Another of the many features for the Moose Mountain Adventure Golf project was a protesting horse attempting to pull a sled loaded with giant logs. It was loosely based on historical photographs I found in my research of Minnesota’s colourful logging history. As we built the feature Phoebe (two years old at the time) insisted on riding the horse. She test drove many of our projects just as the younger grandchildren continue to do these days. She declared it perfectly fine. The horse sported antique pulling collar and rig, albeit from a miniature horse to perfectly fit the scaled down creature we sculpted.
Flying high
Back about 2006 I received a call from the managment of the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Later that same week I flew down to Minnesota to look at a space in which they wished to install a mini golf. Less than two weeks after that I flew back to present a completed design package, which they approved on the spot. On my return home we got busy in our studio creating a variety of features and signs for the golf. We built enough pieces to fill two fifty-two foot semis. A local company did the onsite work including the two story mountain, under my supervision. Over the next two and a half months I made a total of six trips to Minneapolis. One of the features we built was a large, twin engine float plane which was to be suspended from the steel roof girders. It has a wingspan of twenty-four feet and ‘tows’ a fifty foot banner with the name MOOSE MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE GOLF written on it. The engineers insisted the plane had to weigh in at less than 2,100 lbs. It was fabricated using a welded steel frame, spruce plywood, styrofoam, Precision Board high density urethane, sculpting epoxy and various other materials. The main wings and vertical tail section detached for shipping. We weighed the plane when we were finished and it weighed 2,050 lbs! It was suspended from the steel trusses by five quarter inch steel cables. The local fire chief and building inspector insisted we fireproof the plane inside and out (which we did with special paint). They also insisted we bring a sprinkler pipe down from the ceiling and then through the wings of the plane with two sprinkler heads poking through under the wings. The plane number on the wings and tail is a tribute to my dad with his initials and birthdate (month/year).
We brought the features into the mall at night when it was closed. The contractor had assembled a large crane inside the mall and we lifted the pieces up to the third floor where the golf was located. The most amazing thing about the entire project is that it was completed from concept design to finish in only three months. It is still operating and is enjoyed by visitors to the Mall of America.
Flash to the past
It was eleven years ago I got a call to fly to Mall of America in Minnesota to look at a space for an adventure golf. It was on the third floor of the mall. Our meetings were short, as decisions were swift. I flew home the next day. Two weeks later I flew down once more with the complete building plans in hand and as before, in meetings just as brief, the plans were approved. The golf needed to be finished in 100 days. It was extremely ambitious! We partnered with a local faux rock company to do all of the onsite work including a mountain - no small task! Our team would build all of the features and signs in our studio at home and then ship them down for the install. My job on site was only to supervise and I would do this in short six visits.
We built enough features and signs to fill two large semi trailers. Each time we loaded and sent the trailer down the road and then I would pack my suitcase and fly to meet the load at the other end. I would supervise the unload, lift to the third floor and the installation the next day... then fly home to build more. It was exciting to say the least! Moose Mountain Adventure Golf opened on schedule and still operates to this day.
