Something Quite Special Went Down Today

Huge thanks to Dan and Greg from North Division Bikes for organizing and planning it up. Turned out to be whatever is the current, socially acceptable equivalent of epic.

Edit, 2/9.
Adding some of Chip's photos, without his permission.  Violating, of course, friendship rule #1.  That being, don't post up your friend's pics.  Which leads to exception 1a:  Unless they're really good.

Camera Gear Evolution

 Bikepacking and photography are pretty inextricably linked, for me.  There was this one particular bikepacking trip that inspired me to challenge myself to take better pics, and I think I took a big step forward in the right direction.  For context, I recognize that I am a serious hack, but a hack that is somewhat serious, to be fair to myself.

Over the last two genuine trips I took, these were the cams that went with me:  The full-on DSLR on the right, and the high-end point-and-shoot on the left.  A shit ton of gear, then.

I've recognized that I need to lighten things up, and I've been aware of this awesome new class of hardware that calls itself "mirrorless", but I didn't have any real motivation until Stine posted this up.

So shit, now I am motivated, to the point that I own a Sony A6000 mirrorless (center), which I have no clue how to use and which I had no business spending money on.  But as you can see, it is awesomely compact, in the sense that it may enable me to ditch the huge pile of hardware on either side, while still allowing me to retain my hack photographic sensibilities.

I'm not sure how to carry this weird-shaped contraption.  Or what it even is or does, for that matter.  Or if the mega-awesome S95 could ever actually be "eliminated", which seems like blasphemy.

Figuring this all out in early Feb seems to be right, though.  I'd like to work through some of the confusion before I have an actual need to use it.

Which is coming right up.  Say late Feb, early March.

Oh hell.  I'm screwed.

Some wildly experimental pics will obviously emerge . . .

The Dumping Of The Photos

Because, for some inexplicable reason, I must.

Something mildly reminiscent of way more awesome rack-building sessions in days gone by . . .

No I did not build it, I bought it. >shame<

This light-mount tab rubbed on the tire and therefore got duly hacksaw smitten. YAO!

The better mounting location of the light.

Palisades. Where the bike was way more awesome than the trails.  But how 'bout that rack, Jack?

This photo could have been so unbelievable, if only a train had come through.  I did wait, for 3 or 4 minutes, but turns out, I'm an antsy little bugger.  So here you go . . .

 How awesome am I, for caking all that icy stuff up on my bottom bracket?  Do tell.

Fat vs obese?  Or mid-fat vs "plus"?  I am not sure.  And if you say you know, you are lying, db.

The one pic from the all-day, sorta-errant jaunt to ride the snow-mo trails at Priest Lake.  "Sorta" because the riding on this day was a bust, but "sorta" also, b/c I have unveiled the extraordinary potential of this opportunity, in all my sleuthy awesomeness. In my mind.

Co-Existing?  Asserting our influence?  Assuming our Natural Place in the cosmos?  Being total A-holes??  You be the judge . . .

 "What the hell, man?"  "What the hell YOU, man??"

Dan the Man, bearing down on the riff-raff, the sole element that is in our way of claiming these epic resources as our own!

 Typical fatbiking unhapiness . . .

 Gas is cheap.  For everything else, there's VISA . . .

 

 Patty may have tried and liked.  More to come, possibly . . .