High Mount Cam

I know it looks like I've been busy with this flurry of posts but all this stuff has been in the works for a month or so now.

A few months ago, I saw a video with an "anti-gravity follow cam" that made me just drool.  I wanted to emulate that shot!  After I used the monopod on the rear, I started thinking about other uses and remembered that video.  I don't want anything mounted to me like he did, but with the monopod mounted to the bike maybe I could get what I wanted.

Micro Cameras OnBoard!

Finally got a chance to test the shock mounts on board the bike.  Unfortunately I wasn't so careful about aiming the cams but I really was more interested in how the shock mounts performed than perfect framing.  It took me all day to get this darned video loaded.

Waiting on the rain

It's supposed to rain today.  The sky has been filled with clouds since I woke up.  The air is humid enough where one hopes and prays for rain.  We NEED rain.  So I'm waiting on it.  But while I'm waiting, I've been playing with some mini dv camera mounting solutions!  I've been following the Techmoan blog since shortly after I got my first D005 cam.  He really likes the keychain cam and I really like the d001/md80 and d005.  So I took his idea and adapted it for my cams.

Trip Report: FZ1OA Rally, Day 4

12 Jun 2011:  Going Home
Approximately 185 Miles

I woke up to gray skies!  The night before when eflyguy said he was leaving at the buttcrack of dawn, I told him good trip and I'd let him know when I got home safely via text.  I did not want to leave at the buttcrack of dawn.  In fact, I wasn't ready to leave at all.  With such good company and great roads, I wasn't ready to go home.


I tried not to think about all the plans I'd made for the past weeks that culminated with the FZ1 Rally because it didn't come to fruition.  I spent two months servicing my bike and modifying my gear with an eye on riding to Washington to see my best friend then maybe going on to Alaska to see what I could see.  TheMomma and I had talked it over and she was prepared to live without me for six weeks but not the 3 or 4 months I wanted.  Then around Christmas, TheMomma got sick and hasn't really been the same since.  For a while, it looked like she was getting better but then it got worse.  We still don't know what's wrong but suspect it has something to do with her meds.  I love my momma but I wasn't ready to go home just yet.  I wanted to ride the Dragon unencumbered and wearing my boots to make up for the squidly ride on Friday.  The gray skies made me reconsider.

Trip Report: FZ1OA Rally, Day 3

11 Jun 2010:  Little River Road...Again!

Approximately 263 miles


Last night at the gathering, eflyguy made a plan for us to ride from the end of the BRP over to 107 and then 281 before meeting the others for lunch in Franklin.  In order to do that, we needed to leave a couple of hours before everyone else and no one seemed inclined to join us that early.  Must have been the copious amounts of beer and fun we were having around that fire.  So efly said I should be at his cabin no later than 7:30 (adjusted for CP time).

Trip Report: FZ1OA Rally, Day 2

10 Jun 2011:  The Dragon and The Road to Nowhere
Min of 137 miles

HWY 28 in front of campground

I woke up early but I didn't know what time it was.  With no cell phone coverage, I chose to turn my phones off to conserve their batteries and I was too lazy to turn them on just to find out the time.  I used my ears instead.  No one was really moving around the camp ground and I debated getting up and disturbing the serenity.  I knew eflyguy was supposed to be coming to the campground but I had no idea when, just the vague "before the squids are out" was my last recollection of a possible meeting time.  Since I stayed there last year, I knew I would hear him when he turned onto the campsite road so that's what I listened for as a sign to get up.  In the meantime, I put my clothes out and contemplated going to the bathroom to brush my teeth or doing it at the campsite.

Trip Report: FZ1OA Rally, Day 1

Thursday 9 Jun 2011 about 216 miles

My original hope was to be going to the rally at the end of a long cross country trip to see my friend in Washington but due to some problems with TheMomma's health, I was leaving from the house after getting about three hours of sleep because her sugar dropped to 31 as we were putting her to bed the night before.  Since eflyguy and I would be leaving at roughly the same time, we agreed to ride into Fontana together taking basically the same route Cruzman and I had a couple of weeks before when we went to the same area.

Trip Report: BRP Trip Day 4

Sunday 21 May 2011:
The Road Home
Approx. 221 miles


I think we were both eager to get home.  We were both up and ready early.  I was beginning to really worry about TheMomma, who I left in my brother's care, and as usual Cruzman was beginning to miss MrsCruzman and JrCruzman.  Even though we were eager to get home, we did take the time to explore the end of the road near Joyce Kilmer Road.  It was one of those "Let's see where this takes us" kind of things.

Trip Report: BRP Trip Day 3

Saturday 21 May 2011:  
Black Mountain to Horse Cove.
Mileage:  About 185 miles


The night before, we decided not to see how far north we could get and instead chose to return to Robbinsville and camp beside the river.  For some reason, the almost 300 miles the day before had been really tiring and neither one of us wanted to risk getting to fatigued again. After looking at several options, we decided to re-trace our steps back down the BRP.