Our next shoot wasn’t until the following Tuesday in Salem, Oregon so Cryptic Moth headed back to the Californian coast.
On the way, we decided to play with Gad’s new Prius-Video contraption
Components include rope, a light stand, paper towel and a bunch of duct tape.
It worked out great and we played with different angles of POV traveling shots.
We holed-up in Eureka on Saturday to get some rest and do basic chores like laundry.
On Sunday we spent a long time visiting giants in the Redwood National Park.
As much as we attempted to capture their size on camera, nothing could come close to the awe of looking up from a mere 5 or 6 feet off the ground to a canopy hundreds of feet away.
We humbly hiked for hours through isolated trails until it was time to head north.
When the sea fog occasionally lifted, we saw how Oregon’s coast is just as stunning as California – and less populated.
By Monday evening we had reached Albany, Oregon. We were here to meet a man who – through the local newspaper and eventual blog pick-up – was discovered by Cryptic Moth researchers.
His name is Steve and he runs a spray-foam insulation company with his sons. 25 years ago, Steve recognized that the excess urethane foam was always sent to the dump and never recycled.
Being a lateral thinker and part-time artist, Steve began experimenting with foam as a building material. After a cave-in or two, he finally succeeded in building a foam volcano-esque canopy overtop a pre-existing concrete office building.
The foam home includes a 25-foot waterfall that feeds a pond and a front moat with fish like trout, bass and koi.
Locals are encouraged to feed the fish
But are warned of Steve’s surveillance cameras that discourage local drunks.
There’s even a grotto under the peak of the mountain that would make Hef jealous. Through narrow tunnels and up a few stairs, Steve unveiled a full-sized swimming pool, 6 feet deep, and wired with lights and music.
All over the property one can find foam sculpture – from boulders to animals to boats. Even the garden’s soil contained foam pieces to repel pests and absorb moisture. Steve swears it has made it crops healthier than ever.
After the tour, Cryptic Moth interviewed Steve outside his home while his giant pit bull, Sam, circled the camera suspiciously.
Steve then graciously posed in different areas of the foam mountain – including taking a paddle in his foam raft.
By his own words, Steve is no treehugger.
That said, he hates waste and knows that recycling solutions do exist for plastics whether it’s as a fuel or an artistic statement.
Out.
G+I
