Things I Miss (pt.2)

Mexico was a glipmse of the simple life I miss. Good people, good beer and the ocean. All that I feel is a necessity in Mexico. Now lets change it up. Up north about 14 hours of driving from Reedley, is a state that is just way too cool. We call it oregon, our neighbor to the north. Some people call it home. I have been there several times and got to soak in some of the culture a couple times. The most recent time was in Portland. A city with a ton of bridges, ton of rain, and a ton of cyclists. The town has a different feel to it that other big cities here in The Golden State. The overcast sky, the intimate streets with a slight overload of traffic and the abundance of people choosing the healthy commute ,rain or shine, on their bicycles. And by the way, a lot of people are in good shape. Larger percentage than we are used to here in the Valley. Only different thing about the people is how they all keep to themselves. Walking by coffee shops and restaurants most people were doing what they were supposed to be doing... eating/drinking. No lolli-gaggin for the Portland folk. I may be completely wrong but that is the vibe I took in. All in all its a fun city. Oh! another thing, Portland has the largest private bookstore in the country. Powell's city of Books, its a HUGE place its the 3 stories tall and the area of an entire city block then also a separate building that only has technical subjects. I went to town on this place. Any subject you can think of even sub-subjects. They will most likely have it. Prices aren't bad either, most of the books are used and still in good condition. 
Portland is a city that I highly recommend everyone to visit, closer than Seattle just as cool and a bit more sunny days too. No pictures in Portland, I was only there a couple days and first day I wanted to see if for myself without camera. Sorry.

Now I have to photos to share of the Oregon Coast. A couple years ago I was in Seattle with family, after those few days there we drove the spectacular scenic route to California along the Pacific Coast Highway. The altitude is the same as the coast in central California but way way more lush, I was up there in March or April. The place was way different than the outdoors I am used to here in the central Sierra Nevadas. Its so lush that moss grows everywhere and makes the scenery look and feel fresh. 

As we began to get closer to California we entered the Redwood forest. Its crazy how the geography is here. the ocean, cliffs, waves and sea wildlife is at the coast, then about 100 to 200 meters away are huge Redwoods and pines. To compare it to something here locally, would be like looking to the high sierras to your right then seeing the central coast to your left all in one spot. That is something that I am not very used to. Its a lot for your eyes to take in but not one bit overwhelming. We stopped in the forest to look for the former tallest tree in the forest, while walking around I noticed how dense this place is. It so dense that enormous hundred foot tall trees grow in the same area. Here is the picture of a huddle of trees sharing the same 5x5 meter patch of land and still being able to grow ridiculous heights for hundreds of years. 

I would love to return to this state with out a time limit and just be free to roam as I please. Its less populated, cleaner air, healthy people and many Subarus and bicycles. This is a place where a week or more would be needed to enjoy which may be a lot of time for most people to give. Though I still think you all should give it a try and visit, or at least read about the state and learn a little something about a place that is better than you think. 

Til next time. 
erick

Things I miss (pt.1)

There is a movie on Netflix that I watched about an hour ago. Its titled "Ride the Divide", its about one of the toughest bicycle races there is. The race begins in Canada and goes 2700 through the Rockies into Mexico. One rider says, " Life's too short not to take adventures like this; you have to make these types of experiences a priority." That really stuck to me, we practically have the world at our finger tips and have the opportunity to do so. Racing in that race would be one killer experience but this made me think of what I have done.

A couple years ago I went to Mexico, it was about an 8 hour drive and we were in a completely different place from home in every way. It was a little town near the city of Ensenada in Baja California. My buddy and I stayed in an area where tourists aren't at every corner. The town has underdeveloped roads and sewer design that gives restrooms a very particular odor. All neighbors knew each other and each neighborhood had its own little convenience store. A very simple life.

Life is inexpensive and quite simple, so the public environment is very mellow and relaxed. The beach is a stones throw away with adequate surf and a large beach area. No need to drive, everything is within walking distance. This is how people live day to day, a life I feel I can get used to. Making the move would be easy, load up the car, find a small affordable home, unpack and relax in the simple life. 

The family we stayed with were well settled in the area, they had aunts sisters and cousins all living in the same small town, which means that families get together more often than you would think. This picture shows what a "day at the lake" would be for them. We drove for about 20 minutes of country roads then entered the foothills. The roads lost the pavement and were narrow dirt trails similar to the service roads here in the sierras. A very bumpy road, along the way it made me think that we were going to a secluded area, little did I know. There were a ton of people there, all who made the uncomfortable drive in everyday street cars to this very small creek that is only about 10 to 15 feet wide.  A creek like this wouldn't be a spot people would think of making it a day out of here in California. The people here did and boy I had a great time, a lot of friendly people and plenty of good food. The drive that would probably destroy many suspensions, the dust that would instantly turn your car brown loaded with all your family is completely worth it. One day.

A climb to climb.

There is a hill near where I live, well there is actually a lot of hills then those hills eventually become the Sierra Nevadas. I will only be writing about one specific hill. One that has been vandalized in a semi-positive way. Mt. Campbell is the name of this hill. This hill stamped with the letters, "S" and "R" for the towns Sanger and Reedley. Its a climb many do, some for the physical exercise and others to add more paint to the boulders. Either way its a cool climb, takes about an hour to climb at a decent pace. The summit is at a atmospheric level of 1,729 feet a feat similar to reaching the summit at Mt. Everest. Ha!

ISO 200  f/2.8  1/1600

Getting closer to the base, there you may encounter free range cows and several fences. Both harmless unless you lack the ability to climb a fence, which in that case you probably shouldn't go any further. The cows I think would be scared of you but I wouldnt know, they were to far from where we entered.

ISO200  f/4  1/4000

After the first hundred feet or so of the climb you need to become aware cause all those stones can do some good damage to your ankle. A lot of the rocks also move easily. So don't get hurt at the bottom of the hill, not a good story to go share.
In this picture you can see the scale of the hill, my woman is just ahead of me climbing, her friend is in the center of the image about 50 feet further. This part also isnt very steep. Enjoy this part.

ISO200  f/4  1/2000

Here is a view from the top, I would say you are able to see reedley, and yes reedley is there but it's difficult to distinguish. Right side near the horizon. Its so silent up here still, its almost a bit creepy. Here I took a break and took in the serenity of the mountain/sight.
Another wierd thing I discoverd about cows, regardless of their extremely high center of gravity, those guys can climb. In the kinda technical spots I would find cow pies. not fresh but recent enough they could be spotted. I would like to go up there and see cows climbing up there. It'd be quite the sight.
All this was shot with a fixed Canon EF 20mm 2.8. =D
Bye.

edit: Open images in new tab/window to see full image. Blogger cropped a bit to much.

Olive plant

Many years ago on Santa Fe Ave south of Walnut ave in Visalia. There was an olive plant, I have no details about the plant at all whatsoever. But I do know, that in present day it is no longer an olive plant. The plant has actually lost its walls and all you see is the bare chassis of the buildings. The property is very large, which I assume that it was a happening place at one point. Now many years later or not, a group of skaters decided that they need this place to skate. And what do skaters do, they skate wherever they feel is a good spot. Then little by little with the little money they had they began to buy concrete and bring in materials to build their own little "skatepark". It has been three weeks since their initial beginning and lots of progress has been made. There is a spine, a taco hump, a pyramid/box couple rails and ledges. This may be gibberish to you but not to skaters. That alone is a big accomplishment.
In the many many years of skating this is the first time I am able to experience and see something this great happening. This is something that I wish I could've been a part of back when I was in the prime of my skating. Still glad I can still somewhat be involved in my own way.
The Sunday I spent there was nostalgic, there was a small group of friends and this awesome spot. All skating 10/10 hoping to go home hoping that today was a day one of them finally rolled away from the smith revert they put so much effort in to. Such a great feeling to learn something new.
I spoke to several kids about this spot and each one was so passionate about it. Telling me all the hard work they have put into it and all the plans for future obstacles. This really pumped me up a lot that I decided to take pictures and help spread the word. I then brought out my film slr and shot these kids having an ordinary day at the olive plant. I got several good shots of each kid there. I didn't have the opportunity to finish the roll which is why I don't have magical shots to show today. All I know is that I have a good feeling about this spot and hope for this place to grow.

www.skatechowder.blogspot.com is the blog one of the skaters runs, he is heavily involved in the creation of this spot. He has a ton of cool shots of the plant and the skating. Check it out. I am going to try and work with them to attempt to have a way for people to have an option to make donations that would help out on funds for gathering supplies.

The end of the '12

Christmas has came and gone. It was a great yet disappointing day. Though I think that is usually how most days end up being like. I hope many people disagree.
I slept at my grandmas for the first time and damn was it cold, one detail I do not miss about that woman's house. Our Christmas takes place on the eve of the day. Which I would consider part of the day I will call great. I didn't get any gifts except for a target gift card... Mexican tequila is how we ended the night.
Then following the cold sleep at my grandmas, the family reunited once again and ate another huge feast. Got a good deal of food to keep my night active with my buddies on a day I feel is the most boring of the year. Several of my pals got together baked some salt wrapped chickens and consumed quite a bit of "fun" beverages and stretched the good times till the day ended making Christmas Day a non boring day. The disappointments of the day are a bit complicated and I feel are too personal for the Internet. Sorry y'all.

No picture today, there will be pics up soon, very soon. Thanks to my target gift card, I will use it to replace my lost card reader! Yes! Highlight of my week.

Hasta la vista baby!

Events

My events of tonight. Made Mac n cheese. I ate every noodle of it, then baked hot wings for a long 30 minutes. As I waited, I sat and used up my phones battery. The waiting period has ended and wings were my next enjoyment. Washed my hands thoroughly of all wing residue. Sat in bed and jumped onto Netflix. I began watching a piece about The New York Times. As I allowed a sudden and persistent wave of inspiration over me. Other things were happening throughout my body. I began to think of ways I may become a better writer and storyteller through my conscious mind. Meanwhile my subconscious mind had a completely different game plan. As the 90 minutes went by on the documentary 90 minutes was the time it took for my body to say, "erick, those wings and macaroni didn't make me happy" a little bit of heat and persistence by body put through to me, I now sit here on an unusual but common looking seat, satisfying my writing inspiration and the indirect housecleaning of my dinners'e outcome.
And here is the picture of the night.

P.S I still have not found my card reader. Damn!

This is the word

I have been super unproductive and a huge procrastinator. It is not a good way of living. I think I am lacking that motivation that will make me MOVE! Or I need to realize what I am realizing right now and get up!

So that is what I am going to do. BYE! well Updating this here blog will be the start of the productivity. So... yolo?? haha.

-No picture today-

I have misplaced my card reader and still in search for it. Until then.

• -
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The City by the Bay

This past week my family went to San Francisco for a mini trip out of the annoying heat/humidity of the valley. It was a sudden trip without much planning. There are several things I always take with me to any trip Jessica and I go on. My tool set for an unexpected hiccup, two bikes, and my camera. On this trip that is all I took. oh and a change of clothes for us both. The spontaneity of the trip didn't allow me to think and think of what else would be needed. We left Reedley late Tuesday evening and went straight to my friends house in a nearby city. The next day we slowly got ready for the day, took a quick mid morning nap then went to the big city. We didn't have a single plan on what we would do, we just thought winging it would be a good experience. First place we went to was downtown, where all the big name stores are at. The reason for going there was because we forgot to pack warm clothes, it was soo windy and chilly. Downtown is always a cool place to go, it is such a different area there. Its busy, there is a lot of foot traffic, vehicle traffic and my favorite: bicycle traffic. For me, I think just sitting and watching the cyclist would have been enough for me. 

Waiting for the green light. Shot at ISO 250: 17mm: f/4: 1/400

The V shaped building. Shot at ISO 250: 17mm: f/4: 1/640 

 

After the hustle and bustle of downtown, we ventured off to the Golden Gate bridge. I have been there once before but it was at night and not the best way to experience it. So today I had my camera ready to get the best image I can get. When we arrived at the view point there were plenty tourists snapping away at the scenery. As I watched this happen, i thought to myself. "I never take the standard tourist picture of the pretty view in the background and my friends, family etc as the foreground." I am not sure why I don't do that but I am just fine knowing that I don't shoot like that. As I walk around I hear other people worrying of how they are going to fit the entire family into the frame and who is going to click the shutter release. I did take a couple pictures of Jessica and I. I had no worries though, I had a tripod and a 10 second timer. After seeing the bridge from every view we got back in the car and drove up the hill on the opposite side of the bridge, here is where you get a nice wide view of the bridge. The sun was hiding behind the fog/clouds. That was not a problem with me. I actually enjoy shooting with the clouds. The problem I did have was the wind on the face of the hill. It was pushing me over and trying to overtake my balance. I was a fighter though, I stood my ground and took the battle and came out a winner. The wind did get annoying so after I was satisfied with the shots I returned to the car to warm up.

Southbound view of the bridge. Shot at ISO 640: 85mm: f/5.6: 1/400

A shot from the hill. Shot at ISO640: 17mm: f/4: 1/250

 

To end the night we went to pier 39 to get Jessicas sisters some souveniers of the City. It was extra windy there so we made it a quick trip. We left the city and headed back to a little pub near my friends house. Very good price for a good generous amount of beer and some tasty wings. A bit after that we began our 3 hour drive home around 1am. I had a really good time with my Jessica. This was exactly what we needed, it was very nice to get out of the town, even if it was sudden and not very eventful. We were very happy with the outcome of the trip.

Extra! Extra!

I  just read my previous post, wow did I screw that one up. I just left you hanging at the introduction to my trip to Mexico. Like I said, time has gone by, it is now August 2nd and here is my second post of the year. I figured that I can more easily post from my phone now. So hopefully you'll be hearing more from me.

To start things off this has been a very exciting summer. A lot of changes will begin to occur as time goes by, all of these changes I have been wanting to share to those that would read. So here I go. June 20th around 2:00pm. My girlfriend (my interest from last post became my girlfriend) came to me with a surprise. I was given the option to turn around and forget about her and live our lives apart, or step up and become a man. I'm sure that you are guessing that she asked me to marry her. Ha! You are wrong I was given the news that I will be a father. The first hour or so after finding out. I was speechless, so much was running through my head. But as the seconds ticked I began to see that the only option was to be a man. Our commitment to each other is pristine, except for the countless hiccups of living with someone for the first time. Everything seems to change with out notice, that is a transition that no matter who you are; the change may be difficult. It has been over a month and we are beginning to act more and more as a family, although, it is only Jessica and I for now. Since then I have been as frugal as possible. Saving has been a bit tough since work has been slow. Being frugal is really helping me out in becoming a man who will make the right choices in where the money flow will go towards. I still occasionally eat out at fast food joints and buy things that will only benefit me. That will soon change. 

Everything that has been going on this summer is all revolving around our pregnancy. I have slight plans for the living arrangements, which won't go into affect until the summer relaxes with the heat. New windows will replace the old antique non-insulating windows. The 3 1/2 foot tall bed will be lowered to accomodate for a beautiful lady carrying our offspring. I will separate sleep from work and hobbies by moving my non-sleep things to another room that will become my office. The bedroom will be that, a bedroom. Containing a bed, crib, dressers and a mirror. Nothing less and nothing more. That is the biggest update I have. 6 followers, I promise I will post more, this pregnancy is very exciting for me and I will have much to say.

Like always I will leave you with two mandatory updates.

  1. I have a total of 9 bicycles now. One was sold today, one may be sold and replaced with a nicer one tomorrow. 4 of the 9 are functional and ridable. 

  2. Here is a picture for your viewing pleasure.

Shot in Santa Monica. 

85mm: ISO 100:  f/4: 1/400th

Months.Time

Time has passed, months have gone by. It is now mid May. I was last seen on here when winter was still biting us in the ass. now the heat is going to pounce on us all! That is how much time has passed, and I leave all, ALL, of my 6 followers in the dark. In this post I am going to fill you in on this large gap of time. January happened, then it went to February following that March arrived with blossoms. April showed up without showers, and now May is killing the blossoms and bringing in the treacherous heat. Done. Bye!

Joke! how can I end a post without my random pointless ramble. These months have been very cool, I traveled as much as I possibly could. The bad thing is that it has been soooo long, that I don't remember everything. I do know that I met a girl, a special girl in January, one that I still keep in close contact! ;) In February nothing out of the ordinary happened aside from my favorite bike being out of commission. That was fixed as soon as March made its appearance, as well as a new member to my cycle family. A brand new road bike with 105 Shimano goods. The days of March went on and my trip to Seattle was quickly approaching. The trip was a success. I have several shots, nothing great since I have already shot there. I just wanted to take in the free time and let it soak. After that short week away from the boring central valley. I was told that I will go to Mexico for another week.

Here is Seattle version of gum alley. If you have ever seen the San Luis Obisbo Gum Alley there is a big difference between the two.

Phone talk

This is my first blog from my phone. In my bed, laying down. Lights off. At 5:31am.
I hate nights like this, when I fall asleep hours earlier than normal, and wake up now at 5am. I played angry birds for a half hour. Still awake. Now I'm hoping to type and type til I fall asleep once more. But I doubt that will happen. I really want McDonald's breakfast, or Daniel's breakfast. Having that crave will keep me up longer. The horrible thing about that, is right before I would leave to go eat, I fall asleep and stay asleep for ever!!!
So I don't know what will happen after I publish this entry til about noon.
My phone says it will be sunny today. It's my day off today and the sunny day will make my day that much better. I want to go ride the trails by the river today. I have only rode the one behind the college. It gets funner everytime. I can go faster and faster everytime. The mtn bike I have now is crazy fun. Way funner than that Diamondback I was using last summer. Though the brakes on it are amazing! The brakes on my current bike could be better. One day I will build it just perfect. Like every hobby, the tinkering and upgraded parts never end. I don't have a problem with that.
I have a picture to show you. It is one I took a month ago. I will place it here. And write about it underneath.

I took this on a day I went up to China peak. I forget what specific day it was. This a view a lot of people see here in the valley. Any overcast day in the valley will look like this from the sierras. I cannot count the times I have seen this. This time I stopped and the right spot and had my camera. I forget the settings on the camera. I do know it was shot at f/6.3 or slower. There are two other shots I kept. You can see them at my Flickr. I will edit a link somewhere in the blog. But for now, just copy n paste it from here. www.flickr.com/foa42
Bye for now, and later today, if I remember, I will update all you guys with my trail rig.

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Attention

Attention is a big thing in any humans life, without attention there would not be any variety in humans. The reason there are so many different types of people is because each individual chooses to give their attention to something, someplace, or someone. Attention can be listening and understanding to when someone is speaking or watching one display an action. There is also another way to give your attention. Imagine this: You are walking with a group of people, a green bird flies past you and the group. You turn your head and watch the bird as is flies past you. After the bird has gone, you notice that no one else looked at the green bird. If each of those people were asked if they saw a green bird, some would say, it was seen in a quick glance, others saw it but not long enough to notice it was green and others wouldn't have been aware that there was even a bird in the first place. That is the type attention that I want to focus on.

Why did that bird cause you to turn your head? My non-researched theory is that, our past is what influences what we will give our attention to in the future. Let's say that when you were younger you went to visit your grandma, she was excited to show you her new bird that she bought. When she showed you the green parrot, it pecked at your grandmas finger and flew off into the sky. So years later a green bird flew by. Without thinking about it you look up and follow it. You still go on with your day not giving any thought on why the bird got your attention. This happens numerous times throughout the day, while sitting at your desk, walking to the mailbox. This can and does happen at anytime of the day at any location. As the days go by and you live your life going to school and work. Talking with people and gaining new experiences little and small. Your attention is everywhere!

Subtle moments like that with the green bird shape the way we will be become. The amount of attention we give begins to transform from subtle moments to commitments that can make or break someone. Depending on how much you were worried about your grandmothers green bird flying away may have had a huge impact in your life. You may have gained a bit of interest on why the bird pecked at your grandmothers hand and fled. Then from there on you would begin to occasionally notice behavior of the different types of birds in your neighborhood. It begins to progress, you check out a book about birds at the library. You choose a favorite kind of bird. (All this happening as you are in your late elementary and junior high years) You begin to look up towards the sky and give second glances at moving branches in trees as you walk by a park or sitting in a moving car. Later as you grow, you have this interest in the avian world, but this is still in the subtle side. When asked 'what do you like?' you still have to think about what it is that you like. Birds may be the 3rd or 4th answer you give. But still subconsciously, you give your attention to the flocks of birds you encounter day by day. That day comes where you see the green bird fly by while you walk with your friends. That glance wasn't because you checked out a book at the library or that you know names of at least 5 different species of birds that live in your town. The reason is because you were there to see your grandmas bird fly way, years ago. throughout high school you slowly discover that you like being outdoors, family camping trips are always something to look forward to. When you graduate you begin to look over the class catalog and see there is a bird watching class. You feel that it may be a nice class because you get to be outdoors and also get school credit. Then as you continue your college years birds is something that you now begin to realize is getting you attention. Zoology is now a possibility in your future to one day put food on your table. And that day happens.

If you read all of this thanks, it was just a ramble about nothing.

Money saving tip

I have discovered that bicycles are great! Just like how cars are also great. The only differences between the two is one requires money to run. April this year I decided that all of my in town commuting would be done with the bike. The first bike I had was a good one, it wasn't the best for commuting though. It had big meaty 2.1in thick tires with fairly low gearing. The two disadvantages with that were the tires creating a lot of rolling resistance, which required me to try harder to keep a high pace, then the gearing is mean't more towards climbing. Climbing was not something I did too often. The bike was a 19in Diamondback Response. It was a really nice bike, had the all Shimano components and performance 6in disk brakes. My friend let me barrow this bike for a short while.

Shot at 75mm: ISO320: f/4: 1/60th

While this was the only bike I had to use, I was looking for a road bike to replace the beast of a mountain bike the Diamondback was. Doing research, I learned many things about both mountain bikes and road bikes. To the outside eye, they both seem to get the same job done. Which is true, they each both have their advantages. I'll get to that a bit more at the end. Looking through craigslist I found the perfect frame. It was a Bridgestone 400 frame. The midrange road frame. All I had was the frame, fork and front derailuer. I began to do some research on which parts would fit best on the bike and also fit me. About a month later I came across another Bridgestone at a swap meet. This was a huge bike, HUGE! It was a complete bike, which is why I bought it. The wheels, tires, stem, and handlebars were all in good condition. The crank did not fit, the 400 frame took a different crank arm than the complete Bridgstone had; neither did the saddle. Still needing parts I kept looking through Craigslist for affordable parts that I would be able to use. I found a place called, "The Fresno Bike Kitchen". I found the address and went to the location. I told the guy running the shop what I wanted. I other words I wanted the bike to run. The rear wheel was off true, I needed a seat post, a saddle and crankset. Finally about 2 hours later and $55. The bike was complete. A single speed road bike. No derailuers, no extra cables, and no shifters. Simple is what I wanted and simple is what I had.

Shot at 15mm: ISO100: f/5.6: 1/125th

I still have the bug, since the day I got the bike running, I have came up on 5 other bikes. Half of them run and the other half needing some help.My main focus still being on the road bike, on making it a really light bike and also keeping all of the strength. Having put at least over 1,000 miles on the frame I still get excited before each ride.

After having some behind the bar experience. I learned how the road bike excels in the road, and how the mountain bike excels on the trails. When I rode the MTB, it worked just fine. It took me to work and took me around town, nothing to brag about. On the other hand the bike worked wonders on the trail. The meaty tires gripped the loose dirt and made the bumpy ride tolerable. the riding position was just right to peddle and continue to flow through the bumps and turns as I stood. All of the components held on tight when the ride got rough. The trail is where I can brag about this bike.

The road bike, this bike also gets me to work and around town just great. Almost too great, it's so smooth and quiet. With the simple drivetrain and thin smooth tires. The bike gets me going at a good speed and I don't struggle staying at that speed. The high gear is a bit tough getting going, but right after that I can speed up quite fast. When sitting in the crouched position I can accelerate and keep a high cadence at a high speed with ease. I get to work sooner and don't tire myself as much.

Weekend Update from previous post.

So this past weekend I was supposed to have a really great photographic experience, I was excited by limiting my equipment and limiting myself with the single lens I chose. Prior to leaving on the trip I was told we were going to the beach on the morning on the day of the concert. That added to my excitement since I will have another location to photograph the band members. (Also I would have the chance to use my skimboard again!) We ran a bit late on the departure but we were still doing good on time since we left the day before. 10pm we finally get on the road down the 99 south towards Los Angeles.

The drive begins well, no obvious problems. Everyone is in a good mood, nothing can go wrong. We stop at a gas station about 20 miles north of Bakerfield to get more snack and goods. Here is where I finally got to see what this van looked like.

Old van, but it was still handling this trip like a champ so far. So after 20 minutes we decide to continue driving. We pass Bakersfield and finally get on the I-5. The Grapevine is now approaching. It struggles a bit, spinning the engine a bit high. This is with 7 passenger, weighing about 1,400lbs and a trailer carrying all of the bands equipment. Then the moment we were dreading hit us like a speeding train. The van loses power and it shuts off. AH! None of us could believe what had just happened. Still on the incline near Fort Tejon we pull over. Not knowing what is wrong, the van will not crank over whatsoever. We finally do get it to crank but it does not start. Everyone begins to slowly lose hope. "we're not gonna make it to the show". I have a bit of automotive knowledge and I suspect that we either ran out of fuel, or something in the ignition went out. Stranded on the I-5 isn't helping with the situation, since we have no tools nor extra fuel. After about an hour we finally gather money and find the cheapest tow to the closest gas station. This being at 2am.

We finally cough up $125 to pay for the tow that is less than 10 miles. We put some gas in and are now finally excited to get back on the road once more. Again, nothing. The van does not start, we think that the battery must be dead or too low to start. We ask everyone to see if they could do us the favor to give us a jump so we can charge up the battery a bit. The battery reaches the proper voltage, so says the volt meter in the dash. Still nothing happens. By this time it is already 4:30am and the sun is beginning to light up the sky in the east. We decide to get some rest and try and find some money for a shop to take a look at it later. The morning hours go by and the mechanic shop finally opens. They are very nice and tow us to the shop free of charge. Then about 30 minutes later during there tests, the van decides to start up. They didn't fix anything, it just so happened that the wonderful Dodge Ram Van decided to start. We paid the $85 for the hours labor and got on with the trip. Everyone just got in a good mood, even with having little to no sleep.

After about an hour of driving the van shuts it self off as we are driving. This really made everyone mad. We pull over, wait a bit and then try and start it. The great thing is that is did start, then we continue driving. the van the began to shut off about every 10 minutes. We decided to just give on the trip and go home, the freeway was too dangerous for us to keep pulling over every 10 minutes. After the last roadside stop we continued on the freeway for the closest exit.

We pulled into a Shell Gas station. Here we began to brainstorm on what we were going to do to get home. Here were the main points.
1. We didn't have tools.
2. We were all running low on cash.
3. The van as is would not make it back to the valley.
4. We wanted the easiest way home.

We thought of ditching the van somewhere in a neighborhood and having a friend come down to pick us up and just go home. We then figured that this may come back later to the owner. That idea was scratched out. Then the best idea was brought up. Sell the van! We would get rid of the pain in the ass this van has been and we'll get some cash. The only place that would buy this van is a junkyard. We called all of the nearby yards. We got lucky and found one that was open and only 15 minutes away. They offered $250, that was a bit low and they then agreed to give us $300. That sounded good, so we set off to the yard. On the way to the yard we dropped a friend off at a U-Haul which was also 10 minutes away.

We get to the tow yard, happy and sad about getting rid of the van. We had to wait for about 30 minutes for the U-Haul to get to the yard. The office lady would not hand the check over until we had the trailer off of the van. The time finally came, the van had been emptied and it was ready to continue its life in Sunny Valley's Pick your Part Junkyard. I'll admit, I was a bit sad on leaving this van. It had to happen and it did.

Overall this experience was a first for all of us that were there. It would have been great if we did make it to the show and had a good time at the beach and had some good shots of the band and the good times to show. Though this adventure was also fun in its own way. I don't regret going on the trip and I'm sure neither do the rest of the guys, including the band.

Weekend Skill Build

This weekend I have a semi-shoot at a concert competition. Its gonna be far from home, I have never shot an event like this. I am not very sure on what to expect the shooting conditions to be like. The weather, lighting, shooting area, and freedom. This for sure will be a different experience for me, and I think after shooting I will have gained some skill at this event.

My original plan was to take as much equipment I can take. Now after thinking about it, taking all of these things would be a big risk. I'm not going to be a preferred photographer. That is where the high risk is. Especially being at a venue where there are many many people. So I will only be taking the body the 50mm and my battery charger. I may take my laptop just in case I fill up my memory cards. Since I will be very limited with my equipment I think this will allow me to learn everything about this super fast lens. Hopefully i'll be more comfortable shooting at 1.4. I am a bit excited for this though. I will be seeing some people I haven't seen in a really long time. I do Hope to come back with some really nice shots to show no one that is subscribed, haha. I leave you here with a picture to glance at before you click out.

I shot this without planning, I was on a bike ride on one of the river trails and then I just happen to look at the sky and this is what I see. The actual image off the sensor was quite a bit different. The Sky was very saturated. I had to tone it down quite a bit, and it still is a bit much. I was surprised how sharp this came out, especially since I shot this at f/1.4.

My Cross Country Vacation

I went on a two week vacation two weeks ago. My main goal was to capture images that I would not be able to create near my home town. Since this was going to span over 2,000 miles. I was sure to capture some really good images. I hope. I'm gonna pick the top ten images that I think are worth sharing. All of these images have minor edits, only to correct color and other minor things.

This first image is of the boring desert in Texas, this state is the largest in the union and also the most boring state to drive through. This is actually the coolest view of the western part of Texas are hills like this. Other than that, there is nothing.

About an hour away or so from New Orleans, we drove through hurricane territory. There were all kinds of houses like this all throughout the coast, it was really wierd to see. The shoulder on these roads wasn't big enough to stop on so I just did my best to capture this as we drove by. I asked someone at the Gas station at the nearest town why these house were all built like this, they said that this prevent them from flooding when hurricane season is there. These are really nice houses and cool looking too. I asked myself why would they build house in such a dangerous spot. Know one knows the force mother nature can put out, especially in this specific area. I think land is super cheap here.


Also swamps are huge in the southern part of Louisiana. There is just acres upon acres of swamp everywhere. And has plenty of wildlife to go with it. I was told that there are more alligator in Louisiana than there is in the Everglades of Florida. So I did find an alligator. It was small but very scary looking.

I did it.

I have gone digital, been shooting film for about 4 years, and just last week I made the step-up to digital. I bought a Canon 50d. I know it is about to be replaced, but I think that I will be just fine with this. Plus it's not so much what the body is, its the glass that makes the images. With that in mind, I bought an EF 50mm f/1.4. This lens is something else, the DOF is just amazing! My original plan was to get the cheap 1.8, and after some research the 1.4 is really worth the extra $300 dollars. The focusing on this 1.4 is way better than the 1.8. That in itself it a huge plus. It has been about a week and I haven't actually taken this out for a real shoot, but I do have some shots that I was just messing around with.

This is a rag on the kitchen counter, shot at 1.4. This is how it came off the sensor, no edit at all. I'm not used to shooting with good lenses, especially at under 2.0. I'm really happy with this lens! Though I did have thoughts towards the EF 28mm f/1.8. Since I am using a crop sensor. Either way I'm happy!

I don't regret buying the lens and body. Now that I have a digital as my primary, I now can't be afraid of using good film with my film SLR. Its a win win now. I have a shoot soon, I'll return with an update on that later this week.

14mm

Just about two weeks ago, a buddy let me barrow his fisheye lens. I knew he had this lens for some time, but I never bothered to ask him if I'd be able to take some shots. Until now.

This shot here I took off of the Golden State near Fresno. A friend of mine bought the new 7d, so we were out shooting long exposures. Most well actually all the shot were taken with the 7d. This was the only shot taken with my SLR. This lens is actually really impressive. Its the Canon 14mm EF f/2.8. On the APS-C crop sensor the fisheye-ness isn't too extreme. On my full frame 35mm you can really put this 14mm to use.

This next image was the second picture I shot with this lens, and this is incredibly wide. I read the specs on this and it has a 183 degree view. This can only be seen with a full frame sensor or a 35mm film SLR.
I wish I had a comparison shot of the same scene with the 14mm to show the actual difference between APS-C sensor and the great full frame! I do have this image which was taken with the same lens on the 7d.

Here you see a real conservative fish eye shot. Not as exaggerated as the first two, but still gets real amazing shots. This last image was not processed at all just came straight off of the sensor. This really limits the capability of the lens, makes it seem like it's shot with my 28mm from film SLR. Not saying this lens is crap on these limited cameras, it just needs the 10mm to have the same effect. That also comes with a higher price.

All in all this lens performed much better than I had expected. It has a fast aperture and a decent AF. Soon I will buy this lens, but first there are other goodies I need to get.

Ciao!

Yo-seh-meh-tee (Yosemite)

Yosemite gets crazy amount of people each year, I think the number is in like the millions, I might be wrong, go ahead and correct me if I am. I am not exactly sure what makes this place so famous. It is a really nice looking valley/area compared to the rest of the Sierra Nevada. Nice enough that it makes it on scenery calenders with other locations throughout the world. I'll say some of those other locations are really beautiful. Seems like Yosemite doesn't compare, so I think. I know there is a reason for that. During my short visit, even in the rain, about half of the people there spoke a different language. Not just spanish or some asian language. But something much more foreign, a language that isn't normally heard around here in the central valley. Meaning that people traveled quite some distance to see these sights. Well one day i'll know the reason till then, here are some words and images I shot to show my short unexpected experience.

Its been so so long since I last went to Yosemite, and I finally went. It was unintentional actually. My mom and her husband had some friends from out of state come and visit for a week. They go camping somewhere every time. I don't mind camping but with family it isn't always the best. Any who, we go camping over near Bass Lake. We were out for three days and two nights. The beginning of the last day, I am just anxious to leave for home. We pack up and ship home... I thought. Instead of making the long awaited left turn onto hwy 41, we make a right. =/ A drive for what seems forever, about 40 windy miles up to yosemite. The closer and closer we got to it the cloudier and darker the sky got. As we gained elevation we were pretty much driving in the clouds. seeing all this actually cheered me up a bit. Since usually when you think of Yosemite its always sunny and clear, or snowy white and clear. Not today though. Everything looked super epic. Kinda like out of an old medieval movie. I then didn't really mind this detour.

Yosemite is like a drive through, it just makes this big circle around the park. Starting at the bottom and works its way up around and then back down to the exit. As you drive there are the famous lookout points. Those are the only areas we went to, the whole time it was raining and continually rained heavier and heavier throughout the afternoon.

In person, for some reason the clouds looked way way more "epic". In these images they do not do it its justice. Regardless I think these exposures came out fine. Now I wish we could have stayed longer to walk/explore better sights. Its ok though, yosemite is less than three hours away from my driveway. I can go there any day.

The Emerald City

I took this at the Pikes Place Market, but no way would you think this is there. When I look at it as is, I think of some pre WWII alley in Europe somewhere. I saw this on the super long up-hill walk to the extra expensive parking 5 blocks away. Only four people are showing, but it was actually really busy up at the main area of the market which is like just around the corner, kinda weird now that I think about it. This is one of the few images that stood out on the mini vacation I took.
I suppose I can put up a couple others for your enjoyment.

This is a pigeon, one of millions walking and flying and being annoying on the sidewalks. It gets me wondering why do these animals still exist? Who still uses carrier pigeons? If they aren't used. I would think there is no reason for them to continue roaming. No! I mean, annoying this planet. All they do is mooch off pedestrian trash and other trash. That is what I think of pigeons. Now the picture, this is how it was taken, all I did was subtract the color and add the filter. And I love it! : ) There is nothing I would change.

This is the skyline of New York City, if you believed me? I'm feel bad for you and I'm sorry for your gullibility or poor sense of famous landmarks. Any who, I'm not digging this photograph other than it's a cool feeling b&w picture and I got the opportunity to see this sight of such a badass city. You might be saying, "What don't you dig about this?" well my answer is, look at the upper right corner, then the lower left. Once you've seen both, look at the upper left and lower right. Now everything physical that you see between those four points. I don't dig. If you google Seattle Skyline, (<-click that, it's my help to you) then look at the images. What do you see? The same thing as this picture I took. Though, I can say that I have taken a picture of a major city skyline. You can also put a name/person behind this image, unlike other random google images.

This here is a pig, I heard it's quite known. Her name is Rachel, doesn't look like a Rachel to me or a female. So I'll refer to it as a pig. It is a bronze, life size piggy bank. I might have thrown in whatever change I had in my pocket. Hundreds and thousands of people visit the Pikes Place Market each year, so I wonder how much money that pig is given and how often it fills up. That pig would be the only baller pig I know,and it's fake. What's this world coming to, haha.

See ya.