Catch 22

If you are out doing cool things, then you aren't at home writing a blog. If you are at home writing a blog, you aren't out doing cool things.

The last four months I have been so successful in filling up my weekends and free time with awesome stuff that I haven't had any time to write about any of it... I hate that! While I have photos from everything, the most I've been able to do on this blog is make an entry placeholder with a short outline of each event. With some luck, I'll be able to back-fill the entries with stories and photos sometime soon.

Here's a quick look at the blog entries that are "under construction" (Jan 2012 - Apr 2012):

• Tahoe and SnowGlobe and NYE
• MTB and Motorcycle
• Buying a car
• Missing a Mammoth storm and *almost* buying another car
• Colorado ski trip
• Malibu Creek rock climbing
• Birthday go karts, flying go karts
• Mountaineering Trip: San Gorgonio
• Stories of a psychotic roommate
• Vegas on St. Patty's Day
• Ski trip with coworkers
• Mountaineering Trip: Mt. Whitney Mountaineer's Route
• Coachella
• Beer tasting in San Diego

Unfortunately, the next four weekends are full of climbing trips, moving to Ventura, and hiking in the Grand Canyon. Maybe I'll take a weekend just to write in the blog, but I'll have to do it before June when I go to Central America...

Ya, I love my life. 

Easter morning, nearing the summit of Mt. Whitney

Christmas in Idaho

For the first half of my Christmas to New Years break, I went back home to visit with family and friends for a few days. I planned this trip way too late, so to keep ticket prices reasonable, I flew in on Christmas Eve, but I got there with enough time for dinner and some friends to visit. No more than 20 minutes after I arrived, my buddy and his family showed up with a bottle of wine to say hello.

I'll be honest, I love Christmas. Oh, sorry, that's not a manly thing to say... I should complain about awkward family gatherings and annoying festive atmosphere everywhere, right? Well guess what, I like Christmas lights, Trans Siberian Orchestra rocks, fancy liquor, wine, and beer is everywhere, and oh by the way I actually enjoy time with my family (contrary to what most TV Sitcoms would want you to think). I also like getting gifts for people, they may not always be a hit but who complains about getting free stuff?

Christmas. Look at those delicious cookies and then tell me you hate the holidays.

We had a fake tree for the first year ever, but I actually liked it. Look at that picture below, you are lying if you think you can tell its fake. With a high ceiling like that, a tree from a lot would cost over $100, so normally we grab a cheap permit and head into the forest to cut down our own tree. The plastic one is pretty nice though, and just think of all those happy trees that we won't kill... Bob Ross would be proud.

"Thanks for getting all those damn boxes out of my way."

Awesome, useful, not over the top, nor influenced by commercials! Sweet!

After Christmas festivities, I spent some time hanging out with friends from the High School years. Got to see a surprising number of people in the 3 days I was home. Everyone seems to be carving out a pretty awesome life for themselves! One of the nights, a case of beer spawned an idea to go shooting the next day, and we followed through with it. Had a great time out with a couple shotguns trying to hit clays. My buddy who lives in NYC put it best:

"When in Idaho..."

I don't know what it was exactly, but the clays seemed difficult to hit today. I nailed my first shot (first ever from a proper shotgun) but we were all pretty low percentage for most of the day.

Olen (above) pulled an amazing George Costanza and ended after one of his hits... I on the other hand went like 0 for 10 and the very end of the day.

Dan with the double barrel.

After the shotgun rounds, we took out Dan's handgun (I forget the model) and we shot some ground targets. Definitely a fun way to spend a day since things like snowboarding were out of the question. I left a couple days after Christmas down to South Lake Tahoe for snowboarding, New Years, casinos, and the Snowglobe Music Festival. (More on that soon)

DIY GoPro Pole Mount

This year, I decided I wanted to step up the snowboard filming a little bit. Last year it was mostly hand-held goPros... which can be ok, but leaves room for improvement. I have been seeing some cool videos taken by mounting the goPro on a pole and using it to point at yourself, someone else, or get a higher/lower shooting angle. There is a commercially available solution for this (The go-pole, $40) but I was feeling like a crafty cheap-ass and thought I could make my own.

I decided on using one of the goPro mount extensions, rather than one of the clip-mounts, and after hunting around Home Depot with it in hand I came up with what I thought would be a good plan. Here is the basic shopping list:

* 36" PCV riser (sprinkler section)
* 1/2" PVC cap
* 1/2" PVC 90 degree elbow, threaded both sides

also needed:
* goPro mount extension
* glue (I used PVC Pipe Cement)
* small file

Materials For DIY Pole Mount

You will quickly notice that the goPro mount piece does not actually fit inside the threaded elbow. I was able to pretty easily get a tight fit by lining up the mount as straight as I could and marking the corners. Then, take a file with a corner (90 degree if you have it) and file notches into the internal threads of one side of the elbow joint. Do this a little at a time and keep checking the fit of the black goPro mount extension, you want it pretty tight in there.

File Notches Into Threads

Here you can see the resulting fit I was looking for. The black piece fits tightly into the filed notches. It is held in line with the pole, which is attached to the other end of the elbow joint.

Mount Extension Fits Into Notched Threads

I searched around the shop at my work for some kind of glue to attach the black goPro mount to the threaded PVC elbow. Eventually I found a can of Christy's Red Hot Blue Glue - PVC Pipe Cement. If you are using a glue like this, be careful. The fumes from this stuff are some of the strongest chemical fumes I've ever been around, I would definitely recommend a vent hood or something. My nose is burning just writing this paragraph.

I am not an expert in gluing plastics, so it is totally possible that this is the wrong choice in glue and that you know of a better one. It seemed to work pretty well for this application on the two days I've taken it snowboarding so far.

Glue Used To Secure Mount Piece

I applied the glue to the threads and the mount piece, and assembled it quickly while the stuff was still wet.

Mount Piece Glued In Place

Screwing on the cap and the elbow complete the basic pole mount. I left it alone for 24 hours so the glue could set.

Assembled Pole Mount

I checked the weight of the assembly, it is 0.723 lb, which is roughly 78 grams heavier than the go-pole that I linked above.

The materials cost for this project came out to $3.67, much better than the $40 solution if you ask me! However, I did have to sacrifice one of my mount extension pieces to this project, and didn't have to buy glue which could probably be expensive.

Project Materials Bill

Follow-up:


After two days of using this on the mountain, I have some comments on design and performance. Also, you can see some pictures from the setup in this other blog post. 


1.  I liked the pictures and videos we were able to take with this, everything I had hoped for.
2.  Need to fashion a wrist strap, I am working on this now. We didn't ever lose the thing but it would be good peace of mind.
3.  A bit of grip tape helped, I used the same stuff I use for my hockey stick.
4.  After a crash, we noticed one of the black mount legs had snapped, but we still used it for another day.
5.  After another (worse) crash, the goPro housing leg next to the snapped mount leg also broke.


I was able to make another elbow-mount to attach to the pole (sacrificed another mount extension for this)  and I was able to repair the housing. I'll evaluate the durability a bit more next week in Tahoe and report back if anything else breaks.

Lunch Flight - Camarillo

Some of my coworkers are avid pilots, and roughly once a month a bunch of us will go out for an extended lunch break and fly to one of the airports in the area.  This week we chose to fly to Camarillo Airport, and had 5 aircraft participating. I sat in the right seat of the Mooney shown above. 


For this flight, we departed Whiteman Airport and flew via Burbank, Santa Monica, Malibu, and then to Camarillo. As we transitioned through the Burbank airspace, a Southwest 737 took off and climbed out just next to us. On the return leg, we stayed inland and flew over Simi Valley and through the Santa Susana Pass (Rocky Peak).

Track of the day's flight path

The air was surprisingly clear, with no cloud cover and a smog layer pushed more southeast toward downtown. We crossed over the Hollywood Hills, tried to spot some movie stars at their pools (none today sadly), and crossed the 405 at the Getty Center. 

I am still trying to figure out how to get the aerial photographs to look nice, and am having some trouble with both window and air clarity... I think it just comes down to doing some post-processing of the image to remove the hazy washed-out look. The pictures I loaded here are all "fixed" in that way already, so if they still look like shit, well then go find some other blog to read :) 

The Getty Center

Though it was clear out, we were in some pretty bumpy air for the whole trip. Personally, I like the turbulence. Unless you are out to get some flight test points done or performance data gathered, it is fun to feel the air bouncing the plane around. Sometimes it is easy to forget the amount of energy being carried as wind and turbulence in our atmosphere, but you feel it pretty tangibly when riding in a small-ish aircraft.


As we flew over the Santa Monica coastline and headed up towards Malibu, I took over the controls of the Mooney. For the most part we were between 2500 and 3500 feet high. Turning inland after Point Dume, we hit some pretty big turbulence from east winds rolling around some hills, both the guy in the back seat and I hit our heads on the roof with the worst of it.

Looking out the nose over the Pacific Palisades / Malibu

Lots of traffic around Camarillo as we called for landing, winds were shifting also and right after we landed, they changed active runways. Lunch was tasty, we had people trickling in because of the variety of starting airports and travel times. We had hoped to do a little formation flying on the way out after lunch, but with all the traffic it became too difficult to coordinate takeoffs. We left first in the Mooney, and we are way faster than the Piper Warrior and Cessnas, so we just booked it back to Whiteman.

Today's payload

In past outings like this, we have gotten the airplanes together, and can usually get some cool pictures like the one below. 

The Warrior and Pitts forming up on a flight from earlier this year

As we flew back, we saw mostly agricultural fields until getting over Simi Valley, and when we crossed Rocky Peak I got a good look at some of the mountain biking trails I've been riding recently (Rocky Peak Road and Hummingbird).  Overall, the trip cost about $28 in the Mooney (plus lunch), and took us four and a half hours. We are thinking about making Mojave the next destination, or possibly an overnight camping flight.  

PS, take a look at this cool experimental we saw at Camarillo, turbine powered and looking pretty. 

Mammoth Weekend: Good Friends and Groomers

Despite the lack of snow and 5 hour drive, I was convinced by a couple friends of mine that a trip to Mammoth for the weekend would be a good idea. It was.

Thomas and Josh (said friends) drove up to meet me at work and tackle the 5 hour drive. Since Josh was afraid of car trouble, we decided to swap out my shitty car for his. Pretty much the only way we were going to fit 3 boards, 3 people, 3 magnums of champagne, and 3 cases of beer in the car was with the boards shotgun and the guys in back. I put on my chauffeur hat and we hit the road early enough to make it by 9pm, just in time for some Mammoth Double Nut Brown and Thin Mint shots:

1 part Rumple Minze Peppermint Schnapps

1 part Frangelico Hazelnut Liquor

(i think)

We hit the mountain early enough and met up with our local friends for some spring condition groomer runs. Wait, what month is it? The lack of coverage was pretty well combated by the snow makers on the runs that were open, and even made for some neat pictures like this one.

We were testing out a new goPro mount I made as we rode. I pieced together a little homemade pole mount for about three fiddy, if I have time I may post the instructions. It seemed to work out pretty well, but after one too many crashes we did end up snapping some of the mount piece. Fixable.  Here's a video still with Josh and Thomas gettin' steezy (steezy).

Our host for the weekend (thanks Sandra!) shredded it up with us on her 23rd day of the season so far. Rough life Sandra.

Turns out, it was Night of Lights weekend at Mammoth, the second year in a row I have accidentally been able to go. We headed off the mountain to relax for a couple hours before heading out to Canyon for the party. Night of Lights includes:

* Synchronized Snow Cat Driving
* Synchronized Skiing (with flares)
* Christmas Music
* FIREWORKS
* Wooly and Santa
* Beer

 We were standing right up there where the "M" is in this cool picture Mammoth posted.

Sweet Night of Lights pic from Mammoth's Facebook Page

 After the show, there was a concert by The Naked And Famous. I hadn't known who the band would be beforehand, so this was a pretty cool surprise. These guys were good live, and I was really enjoying the music right up until someone from the crowd hurled a beer bottle at the band. They stopped for a minute and told the crowd to shape up, then came back on with Young Blood and rocked about half of it before another beer bottle hit the guitarist and they stopped the show for good. Thanks jackass.

The Naked And Famous on stage at Night of Lights, from Mammoth's Facebook Page

After heading back to Sandra's place, Thomas and I proceeded to completely dominate everyone on the Foosball table for about two hours. Copious penalty shots of tequila for the losing teams were had. Also, we introduced one of our English buddies to a friendly game of Fuck The Dealer where he was somehow unceremoniously punished much more than normal. Sandra and her roommates had the place pretty festive.

 Overall it was a great trip, Sunday was getting a little crowded on the mountain so we called it early, watched some football and drove back down south. Kickass weekend everybody!

Trip Report: Mt. San Antonio / Mt. Baldy

Dec. 10, 2011

My hiking partner Julia and I began the path to the Ski Hut at just before 10 AM, a bit of a late start but still acceptable considering the two hours drive time and beers consumed the previous night.

The first thing we noticed, and what sums up the whole day: 

“There is no snow on this mountain.”

A cloudless sky and high temperatures for mid December accelerated the warm up and made me regret my layering decisions. After my nose settled into the shock of clean dry air, we settled into an easy pace and reached the Ski Hut about an hour and a half after we set out. It was looking pretty nice, lots of people taking advantage of the weather to complete repairs and maintenance.

The view from the Hut was a bit depressing for those of us itching for some skiing/riding. Unless you break out the rock skis, it will be a while before hitting these slopes. A few patches of Thanksgiving snow remained in the shaded couloirs.

We did encounter a patch or two of snow/ice on the trail, some of which were deviously slippery. Out of solidarity for my spike-less companion and considering time vs benefit, I left my crampons in the pack for this class 4 section to the left : )

And yet another view of the bald slopes beneath Baldy.  

It looks like spring up here.

In total it took us about 4 hours to reach the summit today. The pace was pretty relaxed overall, and it was great to be out in this kind of weather. I personally have never hiked this hill without snow, and was surprised to see the summit sign and nice looking windbreaks.

The sky was clear in all directions and we caught some interesting shine off the channel waters. It was surprisingly calm on top, with winds starting to pick up only as we departed, I would estimate the temperature somewhere between 50 and 60 F.

 

We caught a neat view of what I think is Long Beach through the smog, looking out to the islands with the afternoon light reflecting off the ocean. I guess I should clean my camera…

After taking in the sights and a few photos, we decided to hike down along the Devil’s Backbone ridge trail, which neither of us had done before. A few other hikers gave us the general plan, and we set off along the ridge. This trail had some great views that were new to me, and in several areas there were nice dropoffs to either side of the path. Eventually we came to the Baldy Ski Area and finished the hike down under the chairlifts. Overall a great hike, fun to get above the smog.

Think Snow!!!