I was going. It was like the biblical flooding on my wind shields... A sign to surrender and stop, before we would drive head first into the super cell. Thankfully, we saw a beacon of hope. A gas station with a few locals in trucks sitting patiently and a police cruiser parked on the other side of the lot. It felt right to sleep here. The storm passed and we continued on the winding and whacky road ahead.