Wednesday, September 30, 2009

The OTHER Camera

I've watched videos taken from the motorcycle viewpoint before and have even used them for researching the actual roads I've planned to travel on.  But it wasn't until a roadtrip taken last year that I ever had the urge to attach one to our motorcycles.

A spectacularly curvy little piece of real estate north of Lewiston, Idaho called the Old Spiral Highway.

I attempted at that time to take video of my husband descending the highway however, being as spectacularly curvy as it was, it was  near impossible to find a safe spot to get out of the way yet still capture the action.

This is one of those situations that the GoPro Motorsports HERO Wide video camera would have come in handy.



For a little more detail on the what, why, where, how and who, check out a review done by CNET

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Camera Upgrade Needed

Photographs are a necessity of life and of course, travelling.  Now some, I agree, we can do without.  Like the one of the hearty eater in his Speedo on a sandy beach or the 20 different-but-identical pictures of the same mountain scene.

I am currently using a Canon Powershot A590 and the size and ease of point and shoot camera, especially when traveling by motorcycle, is great.  I have been fairly happy with the photos the camera produces but with an upcoming trip next year through some of the most spectacular scenery in North America, it's time to finally pony up and invest in a decent DSLR.  I feel the need to do these future photos the justice they are so rumoured to be deserving of.

My research is convincing me to stay with the Canon name for a  number of reasons including the wide range of accessories available for this brand and my first choice is the Canon EOS Rebel XSi (450D):




However, budget is a factor, and that being said I am also considering its predecessor, the XTi:




There are a few new features on the XSi that are definately desirable, but being that this is my first official foray into the DSLR world, maybe they aren't as important right now.  The-Digital-Picture.com does a nice page that gives you the ability to look at photos taken by the different cameras for an immediate output comparison.

If anyone is using these cameras, I would love to hear your opinions...

Monday, September 28, 2009

Trip Planning

Countless people wax poetic on:

- it's not the destination, it's the journey
- make it up as you go along
- just play it by ear

...which is all well and good and has it's time and place, but there is something to be said about a little old-fashioned planning. 

Planning whets the appetite.  It's a way of living the adventure before it begins, a grown up version of day dreaming.  It's a great way to find out about places or roads that you wouldn't want to miss along the way.  I'm the type of person who hates to miss out on things and I find nothing worse than being on a fantastic roadtrip only to find out when I got home that I was mere miles from something spectacular and I didn't know about.

A little homework in the planning department also feeds you those interesting bites of history that become the condiments of the trip - to know something about where you are fills out the experience just that much more.

Some of the materials I'm currently using are:





Microsoft Streets and Trips
1,000 Places To See Before You Die - USA and Canada
State Park Brochures
National Park Brochures
Road Atlas - MapArt - Canada, USA, Mexico
RoadRunner Magazine
The Traveler's Atlas: North America
Ride Atlas of North America - Rand McNally - Harley Davidson Anniversary Addition
Half the fun of travel is the aesthetic of lostness. - Ray Bradbury