Thirsty Thursday: George Lake

Rambler: Beth Drink at Hand: Ginger Ale (its my go-to airplane drink, don't know why!)

Howdy folks, time for another Thirsty Thursday, so pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. As you might have guessed from my "howdy folks" and airplane drink, I've been in Texas all week at a little weather nerd conference. Not going to lie, I am a weather nerd, so I was right at home. But just like Terry's post last week, there's something about being cooped up inside that makes you want to be way-the-heck outside. So this week, we'll review my little backpacking trip way out into the Kaiser Wilderness.

As you might remember from this post, Massey and I went for a little backpacking trip in the Kaiser Wilderness, with George Lake as our planned final destination. I picked Kaiser because it was on the west side of the Sierra Crest (hence a short drive) and I wanted a short-ish hike since we were going in Saturday and coming out Sunday. We picked up our wilderness permit in Huntington Lake at 8 am when the ranger station opened and headed straight to the trailhead...where it promptly started spitting rain. Grrr. I kept getting the backpack cinched up and ready to go while passing showers scooted overhead. A dilema...do I go or do I bail? I really didn't want to hike 5 miles in the rain with a 45-lb pack on my back, but I also didn't want to give up potentially the last backpacking weekend of the year. Plus I had a brand new backpack that I was dying to use. So we went.

Massey loved the trail and her little backpack, too. We strolled along, dark clouds shadowing behind us, but bright blue skies ahead. My fingers were crossed. Massey chased pikas and I sucked in the scents of juniper and sun-warmed pine. Heaven. We topped out at Potter Pass and thunder started cracking as the wind picked up. I was nervous. But fortunately we dropped down the other side of the pass while the storm headed a different direction. On to the beautiful Lower Twin Lake, where I was surprised to see wildflowers still blooming. We quickly passed Upper Twin Lake and I noticed dark clouds coming again. The trail scrambles up a granite boulder field...one mile to go to George Lake. It was a tough mile--lots of elevation gain--further stressed by the approaching storm. I found the first suitable camping site near the lake and tore into the backpack to dig out the tent pieces. I've never pitched a tent so fast! I threw the dog and my pack in the door and zipped the rainfly just as the first huge drops hit. All five of them. Maybe it was six. We sat out a pretty wicked lightning storm but we dodged the rain.

The rest of the weekend we had beautiful weather to enjoy the beauty of the place. The upper alpine lakes of the Sierra are so beautiful. Rocky, clear, pristine. Massey also enjoyed the water, jumping in every time possible. She didn't seem to mind that she was ruining the perfect mirrored reflections by rippling the surface of the water, so I had to act fast. We had a great time and can't wait to get back out into the woods again. Hopefully with Terry next time. Enjoy a few images from the weekend.

Its getting a little late in the season for backpacking, but if you want to head out to the Kaiser Wilderness next summer (or with a very warm sleeping bag), head east from Fresno toward Shaver Lake. Keeping going up the climbing mountain road to Huntington Lake. Here you'll find the ranger station where you can pick up a wilderness pass for the outing. Make sure you have your bear can...I didn't see any bears, but I saw signs of them.

Thirsty Thursday: Coastline Day Dreams

Rambler: Terry Drink in Hand: 2010 Prospect 49 Boomtown Red (blend)

All last week I sat through a computer class (a.k.a., a “bootcamp”). I suppose it was worthwhile, but, then again, in the big scheme of things, I’m not so sure. Of course, the class was intended to help me earn a certification that is required for my job. I took the class very seriously and studied as much as possible. I think I saw the light of day a few times the whole week. I hope I passed the test at the end of the course. But something in me longed to be doing something else. I suppose something has to pay the bills.

When I got back home, I was excited to hear about the adventures that Beth and Massey had on their hiking trip. Good times, and I’m sure she’ll be posting something on the blog soon. As for me, I started looking through past photographs and came across some from Garrapata State Beach just south of Carmel, CA. What a beautiful place! The colors, the shapes. Much better than memorizing terms or numbers.

Thirsty Thursday: Flying Solo

Rambler: Beth Drink at Hand: Prospect 49 Boomtown Red (thanks BevMo 5¢ Wine Sale!)

Hey hey hey! Thirsty Thursday is here! Time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. I've already made my plans and I'm super excited. I've caught the mountain bug, so I'm headed up to the Sierra again this weekend. Time to take Massey on her first overnight backpack trip. The bummer is that Terry is stuck in a computer nerd training class this weekend, so he can't go along. Just me and the dog. That's right, just me and the dog. Alone. In the wilderness.

The reaction I get when I say I'm headed out backpacking alone is always interesting. I normally get a gasp, followed by the following conversation...

Concerned bystander: Your husband isn't going with you?

Me: Well, yeah, he 100% would be going with me if he were free, but he's not, and I want to go to the mountains before it starts snowing for the year. So, no, he's not going with me.

Concerned bystander: Does he know you're going by yourself?

Me: Yes, he knows I'm going. And I am taking my dog so I won't be alone.

Concerned bystander: And he's okay with it?

Me: Yeah, he's perfectly fine with it...this isn't the first time I've done this. 

Concerned bystander: I don't know if its a good idea. You better be careful. Do you know what you're doing? 

It goes on and on. Every time it's the same conversation. I have snarky, sarcastic replies to every one of these questions, but I keep them to myself. My favorite part is right after they ask if my husband is going and I answer no. They look at me as if I just said its okay to come to work naked on Friday. I love Terry to death and I would love to have him right there along with me, but let's be honest, when it comes to outdoorsy stuff, Terry isn't the authority in our house. He's very competent in the woods and can figure stuff out, but I'm normally the one making the outdoor decisions around here. Besides, he's the guy that smashes his face on rocks, or snaps a lens off the front of the camera while tumbling down a mountainside, or thinks that hanging precariously off a cliff over a raging river to get a shot is just fine...honestly, he requires more tending to out there than me. Yet I guarantee that no one would look at him incredulously and ask him why his wife isn't going along when he says he's headed into the woods for a weekend by himself. Funny little social nuance, isn't it?

Ironically, I was planning to be in the mountains all fall. Earlier this summer I had filled out the application to do the NOLS Outdoor Educator Semester in Lander, WY. The course I planned to attend actually started this week. My GI Bill would have covered the tuition costs. The skills I would have learned would lend themselves perfectly to our dream business plan of accompanying people on their adventures and expeditions as documentary photographers. The same week I was all set to submit my application package and buy some new long underwear, I got a call for a job interview. The interview turned into a job. I really like my job. And I love that I have a paycheck again. Plus I get to see Terry all fall rather than spending 50-some days apart while I went through the course. But a little part of me wishes I was somewhere in the Wind River Range right now, learning how to climb...and I was really looking forward to the snow cave part of the course. Someday...

So I'm headed out to the Sierra as a little consolation prize for me. Besides, I love a solo adventure every now and again. I like being able to wander and think. I used to get my alone time on the bike throughout the week while I was training for Leadville, but with the new job and no bike racing, I've been without that regular solo release. Plus my solo backpacking trips are always centered around some photography work, and I the freedom to work independently while sizing up a subject and lining up a composition is quite nice.  I know I'll miss having my favorite hiking / photo buddy along, but I'll be just fine. And I have my guard dog to keep me company.

And at the end of the day, if you're out there doing what you love, even if there is a hint of danger involved, that's what matters. So I'll be doing what I love in the Kaiser Wilderness this weekend. Its going to be awesome!

Thirsty Thursday: Eastern Sierra Recap

Rambler: Beth Drink at Hand: 2008 Ventana Chardonnay...oh so buttery yummy!

Its Thirsty Thursday once again...time to pur something yummy and make those weekend plans...or in this case, re-live an awesome weekend gone-by.

I brought work home every night this week, and every night I played with photos from our latest trip to the Sierra instead. Work will always be there, right? But there will soon be more trips to the Sierra and I can't have unedited photos hanging in the queue. As you've probably already noticed from our previous posts or rambles/rants on twitter, facebook, etc, we had a great time in the mountains, despite the boring skies and lack of dramatic light. I told my boss when I got back that Tuesday, it was an incredibly beautiful weekend in the mountains and a horrible weekend for photography! But nevertheless, we still came away with a few nice images. Aaaaand, we didn't have to worry about frostbite, getting drenched in a thunderstorm, or wind blowing the tripod over (all things that have happened before!).

These are my favorites from the weekend. Perhaps you'll see something you like. If you do, leave a comment. And as always, thanks for stopping by!

Sunrise at Silver Lake.  

Terry working his magic at Convict Lake. 

 Mono Lake is always a challenge for me. I rarely come away happy at sunrise or sunset. I suppose it didn't help that a bratty kid threw rocks at me this time around while I was composing a shot. He was lucky his parents called him back over not long after. This was from a hidden parking lot where there were no people, thank goodness.

 Terry had never been to Bodie, so I was more than happy to show him around the old mining town. Love shooting here, just wish the park hours were a little more photographer friendly. Some morning light here would be fantastic.

 On our last morning we went to Convict Lake again. We shot from the dam this time...a cliche composition of this lake, but I hadn't shot this angle before. Afterwards we hiked the trail around the lake, mainly so Massey could get a good run in before the 6-hour drive home. Some of my favorites from the weekend are from this hike.

 Finally, in the last 10 minutes of our last hike, some clouds moved in and gave us a few shadows and a hint of drama. And then it was time to drive home.

Thirsty Thursday: Eastern Sierra - A Preview

Rambler: Terry Drink in Hand: Chicken Noodle Soup (recovering from a cold I caught last weekend)

If you happened to follow our Instagram feed (or twitter or facebook) you probably realized that we were in the Eastern Sierras last weekend. Long story short, we slept in our Honda Element (the two of us and Miss Massey), woke up early early to catch the morning light, hiked around all day (Miss Massey enjoyed this part), photographed the sunset, and the drove to the next place and started it all over. What a great three days. Needless to say we (I) took way too many pictures. Neither of us have really done much editing but here are a couple that I did tonight. More to come later!

Thirsty Thursday: Eastern Sierra

Rambler: Beth Drink at Hand: Marilyn Remark 2009 Rose de Saignee...if you haven't had a Marilyn Remark wine yet, you owe it to yourself to try one if you can find it. Joel and Marilyn make some fantastic wines...and if you can splurge for the Grenache, do it! Or come visit us and we'll take you to the tasting room just around the corner from us.

Now that I got the free plug for the local winery out of the way, its time to get down to business. Another Thursday here, another night to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. I haven't gotten to write a TT for a couple of weeks, but now that all my bike racing is out of the way for awhile, I have a little more time to write bloggies and a lot more time for weekend adventures of the non-pedal-powered variety.

This weekend Welliver Photography is headed to the Eastern Sierra! I've been there a few times but Terry's only been there for a few hours...miserable and expensive hours at that. The plan for the weekend is "there is no plan!" We got a cabana for the Honda Element so we can throw down the therm-a-rests and sleeping bags and cuddle up with Massey in the back of the car to sleep. We'll drive around searching for good stuff during the day. Should be fun.

I remember my first time in the Sierra. I headed out of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite for 4 days of solo backpacking. Having grown up with family vacations to Colorado followed by 5 years of living in Colorado Springs, I've always had a thing for the Rockies. But that first time I went to the Sierra blew me away. After those 4 days, I was hooked. The mountains are gorgeous, the alpenglow and twilight colors are phenomenal, the clouds are fantastic. I fully embrace any opportunity I can to get there, and I can't wait to share some sights with T.

Like I said, there is no plan. I pulled a few of my favorites from my visit there last fall. So many things we could check out this weekend...Bodie, Mono Lake, the June Lake Loop, Buttermilk Valley, Bristlecone Pines, Owens Valley, Alabama Hills, countless sub-alpine lakes, canyons, aspen stands...the choices are endless. I think we'll be tired on Monday evening!

Thirsty Thursday: Wine

Rambler: Terry Drink in Hand: 2009 Talbott Pinor Noir

Typically, TT has been about traveling to some gorgeous location or just simply getting out of the house. But today, the theme is listening to good music and sipping yummy wine. So, this weekend, listen to the music you love. Listen to it loud if you want. Enjoy whatever it is you like to drink. Enjoy the weekend and relax for a change. We're definitely going to try to.

Thirsty Thursday: Wildflowers

Rambler: Terry Drink in Hand: 2008 Titan Hills Fiasco (recommended by the local grocery store manager...and it's excellent!)

Last Thursday I posted some images of the gorgeous and grand landscapes that we were able to see during our week in Leadville, CO.  This week I thought I'd post a few photos of the many, many flowers we saw.  I still have a dozen or so photos process and I hope to post them at a later date...but I hope you enjoy these!

Thirsty Thursday: Thin Air

Rambler: Terry Drink in Hand: 2007 Rascal Pinot Noir (Oregon - Willamette Valley)

I don't know what you're doing this weekend, but we're up in the Colorado mountains. Beth has her 100 mile Mountain Bike race (aka, the Leadville 100) this Saturday and we (the Wellie Wheel Folks) are the support crew. She's been out training all week adjusting to the altitude and I've been out hiking (with Massey of course -- a story for another time, but she is a ninja-dog-warrior) and shooting. I know, my life is tough. Most of my evenings are spent editing the pics and sipping wine. Again, rough life. Anyways, I need to get back to editing (and drinking). . . enjoy the few photos taken in the thin air up here. Oh, and if you remember, support Wellie (aka Beth) on her quest to finish the 100 miles of hell that is the Leadville 100!!!

Thirsty Thursday: View from the Top

Rambler: Terry Drink at Hand: Green Tea (I've had a headache for the last couple of days)

Year of the Shots: 2004

Camera of the Day: Canon EOS Rebel 300D (their first real DSLR)

Getting to the place where these pictures were taken is a story for another day and another post. But seven years ago this weekend, we were on top of Mt. Fuji, Japan. And the view (seemingly in the clouds) was simply spectacular. I think this was the first time I've ever heard cheering when the sun rises out of the clouds. Amazing.

Thirsty Thursday: Hachioji Matsuri

Rambler: Beth Drink at Hand: Horizons Organic Chocolate Milk (love it after a bike ride!)

Another Thirsty Thursday here again...time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. This week we jump across Pacific to share a little Japanese festival fun!

Our West Coast readers have probably noticed a few signs or community advertisements for festivals in the nearby Japanese communities here in the US, so we decided to share our experience at the real deal in Japan. Summer time in Japan is full of festivals, and you can find a matsuri, or local festival, in small towns around Japan nearly every weekend during July and August. Just a few train stops from where we lived in Japan is a town called Hachioji. We usually went to Hachioji to hit up our favorite ramen and gyoza shop, but in late July they hosted the Hachioji Matsuri.

Early in the day, teams carry small shrines called mikoshi through the streets.

Then hundreds of women clad in kimonos and yukatas line up to do a tradition folk dance. Its more like a choreographed parade than a dance, but its beautiful to watch.  

There are old women...

And young girls...

And lots of paper lanterns...

Hope you have a great weekend!

Thirsty Thursday: Exploring Pinnacles

Rambler: Beth Drink at Hand: Ventana Rubystone

Hey Welliver Photography fans, its Thirsty Thursday once again...time to pour something yummy and make the weekend plans.

With the central California summer coastal fog in full effect, we decided to go inland to shoot the sunset last weekend. We picked Pinnacles National Monument. We'd been there once before, but this was essentially an exploring mission to get a better feel for the layout of the park and find some good photo vantage points. Pinnacles is a really underrated and rarely explored. Its amazing how many conversations I have with folks who live right here in the Salinas Valley who've never ventured down there. It seems to be a place visited mainly by rock climbers and the condors who nest there.

Unfortunately we had a completely cloudless and uninteresting sky last weekend, so we had to find something to shoot other than the landscape. And of course, if Terry's on an "exploring mission" he takes the exploring to the extreme. This almost always means that my subject becomes Terry putting himself in crazy places. He was in fine form last Saturday, scaling rock faces and doing a little bouldering.

If you would like to visit Pinnacles, head toward Soledad, CA, then follow the signs to the hills to the east. The final approach to the park is winding and hilly, so be patient. This area gets super hot in the summer time and there aren't services in the park (at least not at the west entrance that we visit), so be sure to bring lots of water with you...or wait until fall! The secluded nature of the park make it great for night sky shooting, but make sure you arrive before 8 pm, as a gate closes to entry after 8 (you can still get out though). There are hikes in the parking ranging from 1 hour to upwards of 5 hours if you like to the other side. Many visitors bring a flashlight and head for the caves that are open for exploring after a short hike.

Should be a great weekend so get out there and enjoy it!

Thirsty Thursday: Soccer Fever

Rambler: Beth & Terry Drink at Hand: Ventana Rubystone

Thirsty Thursday are usually a little post where we come up with a suggestion for weekend activities. This week we're not making a suggestion. We're telling you. . . if you are American, you must watch the US Women's National Soccer Team as they play for the World Cup title on Sunday. Even if you aren't American, you should still watch. USA vs Japan. . . only few people could have predicted these two teams in the 2011 World Cup Finals. We will be rooting for the good old USA, but we are also so happy to see the Japanese team in the finals after everything that has happened this year. Most of you probably know that we were both soccer players at one point in time. And, at some point, we considered ourselves decent players. Our experiences playing the beautiful game pretty much ended with college. However, we were both quite lucky to play for our military national teams. Terry played with the team in 2005 in Victoria, Canada and I played in 2004 in Virginia and in 2006 in the Netherlands. We can only imagine what it must be like for the USA women. The games this year have been awesome—watching the upsets, feeling the joy, and feeling the pain. The final has the makings of a great match. Best of luck to both teams, we hope the match is as well played as the others we've seen. But make no mistake, this household is all USA. Go USA!

Thirsty Thursday: Swamp Things

Rambler: Beth Drink at Hand: North Coast Brewing Co. Pranqster Belgian Style Golden Ale

Thirsty Thursday snuck up on us this week, and what's worse, due to crazy long bike rides, a weekend bbq/party, and general busyness, we've hardly gotten out to take photos recently. Eeeek! So I had to go back in the archives today to find something to talk about this Thursday.

Over the weekend I was hanging out with a lot of my old cycling friends. We had a few discussions about my preparation for the upcoming Leadville 100 in a little over a month, and inevitably comparisons were made to training last year in flat, humid, swampy Lousyana versus this year's training in the coastal mountains of California. These discussions made me think back to those icky rides on the otherwise incredibly fun singletrack loops around Shreveport, LA. Places like Bodcau Bayou and the Monkey Trail were very well maintained and super fun to ride, but came with unique "environmental enhancements" like snakes (on the ground and in trees), gators, spiders, thick spider webs, mutant mosquitoes, and fire ants to help keep the heart rate higher than the target training zone. Throw in some poison oak for good measure, too. It was the only place I've ever been in which I swore nature hated me.

However, if you slathered on enough DEET and looked at the swamps right, there was some beauty to be found. Or at least something unique to photograph. Here are a few examples.

The lines on the trees in the photo below are high water marks. There was a major flood in this area a few months before I took this photo. Closed the mountain bike trails there, too.

This sign was in the campground where I stayed on Barksdale AFB after I sold and moved out of our house. There were gators there. The totally awesome white trash camper I stayed in for a week was about 100 yards from this sign. Massey was on a short leash during our stay.

And this little bayou was behind the above sign. I took this photo from a road that I frequented on my road bike and saw gators lurking in the water on several occasions. Luckily I always saw them in the water in this particular spot.

There were always guys out in bass boats at Bodcau Bayou fishing away when I was there, but I thought this guy took it to a new level. He's actually standing in that dark, scary, icky water. I don't even know how he got himself to this point out in the muck, but he must have very large huevos. Or he's just plain ol' southern crazy.

I'll spare our readers from the assortment of crazy spider and snake photos I have in the archives. Instead, I'll leave you with some pretty flowers. Ironically, for as unpleasant as much of Lousyana was, a surprising number of wildflowers bloomed throughout the spring and summer. The splash of color along the roads always brightened my day.

It took me most of the year and a half that I was in Lousyana to appreciate the landscape there, but I'm glad I got to experience it. It just goes to show that no matter where you are, there is so much beauty in the natural world around us. Get out there this weekend and enjoy it!

Thirsty Thursday: Holiday Weekend

Rambler: Beth Drink at Hand: 2006 Hahn Family Wines Cycles Falcon Zinfandel (Click to see the super cool label on this bottle)

Time for another Thirsty Thursday where we pour something yummy and make our weekend plans. With the holiday weekend ahead of us, this week's installment highlights a few patriotic scenes from Washington, DC a few years ago. I haven't spent a lot of time in DC, but being there over the 4th of July was pretty cool.

And what's the 4th of July without fireworks?! I leave you with an awesome photo that Terry took in Japan, complete with the coolest plane in the Air Force, the A-10.

Enjoy your 4th of July weekend!

Thirsty Thursday: Montaña de Oro State Park

Rambler: Beth Drink at Hand: 2009 Ventana Pinot Gris...so refreshing on a warm summer day!

Another Thirsty Thursday here again. Time to pour something yummy and make plans for this first full weekend of summer! And what's summer without a trip to the beach? This week we highlight a trip we took to the beach a few weeks back.

About a month ago Terry and I cruised down to San Luis Obispo to visit some friends and do a little bike ride. We were also using the trip as a scouting mission to check out some future photography locations. Unfortunately given the schedule of the weekend we knew we wouldn't be able to get out at the "golden hour" times to catch the nice light on the landscapes, but we could at least check out some good spots.

After breakfast on Saturday morning Terry and I headed out to Montaña de Oro State Park. The location came highly recommended by Steve Sieren, and when Steve suggests a good photo spot, you go there! I have to admit, I was really impressed with diversity of the landscape in this park. Sprawling eucalyptus groves, grassy sand dunes, wide beaches, huge open fields, hidden coves, and possibly the most interesting rock formations along the ocean I've seen. Unfortunately by the time we made it to the water the good morning light was long gone, so the striated rocks on the shore is at the top of the list of photo subjects when we get back down there later this summer. Supposedly the mountain biking isn't too bad either, so we definitely need to get back!

Terry had actually been to this park last year, so he picked our first spot. We spent roughly the next 2 hours climbing up sand dunes, searching out wildflowers, bounding down sand dunes, strolling along the beach, and scribbling notes in the sand. A great morning, just the two of us with camera in hand, doing what we love to do together. Below is a sampling from both of our cameras. I always find it fascinating that Terry and I can be at the same place at the same time and we come away with completely different images! I wonder if any of our readers can tell who took which images...

And for a little schmoopiness...

Thanks for reading. We hope you get out and do something fun this weekend. Feel free to leave us a comment to tell us about your weekend plans!

Thirsty Thursday: Garrapata State Park

Rambler: Beth Drink at Hand: 2009 Redtree Pinot Noir

Another Thirsty Thursday is upon us once again...time to pour something yummy and plan out a weekend adventure. This week we highlight one of our favorite places to play with our cameras.

A few month ago, cash-strapped California released a list of state parks it intends to close by next summer in order to save money. There are 70 parks on the list. Beautiful places, and quite a few parks that Terry and I like to visit. One of the places on the chopping block is Garrapata State Park.

I was shocked to see Garrapata on the list. Its an incredibly beautiful and popular stretch of coastal highlands, rocky shorelines, and sandy beaches that is essentially the gateway to the Big Sur coast. Its one of our favorite places sunset spots, especially in winter when the passing winter storms produce spectacular clouds and some big waves.

I don't know if the state will close access to this strip of coastline. To be honest, I don't see how they could restrict access to the numerous trails that drop down to the beaches from the Highway 1 turnouts. I don't want to think about losing access to this beautiful area. A decision has been made that I don't understand. All we can do is soak up as many beautiful sunsets as possible before this little piece of natural heaven is taken away.

These photos are from February. It was a magical afternoon of shooting. You might recognize a few from our Flickr stream. We need to get back to Garrapata soon...before its too late!

If you'd like to visit Garrapata State Park yourself, head south from Carmel on Highway 1. The first turnouts are about 9 miles south of Rio Road in Carmel.

Hope you find yourself at one of your favorite places this weekend! Get out there and enjoy it!

Thirsty Thursday: Riding Smiles

Rambler: Beth Drink at Hand: 2009 Lockwood Vineyards Malbec

Hey Welliver Photography fans, its Thirsty Thursday once again...time to pour something yummy and plan something awesome to do this weekend. This week's installment is a bit unique--the story happened today, but the photos are from the same location, just a few weeks back.

As I prepare for the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race, my cycling coach is giving me me all kinds of fun/crazy/tough workouts to get me ready. Today's mountain bike workout was short in length (only an hour and a half to 2 hours) but pretty intense with some max effort hill repeats mixed in the middle. Luckily I have about 30ish minutes of fun trails and fire roads to get to my hill, and it was a great morning to ride. I was having a blast. Then the hard part...a few minutes all out up a 6% grade, still fewer minutes to recover back down the hill, rinse and repeat 3 times. I was stomping on the pedals, drooling, snot streaming, panting, grunting...let's be honest, I assume I sounded like and looked like a rabid dog in heat. After the 2nd effort I had no idea how I was going to survive the 3rd effort. I could barely even figure out how to get my bike turned around on the reasonably wide double track fire road. Back down I went, and then started the final effort. The sun came out. Bonnie Tyler belted out "We Need A Hero" in my right ear. Bunnies scampered along the trail beside me. I clawed my way up the hill the final time. Done. Exhausted. Gasping. But done. Now just a ride back to the car.

I rounded the corner by Laguna Seca. One more small climb and then the route is mostly downhill to the trailhead. As I topped that last little pitch a smile slowly and unexpectedly crept across my face. I was invigorated. I'd finished that last effort just a few minutes before yet I felt fresh.

I bombed down the gravelly fire road. Then a decision. The quickest way home is straight. I turned left. One of my favorite single tracks was to the left. Turning left added an extra 20 minutes to my ride. I didn't care. The smile grew bigger.

I flew down a trail winding through tall grasses dappled with dots of wildflower color. The transition from green spring to golden summer is fast here. The poison oak stays green for a long time though. Its the only thing that slows me down as I try to navigate to the side of the narrow trail away from the toxic oils. Soon I'm on a new trail. Bermed corners. Railing. Pushing the limits of my tires to grip the loose fresh soil. The unseasonable weekend rains created a little tackiness in the dirt. A rear tire slide here and there, but I stay up as I edge closer to out-of-control. The wheels stick. I stay up. I keep cruising.

Across a fire road and onto the Goat Trail. I fly down the upper part of the trail. Its wide open, hard packed, fast. The wind gently whistles through the helmet straps against my cheek. A quick digger of a hill up to my favorite tree in all of Ft Ord. It looks beautiful this morning in the fresh sunlight, green leaves against the golden grass. But I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. The riding is too much fun. The smile isn't fading.

More flying. I look for spots to catch air off little lips in the trail. I lean my bike under me through the turns. I bounce smoothly over the washboarded corners. I've never gone this fast down this section of the trail. A blur of trees and grass scream through the peripheral vision, but I only see the single track in front of me. Low scrub oaks and prickly thistles scratch at my shins. I'm surprised by how quickly I reach the bottom of the trail. Surprised and disappointed. I wanted more.

At this point I am supposed to take the long fire road route back to the trailhead. Terry doesn't like me riding down the poison oak-infested, yet shorter and incredibly more fun trail back to the trailhead. He sorta forbids me from riding that trail. Today, I don't care. I want that trail. Its another of my favorites in Ft Ord. And today was one of those magical days...no dog walkers, no hikers, no runners, not even another mountain biker on the last fun trail down to the parking lot. And the BLM guys had trimmed the poison oak away from the trail's edge. More flying. The smile, now huge, squeaked out a few giggles. I completely forgot about how miserable the intervals had been. As I popped up onto the pavement from the last bit of dirt fun for the day I smiled a little more...that was a hell fun of a ride.

I'm looking forward to another fun mountain bike ride this weekend. This time with some of my favorite riding friends at my favorite place to ride. Its going to be great.

Thanks for reading...And get out there and do something that makes you smile this weekend!

Thirsty Thursday: Aperture Magic

Rambler: Terry Drink at Hand: 2007 Estancia Zinfandel

Okay, so not the most brilliant wine, but it's enough after the short work week. The photograph for today's post is different than any other photograph I've taken. And no, (for those of you who already looked at it), it's not an extremely edited image. It is edited, but not in Photoshop...just in Aperture...and just barely.

Before I get into the details of the actual edits, let me share with you how I actually took this image. This image was taken the day before the Cote de Tolosa (see previous T.T. post) at Cayucos, CA at the pier. The beach was covered in seaweed and the sun was fairly harsh, but the water was blue. Beth left her camera in the car as we were just checking things out. I wanted to get a shot of the pier with a bit of beach and some people walking. The first two shots I took were completely white.

Oops! I forgot to change my settings from the previous location we were shooting at—rookie mistake. Fortunately, the wildlife (i.e., the people) weren't really moving that fast so I adjusted my camera settings and took another shot. I didn't think anything of the two over-exposed images I just took. When I was able to download the images into Aperture, I saw the "white" images and thought trash. After completing my first round through my photos, I somehow didn't trash one of the "white" images. Oops! Another rookie mistake. But, this time, I was looking at the "white" image in fullscreen and I could see some shapes, just barely, in the center. I decided to edit the image and I was immediately able to "bring back" some of the image by adjusting the exposure slider. With some more tinkering, I was able to get an image that looked like an artist painting of a beach scene. I was mildly impressed...something a bit different.

What did I learn from this? I'm not sure...perhaps pay more attention to your camera's settings before taking your first shot...or perhaps not. Or maybe you can sometimes create something out of nothing? Or maybe, sometimes, you just get lucky, on both counts (the shot and the editing). So, get out there this weekend and make some rookie mistakes. You never know what you'll get!

[exif id="1582" show="location"]

Here are the settings of the improperly exposed image straight out of the camera.

Out of the Camera ISO 500 35mm 0.67ev f/5.6 1/100 sec

Aperture Edits Exposure to -2.0 Recovery to 1.5 Black Point to 50.0 Contrast to 0.06 Definition to 0.33 Vibrancy to 0.2 Highlights to 8.78

What do the Aperture edits actually mean? Well, the Contrast, Definition, Vibrancy, and Highlights are very, very minor edits...they have very subtle effects. The other three (Exposure, Recovery, and Black Point) are the edits that actually matter. I think the exposure is corrected to -1.33 with the 0.67ev taken into account. The recovery adjustment brings back the highest portion of the highlights and the black point adjustment sets the black point to the maximum setting. Basically, three adjustments created the watercolor painting effect.

Thirsty Thursday: At Tolosa

Rambler: Terry Drink at Hand: 2007 Tolosa Pinot Noir

Beth and I went down to SLO for a ~55 mile cycling ride (Cote de Tolosa) sponsored by Tolosa Winery. This was fortunate for me as I could chill out waiting for Beth to complete her ride at a winery...and a good one at that. In addition, our good friend from USAFA, Britt Miller, lives in SLO and works at Tolosa. What a deal!

While I was waiting for Beth to finish from her ride, Britt (who was playing guitar for the event) asked me to shoot the riders coming in. Fortunately, I was able to photograph all the riders...including some people who were just out riding their bikes from winery to winery. The pictures below are a few that I was able to capture between photographing riders coming across the finish line. I think all bike races should be like this...sunny, warm, and at a winery.