You might be enjoying a trip to the Pacific coast one day, hoping to see some whales, and stumble upon this…
just felt like doing a little nice thing for the world…
…in my own way, proudly made on my Hephaestus and my Beamo
Welcome to the trail leading up to Mori Point! One of my favorite places…
Bonus: some gifts to the library I volunteer at
During the madness that is 2020, I was fortunate enough to be able to enjoy the outdoors more. At one point, I got some really nice binoculars, and they felt like a superpower! I have been letting people use my binoculars at a local whale-watching spot, and I’ve gotten some great reactions. So I decided that some binoculars should just be there for everybody to use (no coins required!).
I designed a little house to for the binoculars to live in! It’s made of 3D printed PETG plastic and the cover is clear acrylic plastic with the text laser engraved.
Update Photo 2026:
(this installation has been up since 2021)
Design Choices and Engineering Decisions
The main concern is not theft, my biggest concern is not pissing off any park rangers. I didn’t want this installation to be immediately removed. And today, 5 years later, it has stood the test of time.
This installation is entirely non-destructive. It’s attached by hose clamps.
It is placed far away from the actual cliff edge, it cannot be blamed for any accidents.
There are no small parts for animals to bite on and swallow.
The door was originally made with 1/8″ thick acrylic. It broke off after a big windy storm so I upgraded it to 1/4″ thick acrylic, and it’s been fine for the next 4 more years. Also, the first few photos shows acrylic hinges… those did NOT last at all and were immediately replaced with stainless steel.
The binoculars do go missing once in a while, but I visit this spot pretty much once per week. I’m not bothered if they go missing, it probably means some little kid thought it was cool and put it in his pocket. In a way, that’s still mission accomplished for me.
There is a slight angle designed into everything, the angle keeps the door shut and stops water from pooling inside.
Bean Hollow State Beach
This is my second guerilla installation, near Bean Hollow State Beach, next to where harbor seals often congregate.
This one is a bit farther away from home so I can’t service it as frequently as the one at Mori Point. Thus it is designed with a leash, literally.
It’s literally a small retractable dog leash, hidden inside the 3D printed housing!
Oh and there’s actually two of these at this location.
Design Choices and Engineering Decisions
Again, these are installed using hose/pipe clamps, they do not damage the sign posts they are attached to.
Again, there is a slight angle designed into everything, the angle keeps the door shut and stops water from pooling inside. The leash mechanism is fairly durable, I only had to replace one so far and it was because somebody cut it. The internal retract mechanism is not failing.
The signs actually provide some protection against seagull poop. And, I don’t have to worry about the location, if a person is allowed to stand there reading the sign, then they are safe and able to use binoculars standing in the same spot.
Other Fun Facts
Somebody installed a “Tiny Look” house below my binocular house, it contains magnifying glasses. There’s group here that studies the wildflowers, I wonder if they are related.
A few times during my service trips, I’ve found other people’s binoculars that I didn’t purchase in my little house. One guy has tried to Venmo me money, I didn’t take it.
I do frequently just give away binoculars to kids (well, to the parents first, never to the kid directly, that would be inconsiderate lol), as I do carry the small ones in my backpack often.
There was one time I was walking beside a school field trip and there were some wild deer that caught the kids attention. I offered the teacher a small binoculars, she said “no thanks” but a second later a brazen little boy yells “I’LL TAKE IT” and just snatches it out of my hand, and my brain goes “mission accomplished!”