Atlas Rider

The Portland Trip - Part 2

2009-07-15T05:38:16Z

The Route. 10 days, 3,000 miles and 2 wheels on my KLR I bought only 1 week ago. Amazing sights, exciting events and great people along the way.
I left off at MotoGP last time.

I have to admit that I probably enjoyed photographing the event more than just spectating. It was a combination of both really. The speeds at which these guys flew by made them incredibly difficult to capture.

Rossi made a great push at the end and halved the distance between Pedrosa.

And the results.

In between the races I spent a lot of time with the neighboring campsite who were very generous and hospitable. This fellow here is named Dirk. Nine days ago he was in El Salvador and he decided to blaze a trail to Laguna Seca to see MotoGP. He recently spent 3 months in Central and South America on his KLR. The very trip I plan on doing, and on the same bike! So I talked his ear off and he was a huge inspiration and comfort to my anxieties about the KLR. In that suave German accent he said, “Zee KLR…she can…she can do anything…” and I was convinced. Check out his trip at Dirk’s Motorcycle Diaries.

Rossi was a favorite of mine to capture some shots.

The AMA Daytona Superbike races followed the MotoGP race. The 28 bikes filled up the corkscrew.

A three bike crash happened just at the end of the corkscrew (foreground). I managed to get it all on video (more on that later).

It’s amazing how tightly grouped they can get.

These guys were slower than the MotoGP guys so I got some closer shots.

A technique I’ve never had to use before: Following the subject so that it is crisp and the background blurry.

Chasing eachother on the exit of the corkscrew.

This is the shot that made the hours of shooting all worthwhile for me. The sparks trailing the bike screams, “I’ve giv’n her all she’s got captain, an’ I canna give her no more!”

Back to touring! It was time to head north to Portland. I crossed over the Golden Gate.

The KLR in her natural habitat. Minutes later I dropped her for the first time. It wasn’t too difficult to right her, but with a full tank of gas it might have been another story.

A couple of those magical minutes before sunset.

The next day I reached the end of California Highway 1. An all around great experience.

At the sight of this crazy crap on the side of the road I slammed on the breaks for a chance to take a pic of “big stuff”.

Passing through the red woods. A humbling moment.

Finally made it to Oregon!

The Douglas Firs stretched on endlessly, creating a kind of tunnel vision down those long expanses of road.

I spent a couple days with my friend Danny. I hadn’t realized it had been over two years since we last saw each other. I had a great time. He showed me around his neighborhood that I was very envious of and I got to meet a lot of great people. Oh and we saw the M. C. Escher exhibit at the Portland Art Museum that blew me away. Was sad to leave, but I’m sure our paths will cross again soon.

The Portland Trip - Part 1

2009-07-15T03:24:16Z

This entry is part 1 of 1 in the series The Portland Trip

The Route. 10 days, 3,000 miles and 2 wheels on my KLR I bought only 1 week ago. Amazing sights, exciting events and great people along the way.

Here’s my story…

My first off road experience with the KLR. She felt solid, but I was still apprehenscious.

I headed for the LA coast from Phoenix right after work. The blinding sun finally set and the temperatures dropped.

I arrived at the coast around 1AM. There’s a little spot just north of Malibu that I love to camp at.

Look familiar?

I stopped for lunch at Neptune’s Net for some delicious clam chowder. It’s a big biker hang out where I struck up a conversation with a guy who noticed my KLR. He was a fellow Ninja 650r rider as well. We parted ways, and glanced around again for Jay Leno who’s known to appear here sometimes.

Some much needed shade after a long day of riding up the sunny California coast.

As I was lubing my chain I noticed that the master link was not riveted. Even worse, the clip that secures the master link was gone, which segues to…

I recently got a T-Mobile G1, so looking up a nearby mechanic literally took two minutes. I plugged in the address into my Garmin 60CSx and an hour later my chain problems were solved.

I continued up the coast anxiously awaiting the Bixby Bridge which I thought I found here and was left unimpressed and wondered how the photographer managed to get that shot that I admire on my wall.

Then I realized that what I thought was the Bixby Bridge was just a look-a-like… I climbed up a cliff face and winded my way through some thick brush to sit atop a peak to get my own version of the shot with my KLR

Just a taste of the Pacific Coastal Highway views.

I finally arrived at Laguna Seca Raceway to watch the MotoGP races. Bikes as far as the eye can see.

This is known as “The Corkscrew.” It looks like a roller coaster. I thought it was among the best places to watch.

Rossi pleased the crowd at the end of the qualifiers

You can see how fast the riders flip from one extreme lean angle to its opposite. Simple amazing…

I couldn’t help but try and get some body positioning pointers from these guys and then I realized that uttering, “Hey guys, watch what I saw at MotoGP!” is probably often one’s last words.

*waves*

The scoreboard was unlit on Saturday for the practice rounds, but the next day was the real deal.

I Bought a KLR!

2009-06-29T05:41:03Z

After months of sifting through used ads I finally found a KLR that I decided to pony up the money for. It’s a 2001 and has 15,000 miles. Numerous aftermarket mods that I was planning on doing myself already. Ironically, the bike has Alaska plates. Looks like I’ll be taking her back home!

I am super excited. Getting a new bike is pretty much better than Christmas for me. A new ride to get used to, new offroad adventures and skills to learn. I was getting kinda bored with my Ninja actually. It will feel good to feel like a noob again.

Also, next week I will be taking a 10 day road trip through California to see the MotoGP race at Laguna Seca. Then I’ll be heading up to Portland, and maybe catching an Andrew Bird concert in Berkley on the way back. More on all this later, but in the mean time here’s a video of me riding the KLR for the first time:

Atlas Shrugged and the Copper Canyon (Video)

2009-06-18T00:20:08Z

This entry is part 1 of 1 in the series Mexico

An old video from my Mexico series. Talking about Francisco d’ Anconia, a character from Atlas Shrugged. Riding through the area around the Copper Canyon near Creel, Mexico and blow away by the sights.

Riding Through Africa - Lois Pryce (Video)

2009-05-20T04:48:17Z

This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series Overland Expo 2009 Coverage

Lois Pryce spoke at the Overland Expo in Prescott, Arizona. In this talk she discusses her solo journey through Africa. She’s my favorite travel writer and it was a thrill to meet her.

You might remember the book review I did a while back on her book, Lois on the Loose.

If you enjoy the video check out her books at her website, LoisOnTheLoose.com/.

I’m reading her second book, Red Tape and White Knuckles: One Woman’s Motorcycle Adventure Through Africa right now. I’m flying through it like it did the first, so I should have a review of it soon.

And now off to the video!