Journal entries for January, 2008

This is a subject I've been giving a lot of thought lately. Motorcycles are known for getting great has mileage — in the 50-60mpg range for the larger 600cc bikes, and up closer to 80mpg or more for the smaller 250cc bikes. So I was surprised to hear people on forums talking about getting 12-15mpg out of their 600cc ATVs. I figured those posts must have been exceptions, but I've kept track of my own gas mileage on my ATV, and I've been averaging about 13.5 mpg. That's a lot worse than even my Buick, which averages 22, much less the Civic with its comfortable 31 mpg.

[Entry Continues...]

As I mentioned before, I'm planning on going along on the Windrock ATV Club's club ride on Saturday. The ride is scheduled to set out at 8:30 am though, so I figured I'd head up to Windrock today to be sure I knew how to find the place. And then I figured that, as long as I was heading up there, I may as well load up the ATV and go do a little riding. Aside from the obvious desire to just get out and ride, it would also be a good chance to be sure that my gear fits well, my clothes are warm enough, etc, without having 20 other people waiting for me to adjust things and try different arrangements. And it proved to be a good idea, because I did get lost several times trying to find the trailhead, so I'm glad I spent the time finding it today rather than early Saturday morning when it's dark and people are waiting for me.

[Entry Continues...]

For Christmas, Andrés, Amy, and I flew to Phoenix to spend the holiday with my extended family. One of the highlights of the trip was when we drove up to Sedona, rented ATVs, and went offroading amidst a Grand Canyon-like landscape.

I took the opportunity to strap on all of my bulky large-format camera equipment and take some 4x5" Velvia slides in the environment that was practically made for them. And I had a realization. I've had the large format camera for a few years, but I've barely ever used it, mostly because it's so big and heavy that I've been pretty much limited to the kinds of places I can reach with a car, which are seldom worth photographing. I'm not trying to make undue comparisons, but I remember reading Ansel Adams talking about having the same problem. He had a platform on the roof of his car from which he did a lot of his photography — for his longer jaunts into the wilderness, he packed most of his gear on a burro.

I realized that an ATV can be my version of a burro. I've always been interested in offroading, but when I realized that an ATV would both let me enjoy crawling over rough terrain plus let me strap down all my bulky large-format camera equipment and take pictures from places that I couldn't otherwise reach, it did me in — I had to have an ATV.

[Entry Continues...]

I left the stalagmite undisturbed after taking the picture in my last ice-stalagmite-themed post, and I discovered a few weeks later that it had apparently been on the move. Maybe it was thirsty, and wandered off in search of the cool, refreshing taste of Diet Coke®.

[Entry Continues...]

I know that the past generation was probably just as irreverent and wild as this one, and it was just as common for people to get drunk at parties and do crazy things. But there's hardly any evidence of it, so the past is safely behind us and now they can present a nice proper image to their kids, and most kids don't think to question that. So everyone growing up thinks that their parents are old and unhip and just don't understand what it's like to be a kid. It's not until you get past all those teenage years that you start to realize, "Hey, they were probably just as bad as me."

[Entry Continues...]