arnold’s posterous ramblings

 



September 4, 2008

Labor Day Biking at Mammoth Mountain

This was it! This was the biking trip to which I'd been looking forward all summer. I hadn't been biking regularly for a long time so I rode as much as I could for the last 3 months. It was a good thing I did! The altitude took a lot out of me and the trails took the rest. I had planned to go riding the next day but my tiredness and the gusty winds convinced me otherwise. Still, I had a great time with family and friends.
 
Can't wait until we can go back there again.
 

       

Click here to download:
Fw_Labor_Day_Biking_at_Mammoth.zip (836 KB)

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August 18, 2008

Another Ride at Wilder Ranch State Park

This ride was kind of short notice so only three of us were able to go. That just means all the others missed out on a super ride!
 
This time Dawn, Dave and I took a trail recommended at the MTBR.com forums. The trail was familiar until we hit the Enchanted Loop Trail. This trail included a nice, slightly technical downhill singletrack into a shady grove of trees. We paid for the fun ride down by having to climb up a rutted fire trail with the sun beatng down on our necks! Dawn and I had to walk the steepest part of that climb while "Mountain Goat" Dave rode off to the top. Just when I thought I was getting fit enough to keep close to him, Dave shows me I have a ways to go. Haha!
 
Still, I was happy with my progress since we were last there. There were more hills I was able to climb this time around. The Enchanted Loop added to an already fun ride and I hope more people can come next time to experience for it themselves.
 
A ride like this isn't complete until we have our post-ride meal. We decided to go to Cafe Brasil again for the great food. As we were waiting to get seated, I looked at the Taco Bell across the street and thought, "We would get our food fast if we ate there." Nah... I was happy to trade speed for quality.
 
This time our order consisted of 3 Acai Bowls,  2 Beef a Cavalo, and an Omelette Caipira. All delicious and satisfying. Too bad I wasn't able to get any good shots of the "view."  ;^)
 

             

Click here to download:
Another_Ride_at_Wilder_Ranch_S.zip (1026 KB)

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August 9, 2008

First Ride at Arastradero Preserve

On Matt's glowing review of his Arastradero Ride w/Mere Mortals, I met up with him and Dave to try out the trail. It was everything Matt said in his post... nice trails and great group of riders.
 
Matt pretty much summed up the ride in his post already so I won't repeat that here. I will say is that I'll try mixing this ride with my Waterdog rides when I can get out of work early enough.
 

         
Click here to download:
First_Ride_at_Arastradero_Pres.zip (635 KB)

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August 4, 2008

Team Clif Bar Cyclists at the Tympani Crit

I was able to take a few shots of my co-worker, Alden, and his teammates at the Tympani Criterium this past weekend. I had never taken road bike racing shots so I thought this would be a good chance to try it out while watching Alden race.

It wasn't as easy as I thought as I initally had a hard time picking out the TCB cyclists out of the crowd. It was a good thing that the course was a big loop so I had a few chances to get them as they took their laps. You need to be able to pick out the riders and shoot fast. Either that or just shoot everyone and and hope you got some good shots of your intended subjects along the way. I'll definitely need a lot more practice to approach the kind of shots you see in the cycling magazines. :^)

More pics here

     
Click here to download:
Team_Clif_Bar_Cyclists_at_the_.zip (538 KB)

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August 3, 2008

Waterdog - First time on the Advanced Ride

Yesterday, Dave, Roe & I did the Advanced Ride from Passion Trail Bikes. This loop combined part of the fire roads from the Easy Ride with a lot of singletrack we had never ridden before. I didn't know what to expect but I was looking forward to trying out some of other trails at Waterdog. What I found was something that challenged my skill and fitness levels more than any other ride so far this summer.
 
We started up a singletrack trail from the end of Carlmont Drive. It wasn't too bad until we got to a set of over 10 switchbacks. Dave & Roe were fit enough to make it up but I had to walk up most of that part. Everything after those switchbacks seemed easy in comparison. That doesn't mean we cruised for the rest of the time. There were still a lot of narrow climbs, decents and some more technical parts. I was able to ride most of the trail but chickened out on a couple of the steeper bits. As usual, part of the reward was the view at the top. :)
 
For me, this was a technically-challenging and power-sapping ride. I was so tired that I was surprised that I had the energy to finish. However, I'm glad that Roe suggested this ride. I guess I had gotten too comfortable with the Easy Ride loop and the level of effort needed. This advanced ride showed me that I still have a lot of room for improvement. I'll catch up to Dave and Roe one day!
 
 

                     

Click here to download:
Waterdog_-_First_time_on_the_A.zip (1385 KB)

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July 29, 2008

Hangar One Tour and Tasting

Went to the Hangar One distillery in Alameda yesterday to sample the spirits they had available. The tasting menu included the following:
 
- 2 eaux-de-vie (fruit brandies)
- 5 vodkas, 1 straight and 4 fruit-infused
- 1 single malt whisky
- 2 tea liqueurs
- 1 fruit liqueur
 
We also were treated to a tour of the facility, a large hangar located at the former Alameda Naval Air Station. Our tour guide began by showing us the copper pot stills and explained how the they make the all the fine spirits. Then he went on to talk about the wood barrels that were stacked up in a bunch of rows. I was so busy taking pictures of everything that I missed part of the tour. A good excuse to visit them again. :)
 
I really enjoyed almost all of the drinks I sampled. Only the Black Tea Liqueur didn't agree with me. Too smoky for my sweet tooth. Otherwise, I found the rest to be very smooth and flavorful. I'm not much of an alcohol critic so I'll end the drink comments here.
 
If you like good vodka and other fruit-infused drinks, I would recommend visiting Hangar One and trying out what they have.
 
more pics here

         

Click here to download:
Hangar_One_Tour_and_Tasting.zip (888 KB)

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July 19, 2008

Morning ride in Santa Cruz

The gang and I went biking at Wilder Ranch State Park today. The route we took was a good mix of fire trails and singletrack through the trees. We only rode about 8 miles but I enjoyed almost every minute of it.
 
Afterwards, we refueled at Cafe Brasil.  I went for a basic eggs and bacon breakfast and a acai smoothie while the others went for more Brazilian fare.
 
Can't wait until we go back...
 
more pictures
 
 

               

Click here to download:
Morning_ride_in_Sant.zip (2117 KB)

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July 15, 2008

Bike ride at Water Dog Lake Park

There's this park near where I work that has a nice variety of mountain biking trails. I ride after work to get some fresh air and exercise during the week but the view from the top is a big plus.
 
The biker in the pics is my buddy, Matt. I'd rather stay behind the camera... :)

       

Click here to download:
Bike_ride_.zip (2547 KB)

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July 14, 2008

SFR SCCA Autocross - Round 11

Some of my friends like to autocross their cars. What's autocross? Well... simply put, it's a timed race through a course marked off by traffic cones. The goal is to get the fastest time you can in 3 tries without knocking down any of the cones.

I like to practice my action photography by taking shots of them speeding through the course. It's nice to get shots of them coming through a corner *just* right. But punted cones and tire smoke make for more spectactular shots. :)

           
Click here to download:
SFR_SCCA_A.zip (890 KB)

Comments [4]

July 13, 2008

My First Blog Post... Ever...

I never had any interest in posting up my thoughts online before. Once Garry told me about Posterous, I thought to myself, "What the hell. It can't get any easier than this."

So here I am... wondering if I'll have much more to say... Haha!

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