Gadget’s Airstream Chronicles

Monday I received a package in the mail.  It was expected.  After all, I ordered it!

Several weeks ago Sadira and I took a ride up to Sedona.  Sadira needed a case for her camera, and locally there weren’t many great bags available.  I’d checked Manzanita Outdoors, and the selection at the time was super slim (they must have had a run on camera bags.

Honestly I’m happy to say that our Sedona trip worked out great.  Rollies Camera had quite the selection.  They also had something I’d never seen before.  Crumpler bags.  Sadira ended up with a “4 Million Dollar Home.”  A cute little bag that will fit a digital SLR with a lens on it, one spare lens, and extra junk that you choose to load.  The pack got me thinking…….

The thinking continued to the point I finally ended up ordering a Crumpler bag.  I wanted to carry a little more, so I got the 6 Million Dollar Home.  I’ve already put gear in it too.  My Canon 30D with my 28-135mm lens on it, my 18-85mm Canon Lens, my 50mm Compact Macro Lens, and my 580 EX Speedlight.  Oh, also my off camera flash cable, my shutter release cable, several CF cards, and my battery charger.  I’ve still got some extra room, and I can lash a lens case to the outside of the pack.

Did I mention how compact the pack is, even with the room in it?  Probably not.

Gotta say, I’d heard about Crumpler last year, but I didn’t investigate them too closely.  After seeing the products in person I knew their cases would be something I would like.  Now that I’ve got one, I can tell you for a fact their cases are super!  I’ll let you know how it works over time.  I’ve had Lowe Pro packs for years, and they’re still doing well.  I’m hoping Crumpler will offer the same durability…..time will tell.

After so much driving to Phoenix over the past week I decided to stay out of the truck today. I must say though, the new tires do offer a wonderfully smooth ride……but I skipped rides today!

Late morning I decided to take a walk into the Dells with the camera, my climbing bag (full to the top), and work on some stock photo ideas I’ve been having. While I like the concept of the shots I think the lighting was all wrong. I need to go earlier.

It’s funny. The idea for the shots has been on my mind for a while. Some climbing gear, the backpack, etc., just sitting among the rocks. But not just any rocks. A very specific spot that I thought looked great one morning while we were climbing. So I lugged everything across the Dells to take a few photos of gear.

You know, my Airstream is backed right up against some really cool rocks. But they’re not the “right” rocks. The ones I wanted to use were way out there. So, a full pack for no climbing. Odd, but true.

As I made my way out into the Dells I had a real ankle turner. You always roll your ankles scrambling around in the rocks, but this ankle roll was on par with a few from years ago. When I recovered myself I was happy to see the ankle still intact. I rolled so hard I hurt the whole side of my foot as well. There’s some swelling…… oh, and I’m climbing tomorrow.

Yes, I’ve got ice handy.

After getting to my designated shoot spot I broke out the camera and started playing around. A few photos I like. 203 shots once again (filling the card in RAW format). But the lighting would have been better 3 hours earlier. Maybe tomorrow when we go climb I’ll have “that” light.

I spent a little while shooting, playing with slings, cams, stoppers, and my pack. Trying to get the bland yet not bland shot of gear. Stock photography is different. And I’ve been toying with other ideas for doing stock. I’ll be toying some more.

After shooting I packed up and started to head to another area to take photos. Then I stopped myself. No hurry, nobody’s schedule today, no calls needed. Nothing. Instead I plopped the pack down, watched the water from the cliffs, enjoyed a light breeze and a shady spot. Stayed for about 45 minutes.

With my super rest in the rocks done I headed off to another spot where I thought the mid-day light would be better. Shade hitting just the right way. I finished out my camera card there and packed it in.

If anyone was out watching me today they’d wonder who the hobbling guy is with the heavy looking pack. One thing I can say about the ankle roll is that my mind is completely off whatever I did to my tail bone. Trading one medium pain for a larger fresh pain really works. Is that why people re-couple quickly after a divorce? Whoops, thinking out loud there.

Several hours after setting out I returned to the Airstream, and did the “digital developing” routine. Several photos will be submitted. Many were deleted. There’s still a few on my hard drive that I’m puzzling over. They’ll remain there forever, because you always puzzle over them.

More on gear

As I worked on the photos I realized that I wanted to share more on the gear for the Airstream, climbing, and all of the rest. So today I’m sharing some information on camera protection.

Protecting your photo equipment while traveling can be tough. Protecting your equipment around people (Andy) can be tougher. Always keep a spare lens cap or two, or better yet, a shiny object or two in order to distract those folks……

During our last excursion into the Promised Land I found that my camera protection was beyond necessary. Slippery rocks, quick sand (several weeks ago), ankle rolls, etc. All of these things try to help you destroy your camera. But you don’t want it destroyed (unless you dig wasting big money). Every slip and fall I take I find myself grabbing the camera, and raising it up, out of the direction of my fall……works so far.

So, how can you keep the camera safe while slinging it all over the place?

For me I’ve re-discovered Zing Cases. I had one years ago. Every camera store I’ve walked into lately doesn’t carry them. So, a few months ago I did an online search. And they still exist! By the way, the photo above was taken a few feet from my trailer…..kept the hobbling to a minimum.

The Zing cases are made out of Neoprene. You know, the funny wet suit stuff? Yup, that’s the stuff. It handles minor impacts, keeps your camera from getting scratched, and helps to keep the dust and dirt out while wandering around in the woods (desert, arctic, rain forest, etc.).

As you can see in the photo above, my case already has a little hole in the front. Just a tear in the outer fabric, the case is fine. But that tear came from the camera swinging into a rock when I was scrambling over it weeks ago. The zing took the impact, the camera was fine. And the gray case is my normal “climbing” case, so it’s designated “abuse me.”

If you’re really into bomb proof protection there’s always a Pelican Case. They make the water proof plastic cases. Computer cases, electronics cases, camera cases, etc. If you think you’ll get wet, stumble down a snow covered pass several thousand feet, or you’re worried about being bombed, this case is for you.

My Pelican is many years old. It holds 1 camera and 3 lenses, along with a few extra junk items. It never ventures out on the trail with me. It’s better suited as a travel case. It’s also perfect for folks who are into water adventures. Airtight seal, floats, has a seal valve. The works. It’s also really hard to open after descending several thousand feet. That’s what the valve is for.

Both the Zing and Pelican have worked great for me. If you’re looking for some extra protection while tromping around, look for a Zing. If you’re looking for a bomb proof camera and lens travel case, Pelican.

Alrighty, enough posting from me today!

Ah, yet another climbing post. Shouldn’t this go on the new Climb AZ site? Sure, it will, but it’s also part of the Airstream Chronicles (especially this one). So it goes here too. Hey, content can cross more than one site folks!

Brooke & Andy popped over this afternoon for a little climbing. No beatings on Thor’s Wall today. This time we picked a different challenge back on Time Zone. Yes, I know, Time Zone has easier climbs, so what gives? Simple, we were practicing leading sport routes today.

Before I get into all that, we’ll rewind. I’ve had several notes from folks curious about climbing, what you bring, etc. So, this morning while cleaning my gear and checking it I took a super sloppy photo to show you what goes into the bag. Here’s the photo…..

So, what are you seeing here? Well, the braided items are slings that are used as anchors. 4 of them, 30 feet in length, but doubled up, so only 15 feet each in reality. All of the clips with straps and clips at the other ends are called “quick draws”. You use them to clip into bolts for protection when lead climbing. In total, 16 quick draws with two clips (beaners) each. Pretty darned heavy. Then there’s my climbing shoes, harness, chalk bag. The two sacks behind that stuff has 60 feet of static rope (for creating anchors as well), many locking beaners, extra belay devices, etc. In total, about 40lbs of gear in my pack. Oh, so what’s the pack look like?

My pack is a nice little Osprey day pack. Not huge, but not tiny. It’s a comfy pack, and best of all there’s an air cooled mesh screen on the backside that you can slip your water pack into. Very nice! But lately the pack seems very heavy.

So, there’s the answer folks. Gear and pack.

Now, on to today.

As I said earlier, Andy & Brooke popped over and we headed out to Time Zone again. That wall has several sport climbs, and we were going to re-do them, only this time leading them. Normally we top rope there, and leading changes the dynamic a lot. Top roping means you create an anchor on top of the climb, run your rope through the anchor, and climb. It means that if you fall, you only fall a short distance.

Leading you climb up to a bolt (place in the rock), put a clip in, and then put the rope through. If you fall before the bolt, you fall! Once you’re clipped to the first bolt you climb to the next, and clip in again. If the bolts are 10 feet apart, and you fall right before your next, you will fall 20 feet, plus some slack. Long ride down.

So, the dynamic of the climbing on a favorite wall changed for me today.

As we got ready to climb Andy decided to break open a snack.  You can see clearly above Andy used his “extra special” mind powers to open the wrapper and start in on his treat.  If you didn’t know, Andy’s a “special” guy.  Now you know a little more! 

Andy did the first lead on the same 5.5 he led the other week.  No surprises, no twists, no turns.  Then I headed up and cleared off the gear so he could do another.  He led a second route, this time a 5.6, and no surprises there either.   I went up after, and cleared the quick draws off once more.  Then it was my turn to lead the 5.5.

While I got ready, Brooke shot the photo above.  Andy loving on his “guns” as it were.  Hmm, I’m glad I don’t see everything all the time…..

I headed up with no troubles (although I was wondering it Andy was posing some more).  But I’ll tell you, I was nervous.  I haven’t led in forever.  And doing this style of climb is working without a net.  Top roping you know, falling isn’t a big deal.  So I kept telling myself to be sure I’m happy with every spot I placed a foot, thrilled with every handhold.  A little extra adrenaline to say the least.

After my first bolt and quickdraw I continued up.  2 more bolts, then the pair at the top of the climb.  Everything went fine, but it’s been a long time since I’d done this, and much had changed.  While confidence is being restored, this type of thing really calls it into question.  And it did that for me a lot today.

Moments like the shot above are the ones where you’re trying to work quick.  The last point of protection is a ways below you.  You’ve gotten a quickdraw into a bolt, the rope isn’t in there yet.  You’re not safe yet.  Unnerving.  Yup, that’s about it.

After I popped down from my first lead in forever Andy did another.  Then I did another.  Then Andy did one more.  Back and forth.  For both of us, today held the most climbs in one day.  We did many back and forth.  Finally Andy led the 5.8 (near Nick of Time).  He did well with it, so hoorah Andy!  I then went up afterward, clearing off gear so that we could wrap up and head in.

At the top I had an interesting experience.  I’d already hit the top several times, and removed the last quickdraws from bolts at the top of the climbs.  You get to the top where a pair of bolts lie.  You clip a small sling to your belt, then to the bolts.  You then take the quickdraws out, take yourself off the rope (hanging by your sling now), and feed the rope through the bolts in order to rappel down to the ground.  No problems, right?  Wrong.

On the last climb I cleaned up.  I got to the top, beaners on both sides of my harness, and I hooked in with my sling to the bolts at the top of the climb.  I untied the rope and felt uncomfortable, and ill at ease.  But I’d done the same thing 15 minutes earlier.  Hmmph!

If you drop the rope before you feed it through the bolts you’re screwed.  No rope, no way down.  I put the rope in my teeth while I rearranged.  Then I started feeding it through.  My sling was secure, but I just wasn’t happy.  The rope wasn’t going through the bolts fast enough, and for the first time in a long time I wanted DOWN!  I talked to myself about it while I was working and reminded myself this was an easy thing quite a while ago.  And I’d just done it.  No biggie.  But still, the adrenaline hit there, and it hit hard.

I finally got everything fed through.  Next big challenge, set up my own belay, make sure it’s good (while remaining calm), unclip my sling and head down.  It all got finished just right, but man, for 2 minutes I was well over the edge of my comfort zone.  Haven’t been there in a long time, nice to say.  All the same, I did it.  I’ve led again, I’ve unhooked on a wall again, I rapped off a climb again.  Progress, albeit uncomfortable progress.

So there it is for today.  I’ve been happy to regain so much that was toasted the past few years.  And some of it comes at the cost of extreme discomfort (believe me, there’s been a ton of that).  Today held another one of those moments.  And doing this stuff, it’s serious.  If you mess up it’s a long way down.

Well, I’m spent.  Glad to get out with my friends again.  Glad they pushed me to do more again.  Necessary, even if it didn’t all feel proper. 

I’ve always wondered how people get wonderful photos of fireworks. And now I know. That doesn’t mean I got wonderful photos of fireworks last night, but I did get photos of them!

We made our way to the largest rock formation in Point of Rocks RV park to watch the fireworks across the valley. Pioneer Park, the site where I participated in the Hike, Bike, Ride fund raiser, is easy to see from a high spot in the Granite Dells.

The evening was perfect. Temperatures in the 60’s, and a nice light breeze (at first). After sunset the winds picked up, and they really picked up.

Finally, while I was taking photos of a constellation (need to look up which it was), my friend Sadira told me the fireworks had started.

I spun the camera around on it’s tripod and got ready to shoot the fireworks. My first photos of fireworks ever.

Two things stood out to me when I started taking photos. The first, the book was right, I should have used my big zoom lens. I was hoping to get the mountains in the background. But the second problem had nothing to do with me being a novice. See, the fireworks were super low from my vantage point!

I’m figuring the fireworks were kept low for a good reason. The winds! It’s really dry here, and if any spark drifted too far, who knows? And it was windy, look at the photos and see the direction that the lights are drifting…..that was due to the wind.

The entire display went off well, and seems to have been conducted very safely. I’m glad to have seen it, and it was fun to watch the fireworks from the Granite Dells.

For my first fireworks photo shoot I’ve learned a few things. Bring the big zoom like the book suggested. Should have set it to about 200mm, but the zoom was in the trailer. My second lesson, try to be below the fireworks instead of being eye level with them.

I still like the photos, but this was my first learning experience. Oh, I even shot some video and it might be popping up as a podcast too.

Recently I got a Flickr Account. You can go there to see more of last evening’s photos. Rather than posting them all here, my favorites are now getting posted over there.

Hey, a non work related post. How nice. After all, I’m still Airstreaming, enjoying a pretty area, and being happy I found this town. Different things get priority in posts, and my mind has been heavily on finding work in this area!

Currently it’s heating up once more. The past week has seen some pretty high temperatures, and I’m staying out of that kind of sun. Believe me, the days are beautiful, but I need a chilled pool to enjoy this type of heat.

Yesterday we saw over 100 here again. Today we’ll break the 100 mark once again. According to my macintosh dashboard widget, 101 today. According to other services, 103 or 104. Whatever the actual temperature, it’s not Phoenix.

Last night I plugged my Elgato EyeTV in, and watched the news on my laptop. That’s right, I watched TV for the first time in a while. Why you ask? Curiosity. I wondered when the monsoons might begin, so I thought the folks on the news might give me some insights. They didn’t, but they did tell me the heat in Phoenix was high.

For fireworks last night in Phoenix at 9 p.m. they suggested a temperature still above 100. Here in Prescott we’ll see 60’s or 70’s at the worst. It cools off nicely here each night, and each morning I’ve seen temperatures below 60.

Staying in

So, what do I do hiding out inside? Well, the past few days I’ve been reading 2 books on Digital Photography. “Canon EOS 30D: Digital Field Guide”, and “The Digital Photography Book.” Both are good reads and easy to follow.

Also I’ve just about finished “PHP for the World Wide Web.” While I already knew a good bit about PHP I decided to do more with my free time. Going through the book I decided to install my own PHP setup along with a MySQL server. Both drive Wordpress, and Wordpress is what powers this web site. I want to customize my site further and create more tools for it as well. I can now experiment on my computer, rather than on the web server that readers come to every day (aren’t you glad, I’m not experimenting on you).

So, there’s the excitement indoors the past few days. Wonder how many readers I just lost?

Other things to do indoors

Of course, movies, radio, books on tape, etc., are all items that one can do indoors. And I’ve been doing them all. I’ll be watching the latest Ghost In The Shell movie this afternoon, and then probably take a nap. Staying up late tonight to photograph fireworks, so I’ll need a nap.

Finally, I’ve been thinking about gear to write about for readers. I’d mentioned the other week that I’ll be posting more about the gear I use. So I’ve been making the “check list.”

What’s in store for you today? How about towels? That’s right, towels.

I use quick drying towels while on the road. My favorite manufacturers are MSR and Aquis Adventure Towels. Even linking to them and giving some free advertising.

The microfiber towels were first “discovered” when planning for my AT hike in 2001. Normal towels are big and bulky, take tons of

space, and don’t pack well in a backpack. Repeat the list of drawbacks, and then apply it to an RV. It’s the same issue.

But microfiber towels don’t have those issues. Better yet, they pack away small, dry quickly, and dry you off quickly as well!

If you’re packing up for a short trip, several months, or going full time, I’d suggest checking into microfiber towels. They dry so fast compared to a normal towel too, and they’re super for drying up spills, even grape juice!

There’s the wrap up on today’s RV gear recommendation.

Yesterday I moved out of my favorite site. 93 was fantastic, large, and full of rabbits, quail, and 1 angry Robin. 89 is small, narrow, and doesn’t have great shade. Don’t think my rabbits will visit me here.

As you can see from the photo, tight site! Ah well, the Airstream makes any site look good. And once again, my awning is out. For the RVers reading along, it’s a ZipDee awning. I’m a big fan of their products, as they work well and are very tough!

When the Airstream was first purchased I didn’t know much about ZipDee. However, I bought a pair of their chairs as a joke. My thinking, “Hey, better have chairs to match my awning.” Glad I bought those chairs as a joke. They are by far the best camp chairs I’ve ever seen or owned.

The material on these chairs is the same as the awning material. They fold away to nothing. And the best part….they’re an extremely comfortable camp chair! If you’re in the market, check out ZipDee for yourself!

Waiting

Ah yes, still waiting. The decision was supposed to come down yesterday, yet it hasn’t. I know exactly why too. I used to hire people, so I know the deal.

Choice # 1 was probably offered the job. Choice #1 is probably thinking on the offer, weighing it against their current job, and reviewing how he / she felt about the role offered. When the offer was made they requested anywhere from 3 days to 1 week to make their decision.

If the first pick decides against it the offer will come to me. I’ve got one advantage. Getting to think about the role, the group, and the location all in advance. So in that way I’m glad Choice #1 is milling it over right now.

In the coming days, weeks, and months I’ll be adding some new categories about the gear I’ve used, and still use daily in my Airstream and for my outdoor activities. Often people notice things in my Airstream and ask, “Where’d you get that?” So, start watching for my big gear reviews. I’m sure there will be something that catches your eye as well.

If you’ve been reading for a while, you know there’s some favorite digital gadgetry that comes along with me. While some of it will pop up in these posts, the more technically oriented stuff will still be found at the Digital RV’s Blog site, and the Digital RV’s podcast site. Check those often too.

So, what should we talk about today? How about the recent clothing changes that have gone on at the Airstream Chronicles. There have been changes too. Why? Simple gang, being outdoors in Arizona requires some necessary changes from living in New Hampshire. It’s hot here now, and I’m in one of the cooler areas! Imagine Phoenix!

The picture to the right was taken mere moments ago. Let’s run it down!

• Tilley Hat: I’ve always like Columbia hats for hiking. But it’s different here. I needed more “shade”. With the rash & skin issues that have come up, keeping my face shaded has become more important. Plus I dig the Tilley!

• Ray Ban Sunglasses: I bought these last year. I’ve never owned a real pair of prescription sun glasses before. Here in AZ they are NECESSARY! Just hate coming indoors with them as everything goes dark!
• Roundtree & York Quick drying shirt: Nice light button up shirt. And it’s a “wicking” shirt like so many of my synthetic hiking shirts. I’m now sticking to white, tan, and other light colors. All of my dark shirts cook me here, so light is it!
• Columbia Shorts: I’ve got North Face and Columbia shorts only. I like thicker shorts for the rocks around here. My favorites are the North Face A5’s. I retired a pair yesterday that I owned for 4 years. They finally gave up, but sure did last a long time! And I always keep the shorts tan or olive. The shorts are a little darker, but they breathe well and are comfy in the mid-90’s.
• Chaco Hiking Sandals: My favorite sandals on the planet. Chacos have Vibram soles gang. What’s that mean? Simple, you can hike anywhere in these sandals. One of my favorite pieces of foot wear. If you’re looking for a comfortable hiking sandal that works as well as a boot, check out Chacos!

Well, there you go. The first listing of the gear I use day to day here at the Airstream Chronicles. If you’re looking for great outdoor wear, check places like REI or EMS. I’m lucky here in Prescott. I have Granite Mountain Outfitters right down the road, and Manzanita Outdoors as well. Both are great climbing and hiking stores with fantastic selections. If you come to Prescott check them out!