What Did You SEE on Your Last Ride?
09-19-09, 02:37 PM
#1
Spin Meister
Thread Starter
What Did You SEE on Your Last Ride?
Yesterday, as afternoon turned into evening, I turned my eyes - and the lens of my camera - to my surroundings on a ride into the Santa Monica Mountains of Los Angeles. I love riding my bike, and sometimes I like taking in, with a more careful eye, what I'm riding by.
There are some rules I try to follow when I make photographs from my bike. For example, I try to make my photographs on the way down from a climb because, when I'm climbing, that's all I can concentrate on. On the flats, I'll consider pulling my camera out of a jersey pocket if I'm not hammering. And I try to make my photographs while standing over the top tube.
And as often as not, I photograph while riding solo, first because I wouldn't want to hold up other riders, and second (and somewhat paradoxically), because not many cyclists are willing or able to rise to the heights I do.
Some of these photographs are variations on themes I've developed here before, which for me is part of the fun of photography, my rides, and the forum.
What do you see when you ride?
Above: My shadow precedes me along the upper reaches of Hollywood Blvd. (which here is just a narrow road on in a residential neighborhood perched on the side of the Santa Monica Mountains.
Above: Water reflects the wall of a house, along the edge of a driveway on Rising Glen Avenue.
Above: The view out over Hollywood, from Collingwood Drive, on a day when coastal haze was sucked inland by the heat of California's interior deserts.
Above: A home is cantilevered over the open maw of a canyon.
Above: George Harrison wrote, "There's a House on Blue Jay Way" in this house on Blue Jay Way, while he was marooned there with the Beatles for a few days.
Above: This is Case Study Number 22 from my perspective, and the photograph, by Julius Schulman, that made the house famous is here.
There are some rules I try to follow when I make photographs from my bike. For example, I try to make my photographs on the way down from a climb because, when I'm climbing, that's all I can concentrate on. On the flats, I'll consider pulling my camera out of a jersey pocket if I'm not hammering. And I try to make my photographs while standing over the top tube.
And as often as not, I photograph while riding solo, first because I wouldn't want to hold up other riders, and second (and somewhat paradoxically), because not many cyclists are willing or able to rise to the heights I do.
Some of these photographs are variations on themes I've developed here before, which for me is part of the fun of photography, my rides, and the forum.
What do you see when you ride?
Above: My shadow precedes me along the upper reaches of Hollywood Blvd. (which here is just a narrow road on in a residential neighborhood perched on the side of the Santa Monica Mountains.
Above: Water reflects the wall of a house, along the edge of a driveway on Rising Glen Avenue.
Above: The view out over Hollywood, from Collingwood Drive, on a day when coastal haze was sucked inland by the heat of California's interior deserts.
Above: A home is cantilevered over the open maw of a canyon.
Above: George Harrison wrote, "There's a House on Blue Jay Way" in this house on Blue Jay Way, while he was marooned there with the Beatles for a few days.
Above: This is Case Study Number 22 from my perspective, and the photograph, by Julius Schulman, that made the house famous is here.
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This post is a natural product. Slight variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and are in no way to be considered flaws or defects.
This post is a natural product. Slight variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and are in no way to be considered flaws or defects.
Last edited by icyclist; 09-19-09 at 05:08 PM.
09-19-09, 03:40 PM
#2
B+ roadie I guess?
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Well, technically I didn't see this *while* riding, but rather as we were waiting for everyone to meet before we started our ride -
Some guy was pulling out of a gas station with the pump still in his gas tank. It pulled the entire hose off with a *pop*. Guy apparently didn't realize it until the 20 of us cyclists were yelling at him on his way out. He turned around and took it back into the gas station, then came out couple mins later and left.
I'm surprised that the entire gas pump station didn't come off...
Some guy was pulling out of a gas station with the pump still in his gas tank. It pulled the entire hose off with a *pop*. Guy apparently didn't realize it until the 20 of us cyclists were yelling at him on his way out. He turned around and took it back into the gas station, then came out couple mins later and left.
I'm surprised that the entire gas pump station didn't come off...
09-19-09, 03:49 PM
#3
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Animals
I saw several deer, a racoon, a porcupine, squirrels and cats-no cars or people. Excellent.
09-19-09, 03:56 PM
#4
Travel light
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I saw a bear who was about to cross the road in front of me. Instead, he did an abrupt about-face and ran back into the woods. I've been in my present location for 22 years, and until this summer, never saw a bear. I've seen two in the last 6 weeks, both from the bike.
09-19-09, 05:22 PM
#7
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Three roadkill skunks today on the Pedal For Pets ride... we left the poorly marked route and made our own, ended up doing near 60 and discovered a new bike path on the way back. Here's a twitpic from my mobile phone moved to imageshack:
09-19-09, 05:31 PM
#8
Elite Fred
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Today I saw a guy naked laying in the woods probably high on 'shrooms with his buddies on the side of the pavement and a local yelling at me to use my cell phone to call the police.
09-19-09, 06:09 PM
#9
Living Notoriously Well
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Wednesday saw a bald eagle (young, just starting to change color) from about 10 feet, and a Donkey.
Yesterday saw a Big gopher tortoise and some love bugs.
Today... Not much to speak of... some glass on the road?
Yesterday saw a Big gopher tortoise and some love bugs.
Today... Not much to speak of... some glass on the road?
09-19-09, 06:20 PM
#11
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09-19-09, 08:31 PM
#12
Spin Meister
Thread Starter
franknstein wrote:
>I don't carry a camera, so I use my phone.<
It's the photographer, not the camera, that counts. Nice photos.
>I don't carry a camera, so I use my phone.<
It's the photographer, not the camera, that counts. Nice photos.
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This post is a natural product. Slight variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and are in no way to be considered flaws or defects.
This post is a natural product. Slight variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and are in no way to be considered flaws or defects.
09-19-09, 09:24 PM
#13
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Couple of does...did the deer have a little doe? yeah 2 bucks nyuk nyuk nyuk...dead skunk, several brave chipmunks, a squirrel with a huge, to the squirrel, apple in its' mouth, Lake Ontario...amazing cloudless blue sky and water, the leaves starting to change...ugh winter's coming and just a few cars...a great ride.
09-19-09, 09:29 PM
#14
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Yesterday was two large (berry fattened) black bears on the side of the road. They didn't give me a second glance, but I sure cast more than a few their way.
09-19-09, 09:32 PM
#15
.....
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Well, technically I didn't see this *while* riding, but rather as we were waiting for everyone to meet before we started our ride -
Some guy was pulling out of a gas station with the pump still in his gas tank. It pulled the entire hose off with a *pop*. Guy apparently didn't realize it until the 20 of us cyclists were yelling at him on his way out. He turned around and took it back into the gas station, then came out couple mins later and left.
I'm surprised that the entire gas pump station didn't come off...
Some guy was pulling out of a gas station with the pump still in his gas tank. It pulled the entire hose off with a *pop*. Guy apparently didn't realize it until the 20 of us cyclists were yelling at him on his way out. He turned around and took it back into the gas station, then came out couple mins later and left.
I'm surprised that the entire gas pump station didn't come off...
09-19-09, 09:58 PM
#16
You gonna eat that?
Our breakfast ride this morning went downtown (Fort Worth).
We saw... Cruise for the Cure, a charity classic car show and cruise day right on Main Street.
We saw... Cruise for the Cure, a charity classic car show and cruise day right on Main Street.
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I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
Originally Posted by bragi 
"However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
09-19-09, 10:13 PM
#17
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i saw some jackass kid get sideways in a turn coming down a hill going way way too fast... i thought i was going to have to pull bodies out of a truck.. lucky for me i didn't have to get blood all over my sweet jersey..
09-19-09, 10:41 PM
#18
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Tarantula’s sunning themselves on the road. Four piles of coyote poop. Lots and sand, gravel and various road debris. Lake Pueblo from above and at a distance.
09-19-09, 10:45 PM
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riding from Santa Rosa to the coast and back today I saw an uncommonly large number of female cyclists, more than I have ever seen in one day before.
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09-19-09, 10:48 PM
#20
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A whole bunch of dead stniking skunks, a few turkey's, a lot of bees, way to many cars, and whipping tree branches. Not a fun ride.
09-19-09, 11:02 PM
#21
death from your left
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I saw 3 ****** bags in matching yellow corvettes driving like ****ing #$$%^*&*. One of which damn near ran me over as he, without looking, pulled from the side of the road into the middle of the lane, where I was, to get next to one of the other guys parked on the side of the road so they could talk about how much better their cars made them feel about being middle aged fat guys with short comings in their pants. Or maybe it was about what they used to slick back their hair, it's a toss up.
Thankfully it was a convertible so I know he heard me yell at him.
oh ya I think I saw some birds and stuff too
Thankfully it was a convertible so I know he heard me yell at him.
oh ya I think I saw some birds and stuff too
09-20-09, 06:38 AM
#22
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I saw 2300 bikes at the MS ride. It was tough counting. Got mixed up at 2048 and had to start over.
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09-20-09, 06:43 AM
#23
Senior Member
God, or maybe one of his henchmen.
Whenever I see a dead animal in or near the road, I say a prayer to my beloved dog Rommel who is in heaven, to take care of them, show them the ropes in heaven.
Whenever I see a dead animal in or near the road, I say a prayer to my beloved dog Rommel who is in heaven, to take care of them, show them the ropes in heaven.
Last edited by ThinLine; 09-20-09 at 06:46 AM.
09-20-09, 06:46 AM
#24
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On our last ride my wife and I saw a buzzard sitting on the side of the road. This was on a 11% climb, as we passed it just watched us but did not move. When I turned around it was following us up the road. We figured it was waiting for us to bonk and we climbed the best we have ever done so we could get away from it. (Actually happened) never seen one just sit there and then follow anyone before.
09-20-09, 06:46 AM
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A five foot long black snake slithering across the W&OD trail at around 1pm yesterday; luckily I was not hammering and had slowed up to take a drink from the water bottle, otherwise I may have run right over it. I hate snakes!
