Well, here are a couple of photos of this great, tiny GPS tagger. It works GREAT. It will even tag RAW (NEF) files. Best of all, there is no converting or any kind of messing about to do with your photos! Just click on Geotag in your Nikon View and, voila, your images will be added directly to Google Earth or Panoramio. Couldn't be easier.
06/16/2010
Nearly Ready For The Off
I've been messing about with photo-editing - not too sure about this effect, but just for fun....
ALL this stuff, apart from the mirror on the floor, has to go on the bike!
Jan has just fitted a new rear tyre - we only get one trip from the rear one as it takes all the weight. The nobbles of rubber from new still remain on the outside edges - whilst the centre tread is gone. Shows we can't do curves on our side!
So, we may be ready to hit the road on Sunday - fingers crossed.
Yesterday, Pete discovered one of the ash trees had a fatal borer worm, so the four of us started to do some drastic surgery. The whole tree has to be cut down. All covered in beetles and sawdust, we went through a case of beer.
06/14/2010
Ohio - Tornado Damage
Last Saturday, while we were still in Canada, SIX category F3 tornadoes scathed their destructive paths through north west Ohio and south eastern Ontario. A total of 11 people were killed.
Yesterday Barb and I were driving to Toledo and had to pass through a small town in this area that had been hit. Milbury looked like a war zone and has been given 'disaster area' status. The Red Cross are set up in the local church – and although the injured are now being treated in hospitals, Red Cross remain in place to give tetanus shots and to treat injuries sustained whilst the cleaning up continues.
I felt really bad taking photographs – I would rather have got out of the truck and volunteered to help.
But take a few I did.....
Barb and I were on our way to Toledo Zoo. I have lots of photos to sort through, but here are a few.
Later on, back at home, we sat and messed about with the bikes – we are planning to set up some shots with the theme of Bad Bikers.
I have been using my nGPS and it works great, but with limited time using the library wi-fi, the actual mapping of the ride will have to wait until we are back in a motel with wi-fi so I can sort that out.
No real departure date set for leaving here as yet – perhaps it will be towards the coming weekend. At the moment, we are just enjoying being with good friends for a while.
06/09/2010
Unexpected
To while away the day while the bike was having a makeover, we decided to walk into the downtown area of Lansing.
Although a little drizzly when we set out, the sun soon appeared and made the 4 mile walk a bit of a hot trek. So first priority was a coffee.
Across the road, on the steps of the lovely Capitol building, was a large crowd and some sort of speech thing going on. We also noticed a lot of motorcycles around town.
As we approached, we realised it was an A.B.A.T.E. (American Bikers Aiming Toward Education) rally. Well, we are members of ABATE (in fact, the only European members). What a coincidence, ESPECIALLY, when we bumped into a friend, Ed who is executive director of the Ohio branch.
The Michigan branch, with the support of bikers from many other states, have been campaigning to have the law making the wearing of helmets compulsory, repealed. Now, I have to say here, I personally believe helmets save lives and would never NOT wear one. But the argument here is that it is up to the rider to make the choice. In some states helmets are compulsory, in others, voluntary.
From The Lansing State Journal, today:
The rally was organized by the American Bikers Aiming Toward Education group of Michigan.
The motorcycle helmet law modification bill, HB 4747, was passed in the State House of Representatives earlier this year. Speakers at the rally included motorcyclists and state legislators who support the bill. The Senate has not taken up the bill.
"It's not that we want to ride without, it's that we want the freedom to choose," said Vince Piacenti, treasurer for ABATE Michigan.
Motorcycle safety was also a major focus of many people there.
"We want to prevent the accident, not make a safer crash," Piacenti said.
06/08/2010
Motel Hell
Over 4 years and more than 30,000 miles of travel in the USA, we have learned that motels can be heaven or hell - price is no guarantee, as the only time we ever found bed bugs in the room was in one of the more upmarket chain hotels. The cheaper-end motels, however, are especially unpredictable.
There were plenty of motels in this town - Lansing, Michigan. Another Guzzi friend had sent us a list of them. But, thanks to the combination of us enjoying the 'mom and pop' type of motel, where you can put the bike right outside your door (rather than carry the panniers and the big bag through corridors and up stairs) and, in this case, having to be without the bike for at least one day, we decided to try the motel nearest to the workshop.
The Bell Motel didn't look inviting. In fact it - and the other 3 in close vicinity - were all pretty shabby - but the Bell Motel looked about the best of a bad bunch.
Well, from the outside.
I have learned some things over our travels and one is to ask to see the room. The owner came along with the key, opened the door and let me peek in. For $35, it seemed ok, so we filled in the card and paid.
Once inside though, UGH
To be fair, the bed seemed quite clean and the carpet was fairly new. But the bathroom gave me the heeby-jeebies. I used a tissue to turn the tap. Jan accused me of being obsessive-compulsive. I said he was a typical man with low housekeeping standards.
There was a fridge and a microwave, but you wouldn't want to put your trash in them
No Wi-Fi. Hell, what do you expect for $35, Jan asked.
Yes there was a phone - but it didn't work; we had to go find a phone box up the road. We rang the workshop, but the owner was driving back from Arizona and was still in Oklahoma.
Well, we were here now.
The only place to get a drink or a sandwich was a gas station over the road. So we didn't bother. But, quite tired, lay on top of the bed, fully clothed all night. Jan because he wanted to be dressed if anyone tried to steal the bike, me because I hate dirt!
We got up at 0430 and traipsed over to the gas station for a coffee. At around 0530, we decided to scout out alternative accommodation.
The whole area is a little run down and all the closest motels look about the same standard, but I would not be deterred. But first breakfast. The Old Town Diner opened at 0630 and we were straight in there when the sign was turned to Open.
As soon as we walked in, a couple of photos caught my attention. They were both similar panoramas of the old part of town, but one of them was an HDR (High Dynamic Range) image. I have been very interested in HDR of late - it is the 'latest craze' in photography. But this is the first print I have seen using the method. Wow, it made the normal photo look dowdy.
Things always seem better after a decent breccy and this was fresh,hot home cooking. The waitress suggested a couple of alternatives motels, but they were all a ways out of the area.
Back on the bike, we cruised up and down the road again. I said, 'Pull in to here'. This one, Apex 1, was about a quarter of a mile down the road. Yes, they had a vacancy, yes, they have WI-FI - now were cooking with gas! Price of the room? $38. Can I see the room? Of course. The owner gave me the key and Jan and I checked it out - bathroom first. All refurbished. All clean. Man, we paid that $38 in a flash, returned to the Bell, packed up and moved home with narey a backward glance
Comfortably ensconsed in our new abode, we took off on the bike again, down to Larry's workshop.
Poor Larry. He got a flat on his way home - we found this out from our friends who rang to arrange picking us up tonight to go to an Indian restaraunt.
The rain has just started and we got another phone call in our room. The lady owner said, 'It's raining, your bike is getting wet. Why don't you take it inside?'
What a darling. Of course, we didn't bring it in the room, but moved it under the eaves. See, that's the pleasure of small motels :)
Well, Brian and Kim (Guzzi riders) picked us up and, afer a fabulous meal in an Indian restaraunt, took us on a ride around town. The campus of Michigan State University is HUGE 5,220 contiguous acres with 556 buildings! The State Capitol and the Supreme Court buildings looked beautiful with their domes lit.
We crossed the Red Cedar River numerous times. Kim and Brian were knowledgeable guides, having grown up here, they were able to point out different buildings and tell us what it had been like here in the 50's.
Three days ago, a tornado ripped through much of the northeastern USA/southeast Canada. There was a lot of damage here in Lansing and we could still see work crews cleaning up downed trees.
A rash of wild weather has terrorized the United States this weekend, as tornados struck down in Millbury and Lake Township, Ohio and Dundee, Michigan. The midwest was battered throughout the weekend, as the storms ran up a death toll and ruined hundreds of houses.
Seven were reported dead in the Millbury tornado, according to theepochtimes.com. The Saturday evening storm also damaged a power plant. More than 50 houses were shredded in Ohio, with 50 more suffering damage of some sort or another.
Larry, the Guzzi mechanic, had joined us at the restaurant and told us about his adventures driving from Tucson Arizona. He had gone down there to sort out his parents property following the death of his mother. So he is driving back in a 1 ton van. Somewhere in Oklahoma, he had a tyre blow-out. At the time he was driving in the outside lane and had a bit of a job trying to pull in before the wheel was riding on the rim. Luckily, a state trooper was a few cars back and saw what happened. Larry stopped and the trooper told him he would pull off at a nearby ramp, go around and then make a rolling road block so Larry could drive the vehicle somewhere safer to change his wheel. That wasn't a simple matter - the tools and tyre were under a load of furniture. With the trooper not breaking a sweat (observing) and Larry dripping in it, they finally got it done.So Larry had only just got back, came out for the meal and arranged for us to drop the bike off this morning at 9am (it is now 0830). Hopefully, he will be able to do the service in one day, as he is off on his travels again tomorrow.
Fingers all crossed! But we are confident that Larry will do a great job; we are talking a life-long Guzzi fan here.
.
Crossing The Border
We were up and packing by 5:30am.
Note the Butt Buffers - they really help on a long ride!
A coffee and then time to wave good by to Anna and Donovan, who were also leaving - for work
Previous experience of the freeway, the 401 didn't fill us with happiness. In fact, Jan's first ever ride on the bike was out of Pearson International Airport (Toronto) on to the 401 and I remember thinking, 'If I'm gonna die, please make it quick'
So we followed Donovan along the 403 until his turnoff to work. That eventually joined with the dreaded 401 around London. It is amazing to drive through this part of Canada; we passed through Cambridge, Oxford, Middlesex and many other towns named fro the old country. The road was actually quite empty and the ride was fast and pleasant. Phew.
Once past London, at around 120 miles into the trip, we pulled off for breakfast. Althought it was a beautiful sunny morning, we had both been frozen. My hands were rigid and it took a while to get them flexing again. Breakfast was most welcome.
We eventually left the 401 to join the 402 which took us to the border of Canada; now for the intimidating experience of entering the USA.
The Port Huron, Michigan - Sarnia, Ontario Border Crossing
One of the World's Busiest
The border crossing between Port Huron and Sarnia, Ontario, has always been an important spot on a key trade route.I was amazed as we crossed the bridge at just how blue the water was.
The Blue Water Bridge is a twin-span international bridge spanning the St. Clair River that links Port Huron, Michigan, USA to Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Water Bridge connects with Highway 402 in Ontario and with both Interstate 69 and Interstate 94 in Michigan. The original span is a cantilever truss bridge and the second span is a continuous tied-arch bridge.
The first bridge is a cantilever truss with a total length of 6,178 feet (1,883 m). The main span is 871 feet (265 m). The second bridge is a continuous tied arch with a total length of 6,109 feet (1,862 m). The main span is 922 feet (281 m).
Together, the two bridges are one of the busiest transportation arteries between the United States and Canada, the second-busiest crossing after the Ambassador Bridge at Detroit-Windsor. They also provide one of the four shortest routes of land travel between the eastern seaboard of the United States, and the central United States.
We were directed to park in another area. A different officer came and took the bike key and we had to leave all bags and cameras outside.
Then we had to queue for another 45 mins to be interviewed before having prints taken of all fingers, both hands nad then look into a camera for iris checks. Jan, when asked to look into the camera. He screwed closed his left eye tightly. Mr Customs told him just look normal. But Jan screwed his eye up even tighter and moved in closer. Finally, the customs officer found a sense of humour and started to chuckle at Jan's expression and his screwed-up eyes. 'No, no, just look normal and move back a little sir.' More keyboard tapping and finally, he said, 'The computer says you are who you say you are, Sir'.
Then it was my turn. After around 2 hours, we were allowed in to the USA and set off to find East Lansing and a motel close to the Moto Guzzi workshop.
06/05/2010
At Last: The Bike
5th June 2010
Here we are in Hamilton, Ontario at the home of friends, Anna and Donovan. These lovely people have been storing our bike over the last year and, as though that isn't a kind enough gesture, they insisted we stay at their house rather than pay for a motel.
At last, we got to go for a decent ride on the bike.
First we togged up.We bought some new elbow and knee/shin armour whilst in Manchester.
Geared up, we next checked the tyre pressure - some air needed and also some fuel in the tank
Note Anna and Donovan's bikes. Anna is a mere slip of a girl but that beautiful blue Kawasaki (ZX6R) crotch rocket is her everyday ride! The other two bikes are Anna and Donovan's dirt-racing bikes and I have no idea how anyone can reach the ground to support those tall bikes, let alone race them.
The mileage on the bike at the start of this trip is.....
All but 10 of those miles have been ridden in the USA and Canada as the bike was flown over brand new with only 10 miles on the clock.
The bike started first time and Jan took off for a ride to get the feel once again before letting me on. I'd forgotten how much of a legover it takes to get on the back.
She's a little slow in responding now and then so it is good that we have arranged a full service with a Guzzi guy in Michigan on Tuesday. That's around a 350 mile ride from here - crossing the border into the USA.
This evening we took a ride out to see a couple of the dozens of waterfalls in the area - these waters all lead to Niagara Falls.
06/03/2010
05/20/2010
Packing
Here´s the gear - well, my part of it - for 68 days
Clothing:
2 T-shirts
2 helly Hansen thermal vests - 1 thin, 1 thick
1 pr hiking trousers
2 prs socks
Electronics etc
Nikon D300s DSLR
Nikkor 35mm 1.8 lens
Nikkor 55-200mm lens
Sigma 10-20mm 3.5 ultra wide-angle lens
Kata camera bag that fits into a pannier
3 camera batteries + charger
Manfotto small tripod
Asus Eee 901 netbook and charger
Freecom ToughDrive ext hard drive 320gb
2 x 8GB SD cards
4 x 4GB SD cards
1 x 8GB CF card
sensor blower/cleaning solution
travel adapters for UK and USA
Camel-back bag to carry 2 litres of water
Specs.
Obviously, there´s motorcycle gear, helmets, boots, tools, spares, first aid and camping stuff - but that is all stored with the bike in Canada
2 T-shirts
2 helly Hansen thermal vests - 1 thin, 1 thick
1 pr hiking trousers
2 prs socks
Electronics etc
Nikon D300s DSLR
Nikkor 35mm 1.8 lens
Nikkor 55-200mm lens
Sigma 10-20mm 3.5 ultra wide-angle lens
Kata camera bag that fits into a pannier
3 camera batteries + charger
Manfotto small tripod
Asus Eee 901 netbook and charger
Freecom ToughDrive ext hard drive 320gb
2 x 8GB SD cards
4 x 4GB SD cards
1 x 8GB CF card
sensor blower/cleaning solution
travel adapters for UK and USA
Camel-back bag to carry 2 litres of water
Specs.
Obviously, there´s motorcycle gear, helmets, boots, tools, spares, first aid and camping stuff - but that is all stored with the bike in Canada
05/12/2010
Columbus nGPS Receiver For Nikon (and some Fuji) Cameras
On a trip of around 9,000 miles - no matter how well you think you will remember a location - you don´t. So I decided my aging, failing memory needed some help.
Last year I bought a Columbus V-900 GPS logger.
It was small, well made and had some great functions. The only problem was, I returned home with my 320GB ToughDrive almost full; that´s a LOT of photos. The GPS had been on all day, every day for around 10 weeks; this gave millions of logged locations. I never did geet around to attaching that info to any photos - too much, too confusing.
It had to be charged overnight - every night; the battery lasted around 7 hours.
Back to the drawing board.
I hope I have found a great solution...
Again made by Columbus, the nGPS receiver attaches to the camera´s hot shoe and only records a position when you turn the unit on and take a photo. THEN it writes Lat, Long, Time and Altitude direct to the images EXIF info.
It will write to RAW files (NEF) as well as jpg. THAT is a big advance. It is claimed it uses little power - good, as your camera battery is what powers it. Not a problem if, like me, you carry 3 batteries around.
It also comes with a cable-release cord that can be used at the same time
As far as I can tell, the unit is not available in the UK. I´ll order one to be sent to friends in the USA - so it will be a little while before I can comment on the actual use of the unit. Meanwhile, here is a review I found.
The price is great! $109.95 / ￡73.96 / Eu86.49
Motoguzzimomma
Camera - bike - ACTION
