Getting Wet and Wild in Indian Creek
It was early May when Tim and Colter departed on their road trip around the Southwest— a beautiful time to be exploring that region of the country. However, it is also the time when the alpine snowpack is melting rapidly, swelling the rivers and creeks downstream. The seasonal melt cycle is essential for river ecosystems, but can pose issues for those looking to cross creeks and rivers, such as Tim and Colter. Their travels around Moab involved a creek crossing which, according to Colter, has been known to swallow cars whole. In the spirit of tough fun, the team decided to send it anyways. "The first time they crossed slowly to make sure that the Ranger could do it," recalled Pat Focke, one of the team's cinematographers. "The second time they put the pedal to the metal and really went for it." Clearly, the truck was more than equal to the task, though the creek was quite high. "We actually ended up having to tow some tourists from Ohio out of the creek," said Focke. "They saw how easily we made it and mistakenly thought they could too."
The Ranger needed a wash anyways... Eric Parker photo.
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The creek crossing was a prime opportunity to show off the Ranger's off-roading capabilities, so the film crew did their best to capture exciting footage using the DJI Inspire, their biggest drone, with cinematographer Austin Hopkins flying and Focke controlling the gimbal. "It was actually our first time flying the Inspire together," said Focke. "It was hard until we figured out that one of us needed to make a plan and take the lead, and the other simply needed to support the other's vision." With a system figured out, the duo snagged some of the trip's best driving shots. "It was really hard to get a bad shot. Austin is an awesome pilot, so I just focused on framing while he swooped and dove," said Focke. "It honestly feels just like a video game."
