Loving Home, Missing Chile.

After 8 airports and 68 hours of travel, I've made it from Southern Chile to Minneapolis once again.  Weather and the nightmare that is US Customs caused Stephen Regenold and I to miss a few plane rides and before we knew it, we'd been breathing airport air, losing track of what day it was and generally falling into a travel-induced depression because of the nearly 3 days of airtravel. 

But, with our chill, Patagonian attitudes, we weathered it pretty well.  Now that I'm home its a whirlwind of client emails and calls and endless photo editing, but at least I am in my own home, petting my dog, eating dinner with my family and helping the kids with homework.  Normal life is awesome sometimes.

In the days and weeks to come I will be posting more images of my Chilean travels.  Once again, I've left Chile and Patagonia with a sad heart.  The place is amazing and the people very special.  If I can't be home, I want to be there.  Thanks again for a great 2.5 weeks, Chile!

My last day in Chile.

Team GearJunkie, speeding toward the finish to grab 2nd place in the 2011 WPER.

The 2011 Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race is over.  Everyone is back in street clothes after living in Gore-Tex, wool, Polartec, and the like, for over a week.  Press, volunteers, and racers all had grand adventures, far from cell phones, schedules and the normal concerns of the world.  It was great.

Being here chasing the race, shooting and reporting has been so rad again this year.  If a more awesome places exists than Patagonia, then I can't wait to see it.  I love it here.  I'll be posting images throughout the next week or so to give you all a sense of the place.  If you are seeking a trip full of gorgeous scenery, gracious locals and as much fresh air as you can stand, then I suggest you begin plans for a trip to Chilean Patagonia straight away.  You won't be sorry.

I'm looking forward to being home soon though, as I miss my family and friends.  If you fall into one of those two categories, let's get together soon, eh?! 

Patagonian Race updates

Go here : GearJunkie.com for the latest race info from Patagonia.  Tomorrow we head into the wilderness and the following morning the race begins.  My coverage will become more choppy, but WAY more interesting too!

Excited for this!  Stay tuned everyone.

Back to Patagonia

A year ago I referred to my trip to Patagonia as a "once in a lifetime trip", but as it turns out, I'm heading back.  I'll once again be the media/journalist/photographer guy for GearJunkie.com while the team races in the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race.  The GJ team is looking really strong this year and is aiming for a win --or at lease podium.

You can follow race updates on the GearJunkie Race Channel.  I'll also be tweeting as I can (even by satelite this year!) if you'd like to follow that way.

Thanks to all of you who have sent me well-wishes for travel and coverage.  I'll do my best to get there safe, give the best race reports I can muster and get back to my family in one piece.  So long!

Andy Thieman: the ride of his life

Yesterday I had the honor of hanging out with Andy Thieman and shootings some portraits of him on his bicycle.  That ole' "two-wheeled-freedom-machine" is pretty near and dear to Andy.  He's using his bicycle to battle testicular cancer and the affects that his chemo will soon begin to have on his body.  

Andy spun on his trainer till he was a sweaty, drippy mess.  Then I told him to take it up to 80% effort and hold it for me.  I needed to see pain on his face--it worked.  Poor guy held it there for about 4 minutes while I fiddled with lighting and settings. 

Andy is strong in both body and mind.  He bluntly declared, "I'm not going to die from this--no way".  I love that fighter attitude and cannot wait to see the day he pumps his fist in victory.  Keep an eye on my Twitter feed for updates from Andy and you can follow his blog here:  BloodSweatChemo

There will also be an interview coming shortly on GearJunkie.  

When in Utah...

Sally from Skiing Magazine taking full advantage of the 10" of fresh Utah powder.

This last week I attended OR (outdoor retailers) Winter Tradeshow as a press member for GearJunkie.com.  We scoped the latest/greatest from all the outdoor industry companies.  The first day was a "demo day" where we could test out new skis, boards, snowshoes, etc...  I mostly spent the day boarding the 10" of fresh powder that had fallen overnight in the Wasatch Mnt. Range just outside Salt Lake City, UT.

Our backcountry guide (forgot his name) took good care of us.

We had the honor of attending a press tour of an untracked bowl of powder outside the ski resort boundary.  but first we had to "skin" up to the bowl from the valley.  After a sweaty climb we were treated to some amazingly fluffy, untracked powder!  It was DEVINE!  It was without a doubt the best snowboarding experience of my life--even though it was over in less than a minute.  Split-boards allow we boarders to see the backcountry under our own power now. I heart powder.

More Show stuff to come, but I had to share these images first.  Thank you Utah for showing me a good time --I'll be back!

Hero Material

I've never been one to make heros of men, but this guy comes close.  Kevin Connelly was born without legs and--as it should be--went right on living and challenging and conquering.  I love this guy's story and respect him as a fellow photographer.  I hope to meet him one day.  I bet he skates better than me.

Photo Credit: "Double Take" by Kelly Gorham.

Check out his intriguing photo project and book: http://www.therollingexhibition.com/

Mustaches For Kids Wrap-Up

How did we get anyone to donate with faces llke this?!

December 23rd marked the last day of our Mustaches For Kids Charity drive and my group decided to go out in style and throw a "Mustach Bash". 

Ninjas with mustaches?

It was held in the "Manctuary" -- a ridiculously awesome garage space owned by a gent named Josh.  In addition to bikes, motorcycles and tools everywhere, there was a collection of deer skulls/antlers from deer that had locked horns and died during the rut--amazing!  There was a pool table, projector screen with Wii RockBand playing, and a throwing-star competition. 

Matt swings a mean hammer.

And I'm not sure what it is called, but some guys were having a nail-driving contest with a large log and a framing hammer.  If you could not find something you loved about this location, your manliness was in question.  

This guy was an actual carpenter and had real skills--but no mustache?

I'd like to thank all of you that donated to the cause.  Last I heard we had raised over $3600. for Urban Boat Builders to continue their service to the at-risk youth of Minneapolis and S. Paul!  Not bad for a bunch of goofy-looking dudes with half-grown mustaches. 

Pike, "First Ice", Camping & Good 'Ole Boys.

Ben, baiting a "tip-up". / A nice sized Pike hauled in by Tony.

A few weeks ago I spent 4 nights in the wilds of North Central Wisconsin.  My friend Ben had invited me on an ice-fishing trip to catch Northern Pike at his family cabin.  I was told it would be an event "not to miss". 

In addition to learning some ice-fishing technique, I was also taking advantage of the woodsy setting to test some gear for GearJunkie.com.  For instance, when everyone decided it was time for bed, they crawled into bunks and slept in a fire-warmed cabin while I cozied up on my camping mattress inside a -20 degree sleeping bag.  They thought I'd lost my mind, but it was actually a great night's sleep on a beautiful little island surrounded by ice.

"Philly", staying warm.  /  Staring down the barrel of a Northern Pike.

Out on the ice we hauled in anywhere from 10-20 fish a day for 4 days.  The island served for our gathering place during the daylight hours.  A fire was kept going all day for warming and cooking duties.  Between bites we killed time by throwing knives, whittling sticks, poking fun of each other and many other guy-like things. 

There was rib-jabbing for the guy who caught the smaller one. / The "Fish Boil"--sounded gross, tasted great!

It was fun to hang out with a bunch of Wisconsin natives--most wearing at least one Carhart item and some sort of fur-lined hat.  It was good to eat wild game and fish in the middle of nowhere.  The whole thing felt right and I'd now also describe "First Ice" (as they call it) an event "not to miss". 

Thursday 's Challenge

I was feeling unusually relaxed a few days ago and pondering how I seldom take photos just for the sake of making good images.  Most often I only get the cameras out when I have an assignment or when I want to record and event.

So, I decided to challenge myself by finding things within 10 feet of my breakfast spot that I could make into good images. It's sort of a challenge I'd give myself back when I was a photo student. 

Right in front of me I noticed my spread-out cloth napkin and coffee mug looked nice.

Then I noticed a bowl of garlic on a nearby counter.

Lastly, I noticed knives on a magnetic rack --this one is my favorite.