Uzzell/Lambert: Adventures of Rudy, Workflow and Love

Recent guests Steve Uzzell and Susan Lambert share a remarkable Creative Journey that inspires many people across the globe. Today we explore how they manage love, adventures and storage workflow, all the while being on the road 6 months out of the year.

Using his striking photographs as illustrations of his metaphor about possibility and creativity, Steve inspires audiences to take advantage of his experience and vision to make any venture an adventure. In any project he undertakes, Steve's preparation lays the foundation for magic to happen; "Chance favors the prepared mind," said Louis Pasteur. After all, our eyes will only ever see what our mind is prepared to comprehend. He spends six months of the year traveling the world for his clients; the remainder teaching and delivering his presentation "Open Roads Open Minds: An Exploration of Creative Problem Solving".

Susan’s career has now branched off into a whole new realm of inspirational speaking. Her presentation, “Road to Joy: Remembering the Things We Already Know,” explores the idea of reconnection to the “beginner’s brain.” We are all born with the power of creativity and the gift of imagination.

Susan along with Steve seek out the unique, the quirky and the aspects of life that are different from anything else they've ever come across. Each day is a new adventure that amazes them.

When describing their current path in life, it was clear as they said "having way more fun then we should be allowed at this age" and felt strongly about  "not to live in four walls but on four wheels."

Experience, trials, errors and healthy paranoia has led to Susan and Steve to be extra careful and thorough about how they protect images. Being on the road creates another element of challenges that they have worked hard to protect.

This vehicle has been a passport to experiences they never imagined could happen.

Rudy, named for Susan's late father, is a 27.5 foot long diesel and solar-powered extreme RV, capable of going just about anywhere in temperatures ranging from -20ºF to +120ºF – on road, off road, or no road. It is built on a Ford F550 chassis and then intensively modified by EarthRoamer Expedition Vehicles in Dacono, CO. It weighs 18,000 pounds fully loaded, is powered by the new Ford 6.7 liter turbo diesel engine, and gets an amazing 11 MPG on the highway. It holds 90 gallons of diesel fuel, 85 gallons of fresh water, and because all the camper power requirements are met by solar energy, it can remain off the grid for a long time (essentially when the water runs out, which for them is about 10 days).

The interior is finished like a fine yacht, with a king size bed, satellite HD TV, Bose Surround Sound entertainment system, a BluRay player, 60 TBs of digital storage in 4 Drobo 5Ds, a 2 burner diesel stove, diesel hot water heater, diesel furnace, dry bath, high-efficiency refrigerator/freezer, a 12,000 BTU air conditioner and lots on storage space for all our gear. They also have a 3G/4G mobile phone signal booster, a 4G LTE data router, ham radio, UHF, VHF, CB radio and a satellite phone.

Rudy has an Kaldermann Air Ride suspension capable of raising and lowering the entire vehicle 7 inches, either left to right, front to rear, or each individual wheel (which is used every night to level them out).

Rudy has 41 inch Continental military tires on Hutchinson double bead-lock rims, this allows them to enlarge the tire's footprint and sail across deep sand. They have been in snow up to the top of the tires in West Virginia, and in sand over a foot deep in Arizona, traversing both with ease.

Should they get stuck, They have recovery equipment on board, starting with two Huge Warn winches - a 16,500 lb capacity model on the front and a 9500 pound model on the rear.

When describing on what's it like being around each other 24 hours a day and and still growing as a creative professionals, Susan explained that it actually helps them become better photographers.

"We both worked alone for most of our careers and we will stand shoulder to shoulder shooting the same landscape and yet see it very differently. We have both learned and have become better photographers."

"We love each other in ways that most people just flat out don't understand.  We probably have 4 or 5 people a day when they see the roamer, and we frequently give tours, they look at us and the very first thing they say is 'WOW the two of you must really like each other'.

The biggest inspiration in my life is watching Susan because she has a vision which is unlike anybody that I know. It forces my eyes open." ~ Steve Uzzell

Where to find Susan:
http://www.susanlambertmillerphotography.com
Where to find Steve:
http://www.steveuzzell.com/