Mark's Ramblings

Close call!

2009-05-10T19:06:00.001-07:00

storm 2
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

Here is a photo of just half of the root system above the ground. It was a huge tree about 150 years old and I will miss that tree!
-mark

Storm Damage

2009-05-10T19:03:00.001-07:00

storm 1
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

Saturday early in the hours of the night we had a strong storm move through. It has rained for the last two weeks and the ground is really saturated. I am glad the tree went into the pond and not on the house. As you can see it would have destroyed the house and I am not sure we would have survived the impact. Glad someone is watching out for us!
-mark

No post in a while!

2009-04-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

This is sad that I have not had any new posts in some time now! I was busy the beginning of this year getting images ready for my first photo show in May. It was a great success and had about 200 people show up for the show. I can't wait to do another show this year. I am trying to decide where to go photograph this year since I did not win the lottery this year to go to McNeil. I have to try each year to go, but not lucky this year. I had considered to go to Alaska this year, but have too much to do around the house to go this year. A storm did some damage to my fence that I spent most of last summer building, so I have been busy rebuilding that. I missed a lot of great waterfall pics while re-building the fence! I hope to do more postings as time permits.
-mark

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T20:13:00.000-08:00

A happy new year to you! A lot will be going on this year for me and I have a lot of photo projects to do. I will be doing my first nature show in March and maybe I will get some intrest to do more shows. This is a new thing for me, so I will see how it goes. I will be going on my first mission trip with the church this year and i am excited about that. I plan on doing lots of nature photography this year. Stay tuned...
-mark

Backyard Photo Project No.2

2008-10-01T19:19:00.001-07:00

backyard2
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

This is the second in my photo self assignment " My Backyard". This is Queen Ann's Lace just before going into full bloom. These buds are not that cool looking from a distance, but when you get up close they are really nice. They go from this pod to multi-flower that is not my favorite, but we have lots of it in Arkansas. Canon 1Ds, 100mm lens.
-mark

Backyard Photo Project

2008-09-30T18:44:00.001-07:00

Backyard1
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

Here is one of my first images from my "backyard" project. It is a self assignment project that will make me go out and look for things that make me think outside the box. I hope to post more later this week. Fall is just around the corner and I am ready to photograph the fall.

Location: my backyard
Camera: Canon 1DS
Lens: Canon 100mm macro
-mark

No posts for a while....

2008-07-31T18:15:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I have not had a journal entry since Jan 1! That is just not right! Well, lots has been going on and it has been a busy year so far. I have not had much creative time to blog, so maybe things will start to slow down a bit. I have been busy riding bikes this year as well as making some new ones (bicycles). I have converted a few old 10 speed bikes into some really nice single speed bikes. They are so much fun to ride around town. We have put on a few alleycat races and had a blast doing them. Hope to do some more in the fall. I'll post some more soon. I am on facebook now and I don't like it as much as blogging, but it is neat in it's own way.
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Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T16:00:00.001-08:00

It is a windy and cold day today for the first day of 2008! We got up early and went to Van Buren to photograph the downtown area for some image backgrounds Becky needed for an upcoming special. We found some cool images and braved the cold and wind to get them. Becky photographed while I played with the new pocket camcorder I got for Christmas. Not a lot of excitement for the day, but the family had fun!
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Working on Images today

2007-12-17T07:25:00.001-08:00

C6DV7888 McNeil
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

It is long over due that I start working on my images and do something with them. I hope to do a few shows next year as well as sell some stock images. It will take me weeks to prepare all my images, but it sure is fun to look at them all. Funny thing is they all have a story and I could never tell all the stories before you would get bored.
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Swirl of color

2007-11-14T19:31:00.001-08:00

swirl of color
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

While out photographing the other day, I could not help but notice these leaves swirling around in the eddies of the creek. I had some great light and took advantage of the fall colors.
-mark

Fall Sunset, Arkansas River

2007-10-23T19:06:00.001-07:00

Fall Sunset, Arkansas River
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

Today when I got off work the sky was very dark and looked like a potential for a good sunset. I called Becky and Talia to see if they wanted to go with me and they did. We got to the river and had a few minutes before the sunset. Yes, it was a good sunset! I love the fall!
-mark

KHS Single Speed conversion

2007-08-26T18:52:00.001-07:00

KHS Single Speed conversion
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

I decided to convert my old mountain bike over to a single speed bike. I like the simplicity of a single speed as well as the low maintenance. I took my bike to my local bike shop (Poppa Wheelie) and had Doug do the conversion. Doug had an a wheel he had re-dished and made special for a single speed conversion. I thought it was a great idea and had been wanting to do this for some time now. I have several other bikes, but thought this old commuter bike would make a great single speed bike.

Friday I picked up the bike as well as took my other commuter bike to get some new handlebars put on. While Doug worked on my KHS Urban Xtreme, I took the OLD KHS out for a ride around town. WOW! This feels so OLD SKOOL! I buzzed around town and seemed like I was riding my old BMX bike. This was so much fun! When I got back to the bike shop there was no doubt about my happiness with the conversion, I had a smile like a kid who had just got a new bike! Thanks Doug for all the work and I know I will have a blast on the bike.
-mark

Me at the Big Dam Bridge

2007-07-31T12:34:00.001-07:00

Me at the Big Dam Bridge
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

Sunday I went to ride the new 12 million dollar bicycle bridge in Little Rock. They call it the Big Dam Bridge and it is impressive. It rises 90 feet above the Arkansas River and is about 4400 feet long. There is about a 12.5 mile loop that winds along the river on both sides and ends up downtown Little Rock along the River Walk trail. A very nice ride and great for family rides. We saw lots of cyclists today as well as joggers and walkers. I'll post a few more images from the ride. We rode 20 miles today and most of it in the rain. Still, lots of fun!
-mark

A long over due post.

2007-07-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

My wife was getting on to me for not posting in a while and I am GUILTY as charged! I have been busy with work and keeping up with the lawn this year due to all the rain. I have been having to mow twice a week to keep up. I am enjoying the rain and the cool weather for sure. Not much of a chance for nature photography this month. I have been commuting to work on my bicycle as often as I can as well as my motorcycle. I have saved a lot of money on gas the past several months doing this. I will try to keep the blog updated more often.
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Tiger Lilly

2007-06-09T20:09:00.001-07:00

Side view
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

These are some of my favorite flowers and we have lots of the around the studio and our field. I love the deep orange colors of the flower. You have to enjoy them for a few days, because they don't last long. The ants love these.....they must be sweet!
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Different view

2007-06-09T20:00:00.001-07:00

Different view
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

Another trip to Pam's Grotto falls during high water. I have seen this water fall in all the seasons and it is one of my favorite in the area. I know I will have to visit it again this fall.

Colorado Trip Pics

2007-06-04T11:41:00.000-07:00

Many have wanted to see some of the pics from the trip and here is a link to the 78 or so images, more will be loaded as time permits.

Click here!

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james dunes

2007-05-30T21:24:00.001-07:00

james dunes
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

James my travel gnome makes a great hit at the sand dunes.

My bike at the Great Sand Dunes

2007-05-30T21:22:00.001-07:00

sand dunes
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

A quick drop off at the Great Sand Dunes National Park to take a pic of the bike at the edge of the dunes. This is a great place to spend the day.

Colorado scene

2007-05-30T21:19:00.001-07:00

Colorado scene
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

Another landscape from Colorado.

Some landscapes

2007-05-30T21:18:00.001-07:00

Hay rake
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

I did get around to do a few landscapes for Project 52 and will post them later, as I am working on the laptop and the screen is not the best. I love this are along Hwy 69 in Colorado.

James takes a rest too!

2007-05-29T18:47:00.000-07:00

James comes out of the saddle bag to enjoy the fresh Colorado air and views. What a great day!

Self portrait

2007-05-29T18:43:00.000-07:00

You just have to have at least one of those self portraits while you are on vacation. Taken just above the Black Canyon.

Aliens?

2007-05-29T18:36:00.000-07:00

I had to take this shot for my friend Anthony because I am sure he would wonder what or who would live up there. I saw a few UFO's in the area, but one of the government workers at the dam said that was normal. So I guess I believe, as Moulder would say.... It kinda reminds me of the Devils Tower in Wyoming that was used in the movie Close Encounters.

Max and I near the Black Canyon

2007-05-29T18:32:00.000-07:00

There is this lake near the Black Canyon that goes for miles and miles. I don't know how long it is, but it's the largest lake I have ever seen.

Another view along Independence Pass

2007-05-29T18:27:00.000-07:00

It's a windy and bumpy road on the way up. It was really cold today and I had on all my winter gear and was still a little chilled. Stopped off at Leadville and got some hot chocolate to warm me up before to ride up.

The road from the pull out.

2007-05-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

The road to Independence Pass as seen from high above one of the small pullouts along the way up. There are no guard rails up here, so be sure the parking break is on! Hey, motorcycles don't have them!

More snow at the pass

2007-05-29T18:18:00.000-07:00

James at Independence Pass, 12,095 feet and some snow. It was very cold at the top and lots of people were around taking snappys and playing in the snow. Wat a view from up here. We had planned on going to Aspen, but a snow storm turned us back down the mountain.

Bad weather today.

2007-05-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

We were planning on going up Independence Pass today if it was open, and it was. This is the view just a few hundred feet to the pass. About 4 ft of snow up here, but the roads were good. As we made it to the pass, it started snowing. The plan was to go to Aspen for lunch, but after taking a "safety minute" we decided that ICE and MOTORCYCLES did not mix. We will see aspen on another day.

No internet yesterday

2007-05-29T18:08:00.000-07:00

The Wi-Fi was out at the Best Western in Eagle, CO yesterday. We tried to find a hot spot and was not lucky. So we will play catch up tonight. Here is the link to the pics.
Flickr will be down at 8:00 pm pacific time today for two hours, so Images may not be available for a few hours.
-mark

Durango, CO to Gunnison, CO

2007-05-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

Sunday - Day 3, May 27 2007

Milage for the day - 260

It was in the 40's this morning when we checked out the weather chanel. We loaded up our gear and headed to get some free breakfast at the hotel lobby. Normal stuff, but it saved a lot of time looking for some place to eat. We dressed warm for the ride to Silverton, but we would later in the day start sheading some clothes at it warms up. The road to Silverton is nice and has some spectacular views. Once we made our way to Silverton, we found a place to get a soda and rest for a little bit. We ended up at the Brown Bear Cafe..I like the sound of that. There were about a dozen BMW riders there as well as other bikers. The place was busy and I bet the breakfast was good. Max was not hungry, so we just had a Coke and a smile.

The road out of Silverton has some of the most spectacular views of the Colorado mountains. Between Silverton and Ouray, the view is worth a million bucks. Maybe that's why the call it the million dollar highway. We did not stop at Ouray because we were in a hurry to get to Ridgeway to eat some lunch. After lunch at Subway, we were on the road to Telluride. The road and views were some of my favorite so far. Lots of fields of flowers, old buildings and mountain scenes around every curve. If I was on a photo trip, I could spend several days here. Once we got into Telluride, we saw lots of people out in the streets and the Mountain Film Festival was in full swing. Took a few pics and we were off to Ridgeway, and then to Gunnison. The road to Gunnison from Montrose is a lot faster than any of the other roads so far and not as scenic. We did follow Black Canyon Lake for a long time. We did not run into any rain today and that was a good thing. Getting tired, so I better go for now.
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Another tourist shot

2007-05-27T20:03:00.001-07:00

IMG_0368
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

That's about all I have been taking on this trip.

Lots of BMW's today

2007-05-27T20:02:00.001-07:00

IMG_0391
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

We meet 5 riders from Arkansas today! Small world! We saw more BMW's today than any day so far.

James, dowtown Telluride

2007-05-27T19:58:00.001-07:00

IMG_0403
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

Just traveling with my Gnomies.

Just above Ridgeway, CO

2007-05-27T19:56:00.001-07:00

IMG_0415
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

The bikes with scenic Colorado in the backdrop.

See today's images

2007-05-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

You can see the Colorado snapshots at this link.

2007-05-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

We get to the hotel today and as we get off the motorcycles to go check in at the hotel, we see the sign...CARS ONLY! D'oh! I don't think we will get a ticket.

My Bike just above Silverton

2007-05-27T19:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a shot of the bike just above Silverton, Colorado. Note==== NO Guard Rails!

max and james

2007-05-26T20:47:00.001-07:00

max and james
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

Max and James at the Alamosa Train display downtown. There is a geocache here also!

Max in Colorado

2007-05-26T20:43:00.001-07:00

max colorado
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

Check out the view on hwy 12.

James visits wolf creek pass

2007-05-26T20:41:00.001-07:00

James visits wolf creek pass
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

James the travel gnome gets to experience his first snow. He was was dressed for the weather and he said it was good to cool his feet down from a long day of traveling.

Wolf Creek Pass

2007-05-26T20:39:00.001-07:00

Wolf Creek Pass
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

Today we were at Wolf Creek Pass at 10,800 feet and there was lots of snow all around. This was a great ride and you can't beat the view.
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Colorado Motorcycle Trip 2007

2007-05-26T20:02:00.000-07:00

Raton, NM to Durango, CO

Saturday - Day 2, May 26 2007

Milage for the day - 330 miles

We started the day at the Raton Police station where we left the trailer and truck. We took about 30 minutes or so to unload the motorcycles and then we were on our way. The exit to Highway 12 was blocked off for construction, so we had to take a detour in Trinidad till we fond the way. Hwy 12 was a nice ride and we went through the Colorado country side with a majestic view of the mountains in the background. It was a very nice ride till we connected with the highway that leads to Durango.

The highlight of the day was going through wolf creek pass at 10,800 feet. There was snow on the ground and the view was so nice. Took some photos and headed down the back side of the pass to Durango. I was tired after the 300 miles and needed to recharge before going to downtown Durango. We went downtown and they were having a block party with a live band and the people were enjoying themselves. We hung around for a few minutes to listen to a few songs. Then we walked around downtown to check out the town. Back at the hotel we are blogging and watching the weather channel. Looks like rain tomorrow. Hope it goes away.

I'll post some more pics tonight.
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Ready to rest for the night.

2007-05-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

It's been a long day and I am ready to go to bed. I shuffled everything around to make room for some more gear. It will be cold in the morning and I will have to dress warm for the first part of the day. I was able to talk to Becky tonight and it was great to hear her voice on the phone. I miss my family already, but I am enjoying the trip with Max. We laughed so hard today I almost could not see to go down the road. Having a blast and can't wait to see Colorado tomorrow.
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Ducati at OK City BMW

2007-05-25T21:01:00.001-07:00

Ducati at OK City BMW
Originally uploaded by bmwrider

Nice Duck at the BMW dealer in OK city.

Link to Colorado pics

2007-05-25T20:56:00.000-07:00

This link should get you to my Colorado Trip folder to look at the snapshots from the trip.
Trip Photos
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James at the tower

2007-05-25T20:51:00.000-07:00

James is such a ham for the camera! He insisted on leaning like the tower for this shot. What a clown!
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Day 1 off to a good start

2007-05-25T20:31:00.000-07:00

The day started off at 4:30 am today as we loaded up and headed to Colorado. I filled up with gas near my home in Knoxville and paid $3.49 a gallon for fuel. We paid $3.22 and $3.36 later in the day. We found 5 geocaches along the way today and that was about all we had time for today. Our main objective was to get to Raton, NM in about 14 hours. The roads were very rough in Oklahoma and we had to stop once to tighten down the bikes. It's hard to believe how bad the roads are out here.

There is not much to look at on the road through OK and TX. We stopped at several rest stops that had geocaches and logged them and quickly hit the road again. Later on down the road we stopped to get gas and me saw a man carry his dog across the parking lot to go do his business. Then he picked the cattle dog back up and returned him to the truck. I said "The dog has you trained!" He responded that the dog makes him $150,000 a year and does tricks, rides horses, and other tricks at rodeos. He gave me a coloring book of the dog and horse, so I will have to check it out when I get home. He said he was much better than Skid Boot and I had told him I had seen Skid Boot in action several years ago. We wished each other luck and a safe trip and we were on our way.

Down the road in Texas we stopped at a leaning water tower that is along the famous old route 66. The tower was made to lean in hopes it would bring some tourist dollars to the town. We stopped for a photo opp with James the travel gnome as well as a kidnapped orange cup of a friend. We are having fun! Later we stop by one of the largest crosses I have ever seen. The large metal cross has lots of statues below it and it is a real nice area to stop and reflect.

I'll post some more later.
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Motorcycles loaded, ready to go.

2007-05-23T19:53:00.001-07:00

Motorcycles loaded, ready to go.
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

Here is the configuration of the bikes on the trailer. Looks like it will work out just fine. We had to turn the bikes around to make them fit, but I think it will work good.
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James the travel Gnome ready for the road trip.

2007-05-23T19:49:00.001-07:00

James the travel Gnome ready for the road trip.
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

Had to make a last minute trip to Wal-Mart tonight to pick up another bag for the trip. It seems that the photographer in me just can't go on a trip with ONE camera, so I had to get another bag. Space is very limited on the motorcycle and if I had some electric gear I would not need all the cold weather gear. But you can only spend so much money for a trip, so you can read about me freezing my butt off.
One more day and we will be on our way to see colorado. stay tuned for some cool images as well as some good stories.
-mark

2007-05-17T19:34:00.000-07:00

---I noticed today that Picasa picture posts were not working, so I deleted the broken link. I will try to post the image later. Sorry about that.

Here is the little poster I made to send out to friends as well as post at work. Max had sent me a link to some cool motorcycle pics and I placed them on the poster as well as put a pic of "James" my Travelocity travel gnome that will be joining us on our trip. Stay tuned for me posts leading up to the trip. I am posting from my laptop via Picasa2, which is a tool that will alow you to post images to yor blog from the software. This is just a test to see how it works.
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B&W colorized BMWrider.

2007-05-09T19:05:00.001-07:00

B&W colorized BMWrider.
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

As you can guess i was on the other end of the camera today and my lovely wife was taking photos of me today. She did several images of me and this is one of several I liked. Converted to B&W in Photoshop and brought back some of the colors of the jacket. I just need a cool hat to finish off the image!
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Equipment testing.

2007-05-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

Last night I was testing out some of my equipment that I am going to take along on the Colorado trip. After doing lots of photography trips to various places, I have learned to test things before a trip. My friend Kevin from New York always makes sure that we test things before we go. It is an essental concept to do, because the middle of no where is the last place you want to see if something will work. I make lists, he makes lists and then we compare and do this process till everything is right. Max and I have been doing this for this trip also by using Google's Gmail to do this. In Gmail you can set up documents you can share with other users and allow them to edit them. Everyone involved in the document gets to see the changes when they are made. You should try it!

I get my laptop out last night and start doing some prep work for the trip in Photoshop. I wanted to play with the actual size image from my new snapshot digital camera to see how I wanted to format them for the blog. Got my card reader out and placed the SD card in and it would not read. Strange I thought.....I tried it again and no luck. I gave it to Becky to try on her laptop and it did not read. Well crap, it worked the other day. I took it to my other two computers and it did not work. This had me a little worried and my brain began to click with ideas. I went and got another SD card that I use in my GPS and plugged it in and it worked! Plugged the other card from the camera and it did not work. I figured I would need to use the cord to transfer the images from the camera to the laptop. This mornning I took one of my other SD cards and took a picture and the card reader read the SD card. So the Sandisk card reader will not read the Sandisk SD card, but it will read the PNY SD card. I can't figure out why it does it, but I have a work-around to get the images of the card. Strange, but that's what happens when you play with geek toys!

Now it is time to go check out some other things on the list. I'll keep you posted.
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After the storm

2007-05-02T14:22:00.001-07:00

After the storm
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

Last Wednesday I was headed to town and got caught in a real down pour. I had to stop off the road and let the storm go by because the rain was so bad. I think it is the hardest I have ever seen it rain! After the storm passed, I continued to my destination which was Wal-Mart. From the parking lot I just had to take an image of the storm as it passed. I love having my point and shoot digital with me most of the time.
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Punchbowl falls

2007-04-30T19:55:00.001-07:00

Punchbowl falls
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

Just a quick photo to post from a trip the other day. What a waterfall! This is at a area known as Dry Creek, which does not stay dry. Don't really know why or how it got it's name....but it did! I will post some GPS cords when I get a chance.
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reviewing my lists.

2007-04-30T19:48:00.000-07:00

I have been looking over my lists to see if I need all the stuff I am taking. You must prepare for all kinds of weather and that does take up some space in the saddle bags. I am in the process of fitting the BMW R1100RS with a tank bag and am having some difficulty in making it work. I don't want to buy the $300 plus BMW tank bag, but I must say it does look good. I can't figure out why BMW charges so much for accessories, after all they did get a lot of money when we buy the motorcycle, right? We will see how it all works out.
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Ready for trip.

2007-04-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

I am in the final planning stages for my trip to Colorado at the end of May. This is a motorcycle trip with my friend Max. we both have BMW motorcycles and this will be a fun trip. We have been planning this trip for some time now. I will post some lists and other items that may be helpful for other motorcycle riders. The idea was to ride in Colorado for a week and we will trailer the motorcycles to Raton, NM and go from there. We will be posting from the road, so family and friends can join in on the fun.
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Something artistic.....

2007-03-10T13:22:00.001-08:00

Something artistic.....
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

Well, spring flowers are out and I am loving it. Love to get out and see what mother natures has in store for us. Take some time and go to the woods and enjoy some of Nature's Art.
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Tornado Rock up close.

2007-03-06T19:24:00.001-08:00

Tornado Rock up close.
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

Here is another cool spot in the Ozarks. This image was taken along the Pedestal Rocks area trail and I call it Tornado Rock. Very cool. Check out my Ozark Images Blog for more info.
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James, my travel Gnome at Spring lake.

2007-02-15T17:05:00.001-08:00

James, my travel Gnome at Spring lake.
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

I guess I am a real geek! I could not resist on starting a traveling Gnome section at Flickr. Guess you got to have some fun every once in a while! His name is James, named after the only world traveler I know and a good friend of mine James Strother. Maybe James might take "James" on a trip?
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Tea Table Rocks

2007-02-13T19:48:00.001-08:00

Tea Table Rocks
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

This is project 5 of the Project 52 photo project. This is Tea Table Rocks located along the Home Valley Bluffs located ear the town of nail. Check out my Ozark Images blog for more details on this unique area. It is really great to get out in the woods!
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Trip planning in progress!

2007-02-13T19:38:00.000-08:00

My fried Max and I are in te stages of planning a motorcycle trip to Colorado at the begining of summer. I have been to Colorado several times and think it will be a great motorcycle trip. Max will be riding his BMW R1200 GS and I will be on my BMW R1100 RS. The hardest thing to plan will be what to take. I'll be posting some of my planning thoughts as well as welcome comments from you experienced riders.
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Project 52 - 4 The Glory Hole

2007-02-03T18:57:00.001-08:00

The Glory Hole from the edge of the cave.
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

This is the fouth in my Project 52 series I am doing this year. I have been to this fall several times over the years, but not in the winter. It was neat to see the area in a different light as well as the ice. I'll post more pics of the falls, hope you enjoy.
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Circles

2007-02-02T11:06:00.001-08:00

Circles
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

The third in my Project 52 series. While out near the Arkansas River, these two rocks just barely exposed above the water caught my eye. It was the circles the waves were making that caught my eye. Orginal image is color, but I thought it would look good in sepia along with a special crop.
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Second photo for Project 52

2007-02-02T11:02:00.001-08:00

Pouroff Falls
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

Pouroff falls is the second of my Project 52 series of images for this year. I found this waterfall while out Geocaching and came back to it on this rainy day. The fog was getting heavy and the rain was coming down at a good click when I took this image from under my special tripod mounted umbrella. This falls was right at the side of a busy highway. Never know what you will find! With that in mind, you should get out more!
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Good to get out!

2007-01-29T18:08:00.000-08:00

I spent all day out in the woods photographing today. It was very cold out, but I was prepared for the weather. The first order of the day was to go to one of my favorite waterfalls. The rain over the past weeks has filled the creeks and the waterfalls are running good. I photographed several waterfalls and then I went to the Boxley valley to photograph the Trumpiter Swans. I should have some images uploaded later this week.
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Pam's Grotto Falls

2007-01-07T11:50:00.001-08:00

Pam's Grotto Falls
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

First image of the year for my "Project 52" I will be doing this year. For more info about the trip go to my Nature Blog and read all about it.
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Winter Solstice Sunrise at Buzzard Roost Arch

2006-12-22T18:33:00.000-08:00

Winter Solstice Sunrise at Buzzard Roost Arch
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

Up early today to catch the sunrise through the arch at Buzzard Roost. This only happens around Dec 21-23, and today was a great day to catch it. The morning started off with a 2 mile hike into the Buzzard Roost are under the dakness of the mornning. Clear sky and lots of stars were out as Tim Ernst and myself headed to this scenic spot. After a nice hike to the arch, we set up and within a few minutes we had our images and was on the way home. A great day!
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A day off.

2006-10-24T07:41:00.000-07:00

This working 6 days a week 12 hours a day is for the birds. At least I have a day off during the week to get some things done. Saw an old friend at McD's today that I used to work with who is now with the fire department. It was good to talk to him and tell him about all the crazy things at the plant. Some of the stuff is just crazy to people that don't work there. I am just love having a wireless hot spot to check the email and catch up on the blog while eating a bite. Of course it seems all my last posts are from here! D'oh!

Life goes on! It seems like life is in the fast lane and not enough people take the time to see what is around them. I know my daughter is growing up way to fast. Won't be long till a hug or a kiss from her dad will not be cool and we will just say hi and bye just like everyone else. She will always be my little girl no matter how big her pants get! It's a nice day out and I think I will go enjoy some time out side mowing and cleaning up around the house. Hope things slow down enough to do some more posts later. Have a great day!
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Yet another post from McD's

2006-10-10T06:12:00.000-07:00

It's sad that my last post was from Mc D's and I have not had much time to do much blogging. Today I meet Lynne at Mc D's and we are going to do some local geocaching around town. I have been working on my McNeil blog over the past few days and hope to have it finished in a few days. Lynne did the edit of my journal and it looks great! The only thing is that there is one day missing in the journal. It seems that I was abducted by aliens and there was no record in my journal for that day. I don't remember anything but the flashing lights around the tent......well maybe not? I will check and see what is up with the missing day.
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I Blog.....but nobody reads.

2006-09-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

I was looking at a t-shirt site the other day and found a funny shirt that said “Nobody reads my Blog!” and thought it was very funny. So I go home and tell my wife and daughter about the shirt and they did not laugh. I am still laughing when I tell them again and they tell me “That’s not funny!” The heck it is! I guess I am a little left of center. Wack! I guess it is like those Sonic commercials on TV, either you get it or you don’t. It does not take much to get a chuckle out of me. (I bet Becky reads my post!)

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Blogging from McDonalds

2006-07-07T07:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I took te laptop with me to breakfast today and decided to blog while here at the Russellvile McD's. Just got back from Alaska on a photo trip to the McNeil River. saw lots of bears and had a great time. I am having a hard time getting back into the grove of things. It is amazing what two weeks off will do to you! My laptop is several years old, but still works just fine for stuff like this.

I bougt me a new Targus backpack to carry my laptop around a bit more since there are so many wireless hotspots around town. I used to carry the laptop in a Targus laptop case, but it was too bulky and heavy. This back pack seems to be the solution for the time being. I am a bag nut, so if I see something better, I will get it. I hope to upload some Alaska pics to the blog soon.
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Eagle Landing

2006-06-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

Eagle Landing
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

Blogging here from Alaska. I just got back from the McNeil river and am posting a few images to the blog. This image of an eagle landing in Homer out on te Spit. Have a few more images to upload later.
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Barn Owl2

2006-06-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

Barn Owl2
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

Have not posted in a while and I have been busy getting ready for my Alaska trip. I was at the Hawk Center the other day and Lynne had a new bird that needed to be photographed. This is a female Barn Owl and what a nice bird. You can get more info about the Hawk Center or donte toa great cause at http://www.hawkcenter.org
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barred owl

2006-04-26T19:23:00.000-07:00

barred owl
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

A pic of one of the owls from the HAWK Center. This is an educational bird that was injured and still has some problems that would not allow it to survive in the wild. If you wouldlike to donate to a great cause visit the link http://www.hawkcneter.org
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Becky saw my post.

2006-04-26T18:49:00.000-07:00

I got an email and saw that my lovely wife had left a comment on my blog. Thanks babe! So I guess I better be careful about what I say or I might get into some trouble! Thanks for reading!
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Great Horned Owl #2

2006-04-20T19:12:00.000-07:00

Great Horned Owl #2
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

Here is a pic of a Great Horned Owl taken at my friend's home where she spends a great deal of time nursing them back to health. This is just one of the owls she has and uses for an educational bird. Will post more pics soon.
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Lottery winner!

2006-04-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

I was informed last month I am a lottery winner to go back to McNeil river to photograph the Alsakan Brown Bears. I have been there once, and many people have tried to win the lottery to be able to go to McNeil. They only let 140 people in a year and there are a lot of people that apply for a permit each year. Winners if they are Alaska residents will pay $150 to get the permit. Out of towners like myself have to pay $350 for the permit. A small price to pay for a great chance to photograph bears.

Now all the list making, planning, buying, etc. is taking place right now. Join me at my McNeil website for all the info:
http://ozarkimages.squarespace.com
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New top case in for BMW.

2006-03-03T23:45:00.000-08:00

I decided I needed a top case for the R1100RS to go along with the BMW system cases. This will be a nice addition for the motocycle which will allow me to carry a lot more stuff for my daily commute. I ordered it 3 days ago from Bob's BMW and it was delivered today! WOW! That was quick! The box was about 17 pounds and packed very well. I ordered a lock to go along with it because BMW does not include it in the price. It was easy to install and went right on without any problems. I think I am going to like this case.

I tested it out and my full face helmet fits inside the case. The guy at Bob's BMW said it would not fit, but I had hopes that it would. It was a close fit, but I was happy to see the lid close whih the helmet inside. This case will make my daily commute better because I can take my favorite bag with me. I carry a Timbuk2 medium sized messenger bag to carry all the crap I tke to work every day. What's in it? I should take a pic and post it on flickr. Let's see here car keys, knife, ink pens, video iPOD, card reader, D-ring, flash light, sun glasses, reading glasses, cell phone, 2 USB flash drives, wallet, mints, gum, duct tape wallet, beenie, book to read, loose change, key ring of tabs from energy drinks, and my lunch. That's a buch of crap and there is still room for more. I love those bags!
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New HD for the studio.

2006-03-01T11:33:00.000-08:00

After all the hard drive crashes over the past week we decided to get another disk for a back-up drive. I bought a 500 gig Lacie Big Disk USB drive to use as general data storage as well as for back-up data. Who would have thought I needed a half a Tera Byte drive, but it turns out I do. As a mater of fact, with the other drives on the system it brings the storage on the computer to almost a Tera Byte. Media storage is a good thing in the days of geek technology.

I have pulled all my hair out trying to setup my crazy server. I guess I am not getting it! I will have to call one of my IT geek friends to help me get this thing up and going. I want to set up a FTP server for the studio with this and maybe I can make it happen. More research to do on this subject.

I am really loving my new video iPOD! This thing is so cool and with 30 gigs of storage I am sure I will not be short on any type of entertainment. I can watch videos, movies, view my favorite photos, and not to mention the gobs of music I can stuff on the thing. The new iPOD is much smaller than last years model and has much better battery usage. I get about 14 hours on run time on it so far. I would only get about 10 hours on the old iPOD, so I am loving it!
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Katmai National Park

2006-02-27T13:36:00.000-08:00

Katmai National Park
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

Just thought I would post this pic to the blog. This is my wife's favorite image and it makes her smile when she sees it. So if she reads my blog today, she will get a smile.
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Another HD crash!

2006-02-23T09:13:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess I should have known it was time to get another hard drive when the last one crashed. It ran about a week and had the same problem again. I think the drive had a problem and I will replace it and start over again. I have enjoyed my new iPOD and I am glad I updated to the new one. Of course my daughter is glad also that I upgraded, because she got my old one for $100. Now that's a sweet deal! I have been trying to get my server up and going without much success. I have a server that was given to me and it runs on Server 2000 and I have the disks, but have no admin password to get back in the system. So it looks like I will be formatting and loading Windows server to get the thing up and going again. It's an old system, but it will work just fine for what I want to use it for. That's about it for now.

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Recovering from multiple HD failures.

2006-02-18T09:48:00.000-08:00

Well, as I have said before there are two types of computer users...those tht have had hard drive failures..and those that will. After 6 years of one of my computers running non stop, Windows got stupid and could not find it's self. The day before the crash i had copied all my photos to another drive on another computer and the very next day the HD crashed. It' s all up and running again, but the computer that Becky uses at the studio decided to do the same thing. That was not as easy of a fix. after about 8 hours of placing programs back on and loading pre-sets we werre back up and running. Got to get some serious hard drive back up of some sort.
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New iPOD

2006-01-31T13:01:00.000-08:00

Well I broke down and got the new iPOD video the other day. It's only been a year since I had my original iPOD, but it was too tempting to get one. My daughter wanted to buy a Nano, and I asked her what she really wanted, and she said "I really want one like your." So, I decided to sell mine to her and take my Christmas money and get one. I have not loaded any video's on it yet, but it's on the list to do. This is my first day to use it and it jams just like my previous one. One thing I like is that it's a little smaller as well as lighter than the previous model. The bigger color screen is really nice. So far I am enjoying it!

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The name says it all!

2006-01-07T17:52:00.000-08:00

blaze1
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

I was out Geocaching Friday with PigNewton and we went to a cache that is near a salvage area for a local wrecker service when we spot this. Poor owner, I guess the tag says it all.

This is at the cache "Think about it", the way point is GCRHHF if you want to check it out. It is a puzzle cache and it took a few days to solve the puzzle.

Talia and I on Tater Hill

2006-01-01T21:23:00.000-08:00

Talia and I
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

My daughter and I on Tater Hill. A great day for a hike.

Me on Tater Hill

2006-01-01T21:21:00.000-08:00

Me on Tater Hill
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

A shot from the Tater Hill hike today on New Years Day. Lots of fun today!

Happy New Year!

2006-01-01T20:34:00.000-08:00

Well it was a great day today for a hike. Becky wanted to hike up Tater Hill located near her gradma's home. Becky had said when she was about 5 years old they hiked up Tater Hill on a New Years Day. So we decided to do that today. Talia had a friend with her today and we all decided to take the hike to the famous "Tater Hill". Most towns have small mountains near them called "Tator Hill". The map makers ran out of names and just started calling them Tator Hill.

We arrived at the foot of the hill and gathered our packs and proceded to climb the mountain. Having my GPS with me I took note of the elevation. We started at about 540 foot elevation and would end up at about 870 feet. We took off across the field and headed up the mountain. Saw lots of deer tracks along the way. As we entered the forest there was heavy leaf cover on the ground. We were slipping and sliding like it was ice or snow. This will be intresting on the way back down. Doc followed Becky up the mountain, while the girls were up ahead of her and I lead the way up the hill. After about 20 min we were on top of Tater Hill. Nice view of the farm land below and Annies Chappel. Upon top we rested and took some photos of our big adventure. The hardest thing was getting Doc up on the rock.

Going back down I slipped right away and hit the ground hard. It looks like only one way down was on our butts! We started sliding down the mountain and it was like sliding in the snow. The girls were screaming like it was an amusement ride. At the bottom of the mountain we all had dirty pants. What a fun day.
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Cool old barn.

2005-12-26T20:17:00.000-08:00

barn
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

While out Geocaching the other day, the light caught my eye and I snapped the image with my little point and shoot camera. It was getting ready to rain and I just love the dark sky in the background when the sun pokes out and lights up the foreground.

Geocache fun!

2005-08-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

Well I finally got around to placing my first geocaches out. PigNewton and I headed out to the new "GeoPark , Cabin Creek Recreation Area" to place our caches. It took a lot longer than I thought. After finding the right spot, then we had to measure several sets of coordinates to make sure the readings were right on for the other geocachers. Of course we had to pick the hottest day of the year to do it.

After a hard days work we placed about 9 caches out. Two of them were too close to the other caches we had hid, so we came back on Sunday to fix our little mistake. Geocaches can't be any closer than .1 miles form each other. Oh, well you learn! It was a lot of fun putting out the new caches for everyone to find. You have to check out the one I put out called "You've Got Mail", it is real cool.

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Yankee Boy

2005-08-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

Yankee Boy
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

Another great wildflower shot from Yankee Boy Basin in Ouray, Colorado. It was a great day for flowers with very little wind and lots of compact flash cards to burn!
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flowers3

2005-08-16T19:27:00.000-07:00

flowers3
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

Some more wonderful wildflowers from Ouray, Colorado. What a great experience seeing this many wildflowers in the summer. You need to visit this place.
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wildflowers

2005-08-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

wildflowers
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

Ok, I only have a few images processed for your viewing enjoyment. More to come. This image is from Black Bear Road near Ouray, Colorado.
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me at Yankee Boy basin

2005-07-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

me
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

The flowers are great here and so many different ones.

yankeeboy

2005-07-21T20:27:00.001-07:00

yankeeboy
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

The girls posing in the rain.

Talia at yankee boy.

2005-07-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

yankeeboy2
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

Talia at Yankee Boy Basin in Ouray, Colorado just after a summer rain storm.

The rest of the story

2005-07-21T20:15:00.000-07:00

All the jeeps were rented out in Ouray! Se we signed up on a 4 wheel drive tour to Yankee Boy Basin. The first part of the day was not as planned, but I have high hopes this will be better. Colorado West Jeep Tours picked us up at the hotel and we were off for the tour. Warren was our driver and he had a great attitude and sense of humor.

As we headed up the mountain the colors started to come out. The flowers were quite spectacular! Wow! The colors were very nice indeed. As we passed old mines and mine towns you got a sense of what it was like for those early miners trying to find their fortune. The rain started to come down and we put on our rain coats and continued up the mountain. The rain stopped after about 30 minutes, and the colors were so vibrant and rich. I love being in the mountains after a rain. We took a few more photos and it was time to head back to town. I will be back up there all day tomorrow with the other photographers from Arkansas. I’ll post some pics later.

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Roundhouse

2005-07-21T10:43:00.000-07:00

Roundhouse
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

A cool round house we found in Trinidad, Co.

nightime

2005-07-21T10:40:00.000-07:00

nightime
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

Talia downtown Ouray at night.

I'll save you!

2005-07-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

I'll save you!
Originally uploaded by bmwrider.

Giving Becky a helping hand.