Return to HellTrack

So today I tried to set up and HDR shoot at HellTrack. I'd find later that it didn't work but it was fun trying. Here's the set up:

Step 1: Find a place for the camera.

Step 2: Set up your flashes.

Step 3: Get HellTrack photo ready.

Step 4: Have some fun.

Even though the photo experiment didn't work, I still learned some new stuff. It seems like I always learn something at HellTrack.

I'll be back....Oh I'll be back.

Donner Lake

I had some time before BJ left work so I decided to head down to Donner Lake. I brought my camera gear and snapped off a few hi rez photos but I also managed, in the spirit of taking photos with my phone-camera for this blog, to take a few shots with the phone.

Truckee River

Donner Lake looking up to ASI

Donner Lake looking towards Truckee

Off to another session at HellTrack...

Battery x 2

Remember how I said the next project for the big red machine was going to be a new front grill? Well I was wrong. (BTW: The big red machine's name is Eddie but everyone still prefers using his older brother's name Clifford The Big Red-Neck Limo.) It turns out that the teeny tiny 675 Batteries (yes I said batteries plural) were no match for the cold last year and they decided to pick this week (the first week of 2011) to die. I saw this coming but dropping $240 isn't easy when you're looking for work.

Being up in Tahoe doesn't help either. The price of everything is inflated here and I was really looking at closer to $260-270 for a set of batteries. Luckily, Johnny was heading to Reno...where everything is significantly cheaper. It also helps that Nevada's sales tax is lower as well. (Screw you California and your poorly managed government and your high taxes.) So before Johnny left for Reno, I removed the old, tired, and ready to die batteries...core charge, loaded them in his truck and left for HellTrack.

Johnny returned with 2 fresh 750 Motorcraft batteries. YEAH!!! I'm so stoked to have new batteries. Not so much on having to part with $240 but it was gonna happen anyway, why not check this off my list.

The batteries installed nicely. No major issues. And then the moment of truth...which really wasn't a moment because once I opened the door and the dinger went off, I knew Eddie and I were back in business. Did he start up? You're damn right he did. After sitting in the cold for over 30 hrs, Eddie and his new batteries work harmoniously together. In fact, he's running right now as I write this, warming up. Doesn't he look happy?

Well, I'm on to the next one....

HellTrack Redux

Back to HellTrack. With all the snow in Tahoe, HellTrack has been neglected due to, well lots of snow and the holidays.

BJ, Roan, and Kevin put some serious work in at the top and its paid off.

The big jump near the top is stil a work in progress but with some new construction techniques, the process is much quicker.

We took some sweet shots tonight and I'm please with the results. 3 shots have already made the trip worth while. We'll see where they end up. This show of B.J. is just a taste.

More to come tomorrow...

The Snow that Stopped the World

If it snows just an inch in a place where people aren't expecting it, you have yourself a serious mess. When it snows in the high desert on a Sunday, its even worse. Every road coming from the mountain was closed except for Hwy 2 and it wasn't moving. In fact, traffic was moving so slow, I actually got out of the car I was in and walked down to my friend Mark's house to link up with my big red machine and head north to Mammoth to conduct a USASA Judge clinic.

MAN WAS I IN FOR A SURPRISE.

1:30 pm: Leave the West Resort.

4:15 pm: Make it to East resort a mile away and find out the "back way" is closed. That option is off the table.

4:40 pm: I start walking from the East Resort to Mark's house, in a snow storm, luckily down hill.

6:10 pm: I get to my truck only to find the batteries were dead.

7:10 pm: The journey to Mammoth begins and I get behind every slow driver snowy road scared silly.

7:50 pm: Hesperia In N Out Burger. Hwy 15 South is a parking lot as is 395 South.

8:10 pm: Finally get my food after getting behind the slowest person ever. I think this was their first time using a drive thru.

8:35 pm: The skies clear up as does the road. Smooth sailing until....

9:40 pm: Just south of Ridgecrest, the road get slippery and, once again, amazingly crappy driving skills slow my progress thanks to an uphill accident on a slippery hill. at least 30 cars waiting.

9:45 pm: Reroute myself, 30 miles out of the way to the Hwy 14 North.

10:15 pm: I get behind some tweakers in a 1987 Ford Thunderbird driving super slow due to foggy-ish conditions. I guess meth affects your vision or ability to use the accelerator.

10:43 pm: I make it to Inyokern and punch it...20 miles later I'm slowed by slippery roads and signs directing me to lower my speed to 35mph. DAMN!

1:15 am: I make it Lone Pine, the roads are grippy and I was supposed to me sleeping peacefully in my hotel by now.

1:35 am: Grab fuel at the Indian Casino in Bishop, its snowing but no "go slow" signs so I get on it.

2:20 am: Pull up to the front desk at Mammoth Mountain Inn only to find some YO in a Honda Element pulling in right in front of me. Yep...another line at 2:30 in the morning to check in.

2:50 am: I finally get to my room.

3:15 am: The last time I remember seeing before I woke up at 6:45 am to begin my day molding the minds of future snowboard and ski judges.

15 Hours to travel what normally takes just under 5 hours. At least I made it and had a great group of students.

Off to Tahoe....

Another One in the Books

Well, I wasn't really planning on doing anything for New Year's Eve. However, seeing as I'm a guest of Brian and Diana, it was only polite to honor their invitation.

If you thought it was always perfect and warm in LA you were sadly mistaken. In fact, after the record rain fall, a nice little cold snap hit. It didn't get warmer than 55 degrees during the days and at night it usually dipped into the low 40's. NYE was not different.

We went to Monsoon, a Japanese restaurant, that just so happen to have Salsa dancing upstairs...bizarre combo I know but considering we had a latin and asian women with us, I guess it made sense.

My last meal of 2010 was probably the best Orange chicken I've every tasted. Paired with white rice and accompanied by a tall class of Sailor Jerry and Coke, I was a pretty happy camper.

The night ended pretty late with Brian, Diana, and I heading of to Paul's house to find a pretty awesome game that involves teams guessing the names of famous people (Roman and his chick went home and missed out big). I can honestly say that I will never forget Jessica Besner, the daughter of my partner Diza, simply because her name was the reason we lost. We were destroying everyone for 3 rounds and in 1 final round we hit the "I don't know this person" wall.

It was a fun night, even though I hate loosing, but considering I wasn't even gonna go out, I'd say it was totally worth it.

Happy New Year.

Bumper

Trying to paint nickel plated anything is no easy task. I scuffed and prepped that bumper to no avail. Once the rain came, the water just ripped the paint I applied to shreds.

Luckily, I have some awesome friends. Cliff Whetstone has a stainless steel line fabrication shop, in addition to a large assortment of old aviation parts. He also has a back shop that serves as a make shift toy making factory filled with all kinds of useful tools.

After removing the bumper, grinding the old paint off the bumper, removing all the hardware, and getting it ready for powder coating, Cliff and I took the raw hunk of metal to his buddy's shop just down the road.

The upside, I was getting an amazing deal on powder coating. The downside, I had to drive back to LA without a bumper in the rain.

After gingerly working my way back to west LA, the skies cleared up and the drive the next day was clear as a bell. So clear I could see the San Bernardino Mountains, roughly 60 miles away. (Typically, you can't see downtown 5 miles away so, yeah, it was that clear.)

I arrived to find Cliff had already picked up the finished bumper and I was ready to reassemble. After some creativity putting the bumper back into place, the previously shredded hunk of metal was transformed into a beautiful new matte black bumper.

Everything went together quickly and the finished product looks awesome. Next project, finding a new grill and the possibly the ball joints and tie-rod ends. Think the front end needs a little attention.