GearJunkie.com and I

To most of you who know me, this is old news.  But, I never officially mentioned it on my blog, so I thought I might as well do that now. 

In addition to being a professional photographer, I am also a "contributing writer" for www.GearJunkie.com.  GJ is essentially an online magazine that covers the adventurous side of outdoor recreation.  We review gear, take trips to remote locales, participate in races and generally document happenings in the outdoor industry. 

Founder and editor, Stephen Regenold is a longtime adventure partner of mine.  I remember the first time we went climbing together and he sent me up the scariest, most run-out offwidth climb I've ever completed.  Having done it before, I think he was content to allow me the struggle.  Thanks, Stephen.

I officially came on board last winter when I covered the Wenger Patagonian Expedtion Race in South America (Chile).  It was an amazing experience, so when they asked me to join the crew, I figured I could always use more adventure in my life.  Since then I've been up mountains, in rivers, across snowfields and glaciers, pedaled in the desert, completed all-day races and more.  

The people behind the site are a bunch of solid guys.  I am proud to be on board and happy to have gotten to meet so many great people in the industry and shared adventure with a lot of them.

If you're bored with your current state, consider inserting some adventure into your life and keep and eye on the GJ page for plenty of ideas and equipment to assist your journey.

Crazy Fall

Summer is really hard for me to let go of.  I love t-shirts (or no t-shirt) and shorts weather so much.  I love the beach, I love the smell of sunblock.  And most of all, I love hot summer nights with the windows open.  But alas, Fall is here and I gotta say that we are having an amazing fall here in Minneapolis.  So, while I generally take on a sour mood this time of year, knowing that winter is coming, I now remain upbeat.  Besides, we started firing up the backyard firepit at night --something we could not do all summer.

Work has been ridiculously busy, but in a good way.  A way that though I've missed sleep and worked some weekends, I have to admit that I am blessed to be in this position.  Big thanks to all you clients who are kicking me work.  I love it.  Keep it coming.

Last month I attended Interbike in Las Vegas and got to see the latest greatest bicycling items for 2011.  I also got to ride with "Legends" of the Mtn biking world, courtesy of Mtn Bike Magazine.  Thanks again, guys!  I'd never ridden the rocky Nevada singletrack, so that was a real treat.  And following my old hero's around it was doubly awesome!  Click here to watch a few short clips I capture with the helmet-cam.

Legends Ride

I also posted a short article on GearJunkie.com

GJ Article

Two weekends ago my pal Robbie from Michigan came over to race the Holtzinger Hotlap with me.  It was a 9 mile offroad timetrial that included over 1,000 feet of climbing.  It was a tail kicker, but had incredibly fun terrain. Big thanks to the 29nSNGL crew for hosting this summers funnest race.  It was Robbie's 1st race and he did great.  I flatted about 7 minutes from the finish and had to jog it in.  Bummer.  Still had a total blast.  I love going fast on my mtn bike! Fast being a relative term...

Robbie Charging the course!  Photo courtesy of:  Mike Hon

Me getting miniature air and giving inappropriate gestures - pardon, not intentional...  Photo Courtesy of: Sam Elder

When work settles down a bit I'll post more images of what I've been up to.  Till then, keep it classy and enjoy this fall wherever you are.

The Reckless Ones

Minneapolis' favorite rockabilly band asked me to shoot their new album cover this summer.  The trio has been busy touring the WORLD this year, not just the US.  For three young guys, they have a lot of drive and just as much talent.

We found this abandoned theater in town and set-up some lights, generators, etc...  Made a little bit of a scene, but we got some good stuff.  Always love working with theses guys - a stand up bunch o' gents.

Check their site for show dates:  Reckless Ones

Mount Rainier Slide Show on GearJunkie.com

Back in June I had the great oppurtunity to climb and summit Mount Rainier.  In the good hands on International Mountain Guides, we enjoyed a beautiful ascent of Washington State's premier climb--sponsored by JanSport.  Though I was sent as a journalist, I can never leave my cameras at home, so we put together a slideshow of the trip on GearJunkie.com (where I am a contributing writer).

To see it, go here:  Rainier Slideshow on GJ

(While you're there, have a look around the site.  We cover quite a range of fun, outdoor gear and adventures.)

Bicycling Magazine : Biketown USA

I got a call a few weeks ago from Bicycling Magazine to photograph an event they were holding here in town.  If you read the magazine, you might already be aware of the Biketown project that they do.  In short the Biketwon project aims to put bikes in the hands of people who will use them to positively change their lives.  To enter the giveaway, particiapants only needed to write a short essay answering the following question: " How could a new bike change your life?".

30 winners were chosen here and they all left on new Jamis bicycles.  Jamis donates the bikes, and MetLife contributes financially as well.  This is the 9th year of Biketown and nearly 3,000 bkes have been given away across the nation.  Pretty cool. 

I'm not sure of everyone's story about why they needed or wanted a bike, but I got a sense that a handful of these winners were really going to benefit largely from this.  I like being a part of stuff like that.  I tip a hat to Bicycling, Jamis and MetLife--I've always recalled hearing :"to whom much is given, much is required".  Makes sense.

Jansport's OR booth

At this year's OR (outdoor retailers) Tradeshow, some of my images were displayed large and glossy on the side of JanSport's display booth.  To my knowledge, my images have never been displayed larger.  Wish I could have seen it in person, but it did not work out for me to go this year. 

Earlier this summer when I climbed Mount Rainier with the JanSport crew, I shot a lot of images and they decided to use them for the booth.  I'm honored to have been linked with such a cool company.  I've got nothing but good things to say about the people I've met from JanSport. 

New Belgium Brewery Urban Assault Ride

My Race partner, Jack, rollin' into downtown Minneapolis.

A few weeks ago I participated in the Urban Assault with my 9yr old son, Jack.  It is basically a bicycle powered scavenger hunt.  Clues and checkpoints lead you all across the city.  At checkpoints, we had to complete (often silly) challenges.  One was a trip down a water slide - timely, as we were about 40 minutes into the race and beginning to get a little hot.  One challenge was skateboard bowling.  I sat on a board, Jack pushed me towards a set of pins.  We got a strike!

Riders, trying to complete a carpet puzzle - frustrated...

Over the course of 3 hours, I think we covered about 16 miles.  It was hot and my partner was determined, but still began to fade towards the end.  One last checkpoint was left, but was a LONG ride away, so we decided to pack it in and head to the finish. Once there, we had to complete a racecourse on a tricked-out "bigwheel" (Jack's favorite part), then run and dive down a huge, inflatable slip-n-slide to the finish line.

Bigwheels=Big fun!

Rad slip-n-slide finish line.

Later in the afternoon, Jack cleaned up in the mini-bike limbo contest.  He won a messenger bag large enough to hold his kid brother!  Dance-off's and other crazed contests entertained us for several more hours. 

Jack, dominating in bike limbo.

Kids, look away.  Bearded-man dance-off.

Don't miss this ride if it comes near your town.  And pick a fun partner.  Though it's billed as a "ride", its a race, so bring your competitive spirit too.  Thanks for such a fun event, New Belgium!

Minnecycle 2010

My wife and I attended the Minnecycle Custom bicycle show this weekend in Minneapolis.  It's a collection of custom builders who hang/display their bikes and frames gallery-style for we bike dorks to come and ogle.  It was a good time of seeing friends and meeting builders.  Have a look at some of the bikes--all were items of desire. 

Left: Cyclocross by Capricorn                  Right: Crazy, split dropout by Speedhound

Both:  Capricorn rigid 29'er-- drool...

Left:Track bike by Dominguez--Favorite.   Right: Mtn. Tandem by Bob Brown--TOUGH!

Left: Mr. Chris Kvale                               Right:  Another Dominguez

Left: Peakcock Groove 29'er                    Right: Wyganowski- pursuit bike (?)

Mtn Bike racing in Michigan's Upper Peninsula

A few weekends ago I made the long trek to the "U.P." for some racing.  My father-in-law and I first raced the "12 Hours of Potluck" together in 2007 and decided it was time to do it again.  Four years ago, this was my first ever mountain bike race.  Back then, I was a late addition, a replacement for someone dropping out.  At the time I thought I was in good shape, but I got schooled by the climb.  I also raced on the oldest, junkiest, single-speed bike in the whole race.  This year I was ready to improve on my previous performance.

The course, a roughly 6 mile loop through typical UP forest, is just great.  It's got flat railroad-grade, rock gardens, mud holes, sandy descents and my nemesis-- a mile long climb.  In typical single-speed fashion, I used the hill to catch and make time on the other teams.  With no way to "gear-down", I settle into a cadence and grind that hill.  But what goes up must come down and the descent is fast, rooty and super awesome. 

Beginning at 10am on Saturday morning, the race goes till 10pm the same night.  If you do the race as a relay team like we did, then you race your lap as fast as you can then tag the next guy so he/she can do the same.  While your teammates race, you sit down, eat, drink and wait for your turn again. 

Jim, 59 yrs old - still hammering through the woods. - Photo by Robbie Morford

My team consisted of my father-in-law Jim, his pals Dave and Jim A. and myself.  We represented the oldest cumulative aged team, but we didn't race like it.  My whole team fired around the course as fast as they could each turn and held really consistent lap times for the whole 12 hours.  We did not win, or really even come close, but I'm happy to say that we didn't lose either. 

Me, hurting and happy. -Photo (L) Jim Ferris, (R) Robbie Morford

And the "potluck" part?  A good number of racers contribute to a table full of random dishes of food.  So, post-race the place becomes a potluck party.  My favorite dish: Nepali Chicken, wrapped in a flour tortilla.  Holy-moley, that was good eatin'!

It was a great day of racing, and one of the highlights of my summer.  I'm already thinking ahead to next year and trying to improve my fastest laps again.