The things that the dragon needs are very minor. He needs air from an air compressor and propane to blow fire! And Gabe supplies those!
Type of Building!
If it's inside a building where you want him to be, there has to be big enough doors to drive a truck through to get him in and out. It doesnt matter what type of floor the building has, the dragon doesn't put one mark on it when he's loading or unloading. For outside, if there's ground, he can go there!
Children!
We use stakes and a rope to rope around him because there are sharp objects on him and little kids just love to touch him!! Gabe usually has a long line of children around the rope and if there's alot of room around the dragon, he lets them take turns getting inside and taking control of the dragon's movements! Only, in agreement with the person who hired Gabe and Gabe himself, will the decision be made to allow children to have access to the dragon. If it is a really busy event and there's not much room around the dragon it would be too hard to keep an eye on all of them! But when they do get to get inside they love it! They'll crawl out of his belly and go straight to the end of the line to do it all over again!
How We get Him There!
It's all actually very simple. It doesn't seem like getting a 3 ton Dragon on and off a truck and traveling to another town with him would be so easy, but it is. The only way I can think to do this is to explain a typical day of taking the dragon out of his lair and into the hearts and minds of the people!
Loading The Dragon!
The first thing to do is load him on the truck. Gabe took a 2 ton truck and made a pull on which uses a hydraulic wench and tilt bed. First, He tilts the bed 90 degrees until the end of the bed hits the ground and then he hooks the cable to the frame that the dragon is mounted on. Then Gabe starts winding the cable and then the dragon starts climbing onto the bed of the truck. When he gets the dragon half way up the bed, Gabe lowers the bed and pulls him on the rest of the way! This all takes about 10 minutes!
Tieing Him Down!
It's now time to secure any and all of his body parts that might swing outward and hit a car or two while on the freeway! His head, his wings and the door on his side get chained first. Then Gabe chains his feet to the truck and tightens the wench. The dragon doesn't mind cuz he knows he's going to go perform and he LIVES for that!!
Giving the Dragon A Bath!
The next thing to do is take him to the car wash! It's the only shower we found big enough for him! Gabe gives him a real good washing with soap and you can almost hear him purr like a lion!
Sprucing-Up!
Next, is to give him a make-over. Gabe uses a paint gun filled with a few quarts of oil and sprays him all over. Then he uses a rag and rubs the oil into the wood to make it shine. When he's finished touching up all the other glass, crystal and metal that the dragon has collected,...........The Dragon is ready to go!
Packing Up!
Now it's time to pack up. We load and tie down the generator and propane tanks, make sure we have the rope and stakes that go around him, an extra battery, extra cable, hoses and all that stuff that your always suppose to have extra of, load the table, tarp, lawn chairs and give the truck a good look over and then....... we're ready to go!
Traveling!
I usually follow in my car so we can use it for the days we are in the town. The looks I've seen from people in the other vehicles, could tell a million stories. I dont think people believe that their eyes are seeing what they're seeing!
Stopping to get gas is a major ordeal and sometimes people dont want you to leave.......they will use the phone booth and call a friend or family member to come down to the gas station to see a dragon and want us to wait. And of course we do.......because, you see, its the magic of the dragon at work in those people and we just dont interfere in that! We just leave alot earlier because the dragon attracts people wherever he goes!
