WhereThehellisMurph, 3 Wheels, 7 Continents, 7 Years
- Thread starter WheresMurph
- Start date
WheresMurph
Adventurer
APPROACHING CHANGE.
.
.
Winter fast approaches, gathering speed daily.
The once green leaves, now void of chlorophyll, have whispered a fond farewell, having taken their last big gulp of carbon dioxide before they dazzle with blinding shades of burning red, golden yellow and vivid orange.
Change.
Life. It's all about change, isn't it?. Or rather how we approach that change.
Whether it scares the dickens out of us and leaves us physically and emotionally paralyzed, or whether it's something that some of us relish and look forward to for the challenge and charge of it. Mental and physical toughness. How much of either do I have?. That's one of the things I finally figured out that I'm trying to calculate on this RTW trip of mine. And it's a perfect time in my life to do it.
It's kind of hard to test your limits when you've got a nice big comfy house with a nice comfy leather sofa, a TV with 300+ channels, hot showers on demand and a lovely big comfy bed to sleep in every night. Since I don't have any of those things anymore, it makes it a lot easier for me to discipline myself and not give in too easy. Life is a lot less complicated living out of a 2WD sidecar outfit.
I know I subconsciously fight against change. But lately, over the last year, not so much. The longer this trip becomes and I unravel it's surprises along the way, the less and less scared I become of the changes that accompany it. Of all the new places, the new people, new countries, new cultures, new visas, new laws, new rules, new food, new languages that I can't speak but somehow, seem to be able to make myself understood at the end of the day.
Maybe I am finally becoming more enlightened in my old age. Ommmmm........
I've set myself up with some new challenges in the past 3 months, to keep me on my toes and because if I don't do it now, I'll never do it. A few health and fitness challenges. Disciplining myself in a different ways, simply because I'm alive, I can, and I owe it to myself to squeeze as much life out of me as I possibly can while I'm still above ground and upright. Which is now. It's all I've got. Who knows what tomorrow will hold, or even if I'll see it.
"Rise to the challenges that life presents you. You can't develop genuine character and ability by sidestepping adversity and struggle"............Daisaku Ikeda.
I've been dogged with a knee injury for the last 10 years that hasn't got any better with time. Gets worse if I don't exercise and keep my weight below a certain #, but jogging sometimes brings me close to tears with the knee pain. But the more weight I lose and the lighter and fitter I get, the less the knee bothers me. So it's either suffer the pain of discipline or suffer the pain and the inevitable despair and regret for not pushing myself through it. I finally broke through the 200lb barrier last week and got my weight down to 197lbs. I've always been over 220lbs, my normal walk around weight used to be around 225-230. I'm 6'2" and an ex weightlifter, so 225 for me was actually on the light side. In my training days I carried 245lbs with 7% body fat for years. But that was work. Way too much work. And a lot of eating too. I've trained myself down to eating once a day now, well, one and a half times a day. More than enough for me, and most people too, they just don't discipline themselves enough to do it. The world of plenty we live in. Bombarded with "fast food" which is not really food at all, just appears to resemble it.
Living on the road presents its own challenges in trying to stay fit, healthy and in shape. But nothing that a little bit of ingenuity and a large dose of discipline doesn't overcome. And because it just feels good to be strict with myself. It took a few months to wean myself off sugar, but now I'm pretty much rid of my dreaded chocolate cravings at last. It's my addictive personality I suppose, but I think that even people who don't have an addictive personality get addicted to chocolate. It's one of those non-discriminating addictive substances. Has no boundaries whatsoever.
I could very easily use food as my new addiction, very very easily. Especially since I love to cook. And I consider myself pretty a decent cook too. I am no Eric Ripert, but secretly harbor a dream of being able to cook like him, just for one day.
My Garlic infused broiled salmon (I peel and stuff fresh cloves of garlic into the whole side of the fish) with roasted red peppers, roasted garlic over a spinach fettuccine with an Alfredo cream sauce is one of my signature dishes that I love to cook for friends. I've cooked it many times here at Karu MC to rave reviews. "Best pasta I've ever had" said Matti. In fact I'll be cooking it again this evening. Maybe this time I'll take some photos.
Much more of this post( it's kinda long and introspective) and my new temporary ride, a 1952 Triumph Leaner Sidecar outfit HERE on the blog.
.
.
Winter fast approaches, gathering speed daily.
The once green leaves, now void of chlorophyll, have whispered a fond farewell, having taken their last big gulp of carbon dioxide before they dazzle with blinding shades of burning red, golden yellow and vivid orange.
Change.
Life. It's all about change, isn't it?. Or rather how we approach that change.
Whether it scares the dickens out of us and leaves us physically and emotionally paralyzed, or whether it's something that some of us relish and look forward to for the challenge and charge of it. Mental and physical toughness. How much of either do I have?. That's one of the things I finally figured out that I'm trying to calculate on this RTW trip of mine. And it's a perfect time in my life to do it.
It's kind of hard to test your limits when you've got a nice big comfy house with a nice comfy leather sofa, a TV with 300+ channels, hot showers on demand and a lovely big comfy bed to sleep in every night. Since I don't have any of those things anymore, it makes it a lot easier for me to discipline myself and not give in too easy. Life is a lot less complicated living out of a 2WD sidecar outfit.
I know I subconsciously fight against change. But lately, over the last year, not so much. The longer this trip becomes and I unravel it's surprises along the way, the less and less scared I become of the changes that accompany it. Of all the new places, the new people, new countries, new cultures, new visas, new laws, new rules, new food, new languages that I can't speak but somehow, seem to be able to make myself understood at the end of the day.
Maybe I am finally becoming more enlightened in my old age. Ommmmm........
I've set myself up with some new challenges in the past 3 months, to keep me on my toes and because if I don't do it now, I'll never do it. A few health and fitness challenges. Disciplining myself in a different ways, simply because I'm alive, I can, and I owe it to myself to squeeze as much life out of me as I possibly can while I'm still above ground and upright. Which is now. It's all I've got. Who knows what tomorrow will hold, or even if I'll see it.
"Rise to the challenges that life presents you. You can't develop genuine character and ability by sidestepping adversity and struggle"............Daisaku Ikeda.
I've been dogged with a knee injury for the last 10 years that hasn't got any better with time. Gets worse if I don't exercise and keep my weight below a certain #, but jogging sometimes brings me close to tears with the knee pain. But the more weight I lose and the lighter and fitter I get, the less the knee bothers me. So it's either suffer the pain of discipline or suffer the pain and the inevitable despair and regret for not pushing myself through it. I finally broke through the 200lb barrier last week and got my weight down to 197lbs. I've always been over 220lbs, my normal walk around weight used to be around 225-230. I'm 6'2" and an ex weightlifter, so 225 for me was actually on the light side. In my training days I carried 245lbs with 7% body fat for years. But that was work. Way too much work. And a lot of eating too. I've trained myself down to eating once a day now, well, one and a half times a day. More than enough for me, and most people too, they just don't discipline themselves enough to do it. The world of plenty we live in. Bombarded with "fast food" which is not really food at all, just appears to resemble it.
Living on the road presents its own challenges in trying to stay fit, healthy and in shape. But nothing that a little bit of ingenuity and a large dose of discipline doesn't overcome. And because it just feels good to be strict with myself. It took a few months to wean myself off sugar, but now I'm pretty much rid of my dreaded chocolate cravings at last. It's my addictive personality I suppose, but I think that even people who don't have an addictive personality get addicted to chocolate. It's one of those non-discriminating addictive substances. Has no boundaries whatsoever.
I could very easily use food as my new addiction, very very easily. Especially since I love to cook. And I consider myself pretty a decent cook too. I am no Eric Ripert, but secretly harbor a dream of being able to cook like him, just for one day.
My Garlic infused broiled salmon (I peel and stuff fresh cloves of garlic into the whole side of the fish) with roasted red peppers, roasted garlic over a spinach fettuccine with an Alfredo cream sauce is one of my signature dishes that I love to cook for friends. I've cooked it many times here at Karu MC to rave reviews. "Best pasta I've ever had" said Matti. In fact I'll be cooking it again this evening. Maybe this time I'll take some photos.
Much more of this post( it's kinda long and introspective) and my new temporary ride, a 1952 Triumph Leaner Sidecar outfit HERE on the blog.
Have the day of your choice,
Murph.
Murph.
Last edited:
WheresMurph
Adventurer
WheresMurph
Adventurer
THE SMELL OF WINTER.
.
.
And all of a sudden it's winter up here at the Arctic Circle in Finland.
I woke up one morning and the pool of water that was a permanent fixture in front of the Karu MC clubhouse had frozen over.
Later on in the day, it snowed. Only a little, but enough to make me happy and looking forward to the rest of winter.
My Finnish comrades here at the club, not so happy. Not happy at all actually. They don't like winter. Not like me. I'm special.
I love winter. When it snows, I get a mood change for the better. Winter is my season. It has it's own flavor and smell. A clean, crisp and fresh air aroma.
I come alive when the summer's choking and debilitating heat is over. When the air starts to get cooler, fresher, denser and more breathable. And when it's cold enough for rain to solidify and it starts to snow?. Well, then I really get going. My inner child wakes right up, jumps out of bed and wants to come out and play.
A good snowfall puts a nice thick white blanket, a soft layer of clean over everything and covers all the bumps, bruises and blemishes in the landscape. Thats one of the things I love about winter. A blanket of snow, covering everything up, all the crap for 6 months, all the unevenness in the landscape. If you live in a place that gets snow in winter that is. There's a calm and a quietness that winter brings.
Snow is a natural sound absorber, the stillness and the silence that hangs in the air after a snowfall is just absolutely magical.
The crisp, white flakes of soft snow, magical in their transformation of this otherwise barren part of Finland, made it a place of peaceful solitude. I could of sat there for hours were it not so cold. This was on route 93 riding south from the Norwegian border toward Enontekiö in Finland. Normally desolate and empty, in winter it becomes a white and silent wonderland.
The bike has been apart all this time, over two months now sitting outside Karu MC, and I've been patiently waiting for parts to come in. So since I had the engine apart down to the transmission I decided to go ahead and replace some items that were going to come up for replacement sooner rather than later anyway, like the clutch slave cylinder (notorious for breaking). The slave cylinder that's on the bike now is the original factory one, having been on the bike since 2004 and 80,000 miles, so it's about ready to let go any day now. And while I was there I was going to put in a new clutch, but of course I can't until BMW get the outer housing back in stock.
No rush guys.
And I replaced a few other small parts while I was at it too,like those special size swing-arm pivot bearings that BMW cleverly patented so that nobody else is allowed to make or sell them, which have been on the bike for the last 9 years, ever since it rolled off the BMW factory floor. I figured since I can, I may as well change them and do whatever needs to be done here in Finland rather than halfway across Russia on the side of the M51 in -50ºC. Although I'm sure there awaits some very interesting stories and experiences when I decide to head east across the vastness and ten time zones that is Russia.
I really thought I was going to get the parts easy enough about 6 weeks ago, or soon after they were ordered. But as usual things never work out the way they're supposed to, do they?. As much as it pisses me off sometimes, life would be about as boring as watching paint dry if everything always worked out the way it was supposed to. Seriously. I'm only seeing that these last few years. If everything went according to my original plan, I would have missed out on over a years worth of friendships and experiences that I just wouldn't had the time to do had I breezed through Europe and ended up at the end of my final "planned" destination.
[/FONT]
The "plan" then was to repair the bike, put it back together, test ride it, then maybe take a quick trip to Russia just to wet my feet and get a firsthand idea of what I'm dealing with over there.
I hear nothing but horror stories about Russia to be honest. Especially from the Finns. And especially about the road conditions.
I've stopped listening to them, and also stopped watching the Youtube Russian driving videos as well. Doesn't do me any good.
Especially the Winter driving videos.
And my new parts sponsor?. That would be Touratech.
I didn't approach them about any sponsorship. It was the owner, Herbert Schwarz, that wrote to me. I see in my inbox one day an email from a Herbert Schwarz. Who's Herbert Schw.....oh, wait. Herbert, riight.
Nahh, can't be. He doesn't even know about me....does he?. Well, obviously he does since he wrote to me. Asking if I still had problems and if he could help me with parts. Well that was very nice of him I must say. From what I know Herbert's not the type of guy that sits around much. I do know that he's a pretty well traveled motorcyclist with a lot, an awful lot of countries and kilometers under his belt.
He had found about my dilemma through a mutual friend in Germany, Stef, who was trying to help me locate parts and not having much luck at all at it. So I guess Stef knew Herbert and decided to write to him to see if he could help. Well, if Herbert and Touratech couldn't help, then I guess no one could.
So thank you Stef, much appreciate the initial consideration that prompted you to email Herbert. And thank you Herbert for getting the parts to me.
Much more photos and the rest of the post HERE on the blog.
.
.
And all of a sudden it's winter up here at the Arctic Circle in Finland.
I woke up one morning and the pool of water that was a permanent fixture in front of the Karu MC clubhouse had frozen over.
Later on in the day, it snowed. Only a little, but enough to make me happy and looking forward to the rest of winter.
My Finnish comrades here at the club, not so happy. Not happy at all actually. They don't like winter. Not like me. I'm special.
I love winter. When it snows, I get a mood change for the better. Winter is my season. It has it's own flavor and smell. A clean, crisp and fresh air aroma.
I come alive when the summer's choking and debilitating heat is over. When the air starts to get cooler, fresher, denser and more breathable. And when it's cold enough for rain to solidify and it starts to snow?. Well, then I really get going. My inner child wakes right up, jumps out of bed and wants to come out and play.
A good snowfall puts a nice thick white blanket, a soft layer of clean over everything and covers all the bumps, bruises and blemishes in the landscape. Thats one of the things I love about winter. A blanket of snow, covering everything up, all the crap for 6 months, all the unevenness in the landscape. If you live in a place that gets snow in winter that is. There's a calm and a quietness that winter brings.
Snow is a natural sound absorber, the stillness and the silence that hangs in the air after a snowfall is just absolutely magical.
The crisp, white flakes of soft snow, magical in their transformation of this otherwise barren part of Finland, made it a place of peaceful solitude. I could of sat there for hours were it not so cold. This was on route 93 riding south from the Norwegian border toward Enontekiö in Finland. Normally desolate and empty, in winter it becomes a white and silent wonderland.
The bike has been apart all this time, over two months now sitting outside Karu MC, and I've been patiently waiting for parts to come in. So since I had the engine apart down to the transmission I decided to go ahead and replace some items that were going to come up for replacement sooner rather than later anyway, like the clutch slave cylinder (notorious for breaking). The slave cylinder that's on the bike now is the original factory one, having been on the bike since 2004 and 80,000 miles, so it's about ready to let go any day now. And while I was there I was going to put in a new clutch, but of course I can't until BMW get the outer housing back in stock.
No rush guys.
And I replaced a few other small parts while I was at it too,like those special size swing-arm pivot bearings that BMW cleverly patented so that nobody else is allowed to make or sell them, which have been on the bike for the last 9 years, ever since it rolled off the BMW factory floor. I figured since I can, I may as well change them and do whatever needs to be done here in Finland rather than halfway across Russia on the side of the M51 in -50ºC. Although I'm sure there awaits some very interesting stories and experiences when I decide to head east across the vastness and ten time zones that is Russia.
I really thought I was going to get the parts easy enough about 6 weeks ago, or soon after they were ordered. But as usual things never work out the way they're supposed to, do they?. As much as it pisses me off sometimes, life would be about as boring as watching paint dry if everything always worked out the way it was supposed to. Seriously. I'm only seeing that these last few years. If everything went according to my original plan, I would have missed out on over a years worth of friendships and experiences that I just wouldn't had the time to do had I breezed through Europe and ended up at the end of my final "planned" destination.
[/FONT]
The "plan" then was to repair the bike, put it back together, test ride it, then maybe take a quick trip to Russia just to wet my feet and get a firsthand idea of what I'm dealing with over there.
I hear nothing but horror stories about Russia to be honest. Especially from the Finns. And especially about the road conditions.
I've stopped listening to them, and also stopped watching the Youtube Russian driving videos as well. Doesn't do me any good.
Especially the Winter driving videos.
And my new parts sponsor?. That would be Touratech.
I didn't approach them about any sponsorship. It was the owner, Herbert Schwarz, that wrote to me. I see in my inbox one day an email from a Herbert Schwarz. Who's Herbert Schw.....oh, wait. Herbert, riight.
Nahh, can't be. He doesn't even know about me....does he?. Well, obviously he does since he wrote to me. Asking if I still had problems and if he could help me with parts. Well that was very nice of him I must say. From what I know Herbert's not the type of guy that sits around much. I do know that he's a pretty well traveled motorcyclist with a lot, an awful lot of countries and kilometers under his belt.
He had found about my dilemma through a mutual friend in Germany, Stef, who was trying to help me locate parts and not having much luck at all at it. So I guess Stef knew Herbert and decided to write to him to see if he could help. Well, if Herbert and Touratech couldn't help, then I guess no one could.
So thank you Stef, much appreciate the initial consideration that prompted you to email Herbert. And thank you Herbert for getting the parts to me.
Much more photos and the rest of the post HERE on the blog.
WheresMurph
Adventurer
FINLAND, A TEMPORARY GOODBYE.
.
.
Saying my goodbyes to Finnish Arctic Circle snow. Yes, there's a difference.
There's a special snow just above the Arctic Circle. Lappish snow.
Lots of lovely, white, fluffy soft Lappish snow.
The reason that I'm bidding Finland a temporary adieu, which I wrote about in my last post, is that a plan of sorts was made.
I never make plans anymore. Or do my best to try not to. But this is one of those times I had to. I had to make some sort of a plan in order to get a series of flights back to the US to spend the Christmas season with my Mum.
And since my bike has taken so long to get sorted out and repaired, mainly due to a delay in getting parts and then the winter setting in, I figured I'd fly back to the US and spend this winter with my Mum instead of rushing to try to put it back together. There are still some modifications and upgrades that I want to do to it, so rushing to put it back together just to park it for the winter would have meant it would have to come apart again next year to finish the repairs, so it just didn't make any sense to rush. I don't like rushing. That's when mistakes happen. The Finns don't like rushing either. Oh, wait. Sorry. It's Russia they don't like. My bad.
So I head back to the USA Nov 9th, only another few days. Well, depending on when this article gets published that is. By the time you read this post I may very well be back in the US.
So then I got to thinking, well, rather than sitting around with Mum in her apartment in Boulder, chewing the fat and talking about all the old complainers in the building she lives in, I thought well, why don't we go on another Road Trip, a Mums Road Trip Pt 2 together. So of course she was all game for that since she had such a great time on Mums Road Trip #1.
To read about Mums Road Trip Pt 1, click here, and here too.
This is quite a long post this week on the blog, it's 2 posts in one I guess since I last posted a month ago.
Many more photos, rest stories and people, here on Wherethehellismurph.
.
.
I've been in Finland and Karu MC for quite a while now, since early 2013.
A completely unplanned stay it was too. Unplanned, but if this part of my journey never happened, I know I would have missed out on a huge slice of life.
If I had of stuck to my original route and travel plan and only stayed a week or two in Rovaniemi and Karu MC like I had intended to, and then headed down to Imatra Finland and over into St. Petersburg Russia, obviously a decidedly different journey would have ensued, and a completely different set of photographs and experiences would have been offered up here for you to read.
But even though you never know just what's around the corner, what feelings and friendships that are in store for you in your future until you actually get to that point in time and go through them, I know that my time here in Finland will not be replicated in any other part of the world. There's just something about Lapland.
And if you want to find out what I'm talking about, what that "something" is, well, you're just going to have to come here to Lapland and find out for yourself.
It's a little difficult to explain my feelings about just what it is that has kept me here in Lapand and Rovaniemi for so long, and even if I could easily explain it away with a few choice words or sentences, the more I think about the reason/s why, the more personal feelings that are attached to them and I kind of get a little protective or possessive about it. There's a part of me doesn't want to try to explain it away. I guess I feel that there are some things in ones life that are for sharing and there are some things that are not. And this is one of those things that's not for me, one of those things that I'd rather keep a little more private and my own. And besides, it's something that happened to me. To another traveler who visits Finland and Karu MC, their whole experience would be totally different and therefore produce a completely different set of feelings.
Obviously some of the repairs that had to be done to the bike slowed me down considerably, but still, I could have got the problems sorted out and moved on I suppose. But I didn't. I chose to stay in Rovaniemi a bit longer.
And Heikki, the Karu MC club president, and also the Karu MC members, have chosen to let me stay in their club and be their guest for as long as I need to be. For that I am extremely grateful, and very thankful to be in such a wonderful position.
Sometimes you find yourself in a place and/or a situation that just seems to fit. Lapland and Karu are like that for me. It's not just one or two things. It's a little piece of everything and everybody. Of events, places, people, happenings. The right time in my life and the right place on my journey I guess.
A completely unplanned stay it was too. Unplanned, but if this part of my journey never happened, I know I would have missed out on a huge slice of life.
If I had of stuck to my original route and travel plan and only stayed a week or two in Rovaniemi and Karu MC like I had intended to, and then headed down to Imatra Finland and over into St. Petersburg Russia, obviously a decidedly different journey would have ensued, and a completely different set of photographs and experiences would have been offered up here for you to read.
But even though you never know just what's around the corner, what feelings and friendships that are in store for you in your future until you actually get to that point in time and go through them, I know that my time here in Finland will not be replicated in any other part of the world. There's just something about Lapland.
And if you want to find out what I'm talking about, what that "something" is, well, you're just going to have to come here to Lapland and find out for yourself.
It's a little difficult to explain my feelings about just what it is that has kept me here in Lapand and Rovaniemi for so long, and even if I could easily explain it away with a few choice words or sentences, the more I think about the reason/s why, the more personal feelings that are attached to them and I kind of get a little protective or possessive about it. There's a part of me doesn't want to try to explain it away. I guess I feel that there are some things in ones life that are for sharing and there are some things that are not. And this is one of those things that's not for me, one of those things that I'd rather keep a little more private and my own. And besides, it's something that happened to me. To another traveler who visits Finland and Karu MC, their whole experience would be totally different and therefore produce a completely different set of feelings.
Obviously some of the repairs that had to be done to the bike slowed me down considerably, but still, I could have got the problems sorted out and moved on I suppose. But I didn't. I chose to stay in Rovaniemi a bit longer.
And Heikki, the Karu MC club president, and also the Karu MC members, have chosen to let me stay in their club and be their guest for as long as I need to be. For that I am extremely grateful, and very thankful to be in such a wonderful position.
Sometimes you find yourself in a place and/or a situation that just seems to fit. Lapland and Karu are like that for me. It's not just one or two things. It's a little piece of everything and everybody. Of events, places, people, happenings. The right time in my life and the right place on my journey I guess.
Saying my goodbyes to Finnish Arctic Circle snow. Yes, there's a difference.
There's a special snow just above the Arctic Circle. Lappish snow.
Lots of lovely, white, fluffy soft Lappish snow.
The reason that I'm bidding Finland a temporary adieu, which I wrote about in my last post, is that a plan of sorts was made.
I never make plans anymore. Or do my best to try not to. But this is one of those times I had to. I had to make some sort of a plan in order to get a series of flights back to the US to spend the Christmas season with my Mum.
And since my bike has taken so long to get sorted out and repaired, mainly due to a delay in getting parts and then the winter setting in, I figured I'd fly back to the US and spend this winter with my Mum instead of rushing to try to put it back together. There are still some modifications and upgrades that I want to do to it, so rushing to put it back together just to park it for the winter would have meant it would have to come apart again next year to finish the repairs, so it just didn't make any sense to rush. I don't like rushing. That's when mistakes happen. The Finns don't like rushing either. Oh, wait. Sorry. It's Russia they don't like. My bad.
So I head back to the USA Nov 9th, only another few days. Well, depending on when this article gets published that is. By the time you read this post I may very well be back in the US.
So then I got to thinking, well, rather than sitting around with Mum in her apartment in Boulder, chewing the fat and talking about all the old complainers in the building she lives in, I thought well, why don't we go on another Road Trip, a Mums Road Trip Pt 2 together. So of course she was all game for that since she had such a great time on Mums Road Trip #1.
To read about Mums Road Trip Pt 1, click here, and here too.
This is quite a long post this week on the blog, it's 2 posts in one I guess since I last posted a month ago.
Many more photos, rest stories and people, here on Wherethehellismurph.
Jim K in PA
Adventurer
Great pictures as always Murph. Question: did you do some cleanup on the ones shot through the cabin windows on the plane? I am impressed with the clarity of the shots with foreground lighting. I usually get all kinds of artifacts in my cabin shots when I am facing the sun. Yours are stunning.
WheresMurph
Adventurer
Great pictures as always Murph. Question: did you do some cleanup on the ones shot through the cabin windows on the plane? I am impressed with the clarity of the shots with foreground lighting. I usually get all kinds of artifacts in my cabin shots when I am facing the sun. Yours are stunning.
Jim, thanks for the high praise on the cloud shots.
Yes, there's always editing done to photos, any photographer that tells you otherwise is probably lying.. Even Ansel Adams spent days, sometimes weeks in the darkroom adjusting each of his images. None of his work was SOOC.
I myself only use Lightroom 5 for post and have a standard set of adjustments I always do to nearly every photo: I turn down the highlights, turn up the whites a bit, +15 or so on the clarity, +25 or so on the sharpening and +25 on the shadows, depending on which lens I shot with. Those are the first corrections I do to nearly all my shots.
The above shot had those adjustments. However, it was using a Zeiss 85mm f1.4 Planar, so it needed very little adjusting as Zeiss clarity, sharpness and color rendition are just remarkable SOOC, straight out of the camera, as long as you're ok with MF lenses. And the f1.4 Zeiss Prime glass I find is much better for shooting into the sun than most other f2.8 or slower glass. Zeiss has a look all of it's own.
When you're shooting into a light source you have to make sure that your settings on your camera take that into account, low ISO, A of 15+ etc.
And of course it also depends on what camera and lens combo that you're using too.
If you have any questions on either gear and/or settings shoot me an email or pm me here and I'll be happy to see if I can help you out.
Best regards,
Murph.
That second cloud picture is great. As a kid flying to the west coast I always dreamed of jumping on those clouds like a trampoline.
Also, after reading the last post, I realize I know nothing about photography.
I always hated getting my picture taken. Taking time to pose at the Thanksgiving dinner etc. Now that I'm older I want some pics for memories. Any tips on the best place to start learning? A forum? My digital camera is broken, gone. I'd like a new one. Amateur status only.
Also, after reading the last post, I realize I know nothing about photography.
I always hated getting my picture taken. Taking time to pose at the Thanksgiving dinner etc. Now that I'm older I want some pics for memories. Any tips on the best place to start learning? A forum? My digital camera is broken, gone. I'd like a new one. Amateur status only.
WheresMurph
Adventurer
Hello Wainiha, thanks for reading.
My "go to" forum that I've been a member of for a number of years now is Fredmiranda.com
All my gear I have bought on FM from other members as it has a great "Buy and Sell" forum on it, probably the best assortment of forums out there. You don't have to join, registration is free though and will benefit you more in the long run. You only have to pay if you want to use the Buy and Sell forum and post photos of your items for sale, or if you want to enter the weekly or monthly assignments.
My other forum is dpreview.com another great source of info and reviews on camera gear.
As regards a new digital camera for you, they're progressing in leaps and bounds these days. Buy this months Sony and next month there's a new version out.
My philosophy on buying camera equipment is this: Buy once, buy right. Buy cheap, buy twice. Even though the only limitation to ANY camera gear, cheap or high end, is the operator, having the best equipment you can afford pays you back in many ways. First, it's an investment, and should you decide to sell it down the road, quality camera gear retains its value and is easier to sell. Second, having better gear to shoot with will enhance your photographic experience, as you look through the lens and also as you download your photos onto your computer and see the results of your endeavors.
So, what should you buy?. The large & medium size DSLR cameras are soon becoming obsolete and are being replaced with smaller and smaller systems.You can actually buy a pocket sized camera now that pretty much does the same thing as a full size DSLR, like the Full Frame Sony RX1r. Not the camera for you for many reasons, it's pricy and it only has a fixed 35mm lens, I'm just using it as an example of how professional photography is changing. Here's an example of the images that this little pocketable camera produces. I've been using one for a few months now and love it.
And here's a good article explaining what the difference is between a Crop Sensor and a Full Frame sensor on a camera. You'll be fine with a crop sensor, but it's always good to educate yourself on the difference between them.
Photography is an incredibly fulfilling and satisfying hobby, so the more you know the better your experience will be.
So, start here and do a little research and decide whether you just want a camera that just takes photos with little operator knowledge or whether you have an interest in photography itself.
Hope this isn't to much info for you and doesn't confuse you Wainiha. Let me know if you have any other questions, only too happy to help you.
Murph.
Jim K in PA
Adventurer
Yes, there's always editing done to photos, any photographer that tells you otherwise is probably lying.
Best regards,
Murph.
LOL - I'm no liar, and I have no photo editing software. I come from a different experience set, and my work had to be SOOC. I'll email you offline so as to keep the focus here where it should be.
WheresMurph
Adventurer
Yep, or pick a less expensive hobby
But like I mentioned in my previous post, Fredmiranda.com is an absolutely priceless resource, both for learning and great deals on used gear.
Good luck with it all....
Murph.
WheresMurph
Adventurer
AND A TEMPORARY HELLO TO BOULDER....
.
.
My Mum, the computer nerd.
It's really nice to be back in Boulder again, and of course it's great to see me Mum again too. Although, since she now has her iPad that she got back last May or June, she's now become so proficient at using it that using Skype for her is no problem anymore so we get to see each other every day no matter where in the world that I may be. She's morphed into a new old age surfer.
In the beginning of her indoctrination to the Way of the Apple she was ready to throw the iPad out the window in frustration probably about 4 or 5 times a day. Those special little moments are now, thankfully, in the past, as she deftly navigates and casually surfs her way through the Irish Times, NBC News, Wherethehellismurph.com, and also logs on to the Apple store here in Boulder and books her appointments for her weekly computer classes. All sorts of good stuff to keep her occupied and off the streets late at night where trouble awaits in the dark alleys and pool halls of Boulder.
86. It's the new 70.
Every country, city and town has it's positives and negatives. You'll find people who love the place and wouldn't live anywhere else, and people who are indifferent to it and treat it as just another town, and there's a few I'm sure who hate it. But for the most part, Boulder is a great place to live. It has a little bit of everything.
But for me, I really love the fact that it's such an outdoorsy town to be in. Whether it be the scenery, the running, the hiking, climbing or biking trails, there's no shortage of places to go in Boulder and the surrounding area to get your outdoors on. You will be hard pressed to run out of outdoor activities to do in Boulder.
There are 5 Flatirons, or Chautauqua Slabs as they were known circa 1900, of conglomerate sandstone that geologists age at around 290+ million years old.
And according to said geologists they were lifted and tilted into their present position between 35-80 million years ago. That narrows it down quite a bit, eh?. A bit like how comcast tell you "Yes, we'll be there between 8am and 5pm...On Thursday". They just don't tell you which Thursday.
Chief Niwot (Left Hand)
c. 1825-1864
Boulder Colorado, rich in history and turmoil that still continues to this day. A dramatically different kind of agitation and unrest that Chief Niwot (c. 1825-1864) was dealing with back in the mid 1800's as he lead the Arapahoe Indian tribe toward their winter grounds here in the Boulder Valley.
Most of the problems here in the Valley today seem to revolve around who can smoke what and where they can legally smoke it without getting arrested...and road sharing with cyclists.
Colorado, according to the CDC, has more people who exercise and fewer overweight people than any other state. And apparently, Boulders bicycle count is over 93,000. Which is nearly equal to its population of approximately 102,000. Most of my friends here have 2 or three bicycles, one road bike and one or two mountain or trail bikes. Serious biking town. Sometimes the city ploughs clear the Boulder Creek bike path before they plough the streets. I'm not sure about the validity of that last statistic so when I get back from my east coast trip I'm going to make some inquiries and find out if it's really true.
Chief Niwot, (Niwot means Left Hand) was the voice of peace in the early years of the Colorado Gold Rush, welcoming the first gold seekers (who were trespassers on Arapahoe lands) and permitted them to stay in the Boulder Valley. Left Hand was killed on November 29, 1864, along with about 150 Cheyennes and Arapaho at Sand Creek by U.S. volunteer troops. The slaughter is known as the Sand Creek massacre.
Official accounts never confirmed his death because Chief Niwot made it off the battlefield alive and back to the reservation where he died a few days later.
But even though Left Hand and the Arapahoe no longer winter here in the Boulder Valley, the Chiefs name still lives on. His spirit still inhabits the air and floats through Left Hand Canyon, Niwot Mountain and the town of Niwot.
The Arapahoe tribe will never leave the Valley. It's their home forever, just as it was before the white man came, and the street that Mum lives on here in Boulder is called Arapahoe Ave. Fitting indeed.
I wonder how many people that walk around Boulder today have any idea of how rich, deep and meaningful the history of this town and surrounding countryside really is. It must have been a really beautiful place back then, the Valley, the Flatiron mountains. The stunning, uninterrupted and unmolested beauty of the land. No Wally Worlds, no 7elevens or any other ugly looking buildings that seem to have infected the landscape of most modern towns today.
The natural beauty of the land changed and went downhill quickly when Chief Left Hand decided to let the white man stay about the time the Colorado gold rush started.
So I'm running out of space here on ExpeditionPortal for the remainder of the photos and article, so to read the rest of the post, please head on over to my blog HERE.
.
.
My Mum, the computer nerd.
It's really nice to be back in Boulder again, and of course it's great to see me Mum again too. Although, since she now has her iPad that she got back last May or June, she's now become so proficient at using it that using Skype for her is no problem anymore so we get to see each other every day no matter where in the world that I may be. She's morphed into a new old age surfer.
In the beginning of her indoctrination to the Way of the Apple she was ready to throw the iPad out the window in frustration probably about 4 or 5 times a day. Those special little moments are now, thankfully, in the past, as she deftly navigates and casually surfs her way through the Irish Times, NBC News, Wherethehellismurph.com, and also logs on to the Apple store here in Boulder and books her appointments for her weekly computer classes. All sorts of good stuff to keep her occupied and off the streets late at night where trouble awaits in the dark alleys and pool halls of Boulder.
86. It's the new 70.
Every country, city and town has it's positives and negatives. You'll find people who love the place and wouldn't live anywhere else, and people who are indifferent to it and treat it as just another town, and there's a few I'm sure who hate it. But for the most part, Boulder is a great place to live. It has a little bit of everything.
But for me, I really love the fact that it's such an outdoorsy town to be in. Whether it be the scenery, the running, the hiking, climbing or biking trails, there's no shortage of places to go in Boulder and the surrounding area to get your outdoors on. You will be hard pressed to run out of outdoor activities to do in Boulder.
There are 5 Flatirons, or Chautauqua Slabs as they were known circa 1900, of conglomerate sandstone that geologists age at around 290+ million years old.
And according to said geologists they were lifted and tilted into their present position between 35-80 million years ago. That narrows it down quite a bit, eh?. A bit like how comcast tell you "Yes, we'll be there between 8am and 5pm...On Thursday". They just don't tell you which Thursday.
Chief Niwot (Left Hand)
c. 1825-1864
Boulder Colorado, rich in history and turmoil that still continues to this day. A dramatically different kind of agitation and unrest that Chief Niwot (c. 1825-1864) was dealing with back in the mid 1800's as he lead the Arapahoe Indian tribe toward their winter grounds here in the Boulder Valley.
Most of the problems here in the Valley today seem to revolve around who can smoke what and where they can legally smoke it without getting arrested...and road sharing with cyclists.
Colorado, according to the CDC, has more people who exercise and fewer overweight people than any other state. And apparently, Boulders bicycle count is over 93,000. Which is nearly equal to its population of approximately 102,000. Most of my friends here have 2 or three bicycles, one road bike and one or two mountain or trail bikes. Serious biking town. Sometimes the city ploughs clear the Boulder Creek bike path before they plough the streets. I'm not sure about the validity of that last statistic so when I get back from my east coast trip I'm going to make some inquiries and find out if it's really true.
Chief Niwot, (Niwot means Left Hand) was the voice of peace in the early years of the Colorado Gold Rush, welcoming the first gold seekers (who were trespassers on Arapahoe lands) and permitted them to stay in the Boulder Valley. Left Hand was killed on November 29, 1864, along with about 150 Cheyennes and Arapaho at Sand Creek by U.S. volunteer troops. The slaughter is known as the Sand Creek massacre.
Official accounts never confirmed his death because Chief Niwot made it off the battlefield alive and back to the reservation where he died a few days later.
But even though Left Hand and the Arapahoe no longer winter here in the Boulder Valley, the Chiefs name still lives on. His spirit still inhabits the air and floats through Left Hand Canyon, Niwot Mountain and the town of Niwot.
The Arapahoe tribe will never leave the Valley. It's their home forever, just as it was before the white man came, and the street that Mum lives on here in Boulder is called Arapahoe Ave. Fitting indeed.
I wonder how many people that walk around Boulder today have any idea of how rich, deep and meaningful the history of this town and surrounding countryside really is. It must have been a really beautiful place back then, the Valley, the Flatiron mountains. The stunning, uninterrupted and unmolested beauty of the land. No Wally Worlds, no 7elevens or any other ugly looking buildings that seem to have infected the landscape of most modern towns today.
The natural beauty of the land changed and went downhill quickly when Chief Left Hand decided to let the white man stay about the time the Colorado gold rush started.
So I'm running out of space here on ExpeditionPortal for the remainder of the photos and article, so to read the rest of the post, please head on over to my blog HERE.
Cheers all.......Murph.
Jim K in PA
Adventurer
So where the hell is Murph these days? I know you posted on your blog in February, but nothing since?
I even got me a sidecar rig so I could be just like Murph . . . only not as cool. :sombrero:
I even got me a sidecar rig so I could be just like Murph . . . only not as cool. :sombrero: