tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24958678548951697122011-11-24T17:29:52.144-07:00in pursuit of balancegiantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.comBlogger641100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-17945294306871360372011-10-16T15:48:00.000-06:002011-10-19T21:17:55.807-06:00

As the title alludes, this will be the ride report for my new bike. We will get there but first you need a history lesson to make any of my commentary valid. I casually rode BMX bikes EVERYWHERE as a kid. Like all the time, every day. We lived on top of a river valley so I rode lots of singletrack before the term was coined, most likely. My dad bought us dirt bikes when I was around 13, and every

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-38222102111181677652011-10-08T22:53:00.001-06:002011-10-10T23:17:48.932-06:00

I figured it was a good time to get rid of the tank and learn how to float over obstacles instead of mowing them down. I'm so exited! Anyone want to buy a DR-Z?

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-29319138596774386852011-05-11T23:34:00.000-06:002011-05-13T14:33:35.719-06:00

Like the title states, it has been a long winter. It's the first full winter as a full time dad, and it has been particularly snowy for our region. These two things compounded to make my life miserable for the last month. I am bored stiff, and can't go out riding due to the mass amounts of snow in the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies. The weather this week has been great though. I've got a tan

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-82757016275749505822011-04-16T19:48:00.000-06:002011-04-16T19:48:15.370-06:00

3d test 1 Well, I'm excited to try out the 3D rig, but it didn't quite fly this first time. I used circuit board to hold the two cameras in exact alignment. This is key, and well, I ended up bending it slightly when I mounted it on my helmet. I'll have to keep trying things in order to get it working, but I do think I'm onto something and will post again aft my next tests.

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-66072883235240344322011-03-22T17:01:00.003-06:002011-03-30T14:03:26.862-06:00

3D is coming Just when you thought it was safe to be a low budget blog, someone had to introduce a fancy, easy way to make a 3D movie. YouTube announced that their online video editor can sync videos to make them 3D. Just think, helmetcam footage in 3D! Now I know what you're thinking, how can he possibly do this for under a million dollars per video, but there is an explanation: eBay! There

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-53041859033602230442011-03-08T07:34:00.001-07:002011-03-08T07:37:47.026-07:00

Getting ready for the season! Well, I've been sufficiently scolded by the other riders to know my bike is way too heavy for real singletrack riding. I am pretty much told every ride that I need to get a new bike. That's not going to happen any time soon though, so I decided to try a different route. I'm actually happy with my weight, but I do have a little too much bulk in the midsection. I aim

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-70279533985104906612011-03-04T20:52:00.003-07:002011-04-02T23:33:31.172-06:00

RMDRA Guided Rides Video. In case you didn't know, I'm the guided rides director for my local singletrack club. I made this today to promote out guided rides program. What do you think? Is it any good?

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-50295553074102138322011-01-03T19:57:00.000-07:002011-01-03T19:57:36.423-07:00

A new direction Well, I've come to realize that I'm not so eloquent with the whole words thing. I really want to do something creative, but can't seem to do it blogging. I'm going to make a drastic change to my blog. Are you ready for the big idea? I'm going completely video, but more like an infomercial. Perhaps that isn't the best descriptor, but kind of. Ok, I'll lay it out for you. Videos

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-67330780794833072262010-09-03T13:13:00.001-06:002010-09-03T13:14:03.376-06:00

Remember when you were a kid... ...and you were riding your bike, or horse in the evening? do you remember that feeling when a sudden warm or cold burst of air hits you as you ride through it? I forgot about that feeling until it happened to me last night as I was riding home from a session in the woods. Stop, think about that feeling and take a moment to embrace that memory. I rode dirt bike

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-22153065108420790062010-08-22T17:10:00.002-06:002010-08-22T20:49:16.028-06:00

A rare occurrence Usually Saturdays seem to be days that I have to shop for stuff, or fix up things around the house. Well, this one was no different, except I went for a ride before all that happened. I met up with some guys from RMDRA  at 8:30 in the morning. We rode  for a few hours and got quite lost. I had a tremendous wipeout but never got hurt, and saw some nice trails I had never seen

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-84659815502353405722010-08-19T22:11:00.002-06:002010-08-19T22:14:32.859-06:00

Working it Wednesday was a great day for me. I got my Baja Bug running for the first time in a year, it was the hottest day of the year so far, and I was going out on a ride in the bush. It turned out to be the best ride I had yet been on, and I couldn't have asked for a better day. When I arrived at the staging location, there were only about 5 other guys there. It looked like it was going to

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-12033696189239530692010-07-29T14:37:00.001-06:002010-07-29T15:16:34.946-06:00

And now, for something a little different... One of the things I wanted in my helmet cam was the ability to take pictures on the fly. It never had that ability until I updated the firmware a couple weeks ago. Now I can set it to take a picture every three seconds. Well, it gave me a little different perspective of what I went through. There was no guided ride last night, but me and a few guys

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-41536196148736756042010-07-26T23:01:00.001-06:002010-07-27T11:38:13.149-06:00

Some more video...

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-32472042542370522822010-07-23T16:57:00.001-06:002010-07-27T11:38:34.128-06:00

Ok, one more video.

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-57423655240184442362010-07-22T21:42:00.008-06:002010-07-27T11:39:26.536-06:00

Here are some new videos! Last night was still a great ride. I'm pretty sore today, or more accurately, mostly just wiped out. I made a movie for the ride leader since I saw him take a few spills. I thought maybe this would lift his spirits... A few weeks ago I was accused of attacking some trees. This was not the case, the trees actually attacked me. The trees are amassing a secret attack plan

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-62275811107668269232010-07-21T23:18:00.001-06:002010-07-21T23:18:52.189-06:00

Wow! Sometimes I think that my life is tough, sometimes i think mylife doesn't have perks. Let me tell you, I've got it all! As some ofyou know my wife kind of bullied me into buying a bike. Sensible Joewouldn't let himself waste that kind fo money on a superfluous itemlike a motorbike, but sensible Joe was kind of run over. I got a bike,I love riding it and I love my wife for strongly

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-42509419704902749122010-07-14T13:38:00.002-06:002010-07-18T21:09:26.000-06:00

Last week I had about 35 minutes of footage recorded, but only had 500MB of space on Vimeo, so I had to delay this video a week. That's ok though, since I'm not going out riding this week, I have an update for my hoards of fans out there. (joking, only 35 people visited the blog this last week) I love going out and doing singletrack riding. It was the best part of mountain biking, but since I

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-1743453723418997992010-07-08T15:21:00.007-06:002010-07-27T12:21:18.127-06:00

Last night's ride was simply delicious! The weather was just about perfect, my bike was in tip-top condition and I was ready to haul! The last time I took my bike out, I had nearly run the tank dry so I had to fill up immediately after leaving home. Normally I seem to get about 160km on a tank, so I thought I should be able to run all the way out to McLean Creek, and back with some off roading in

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-6196729016393611822010-07-05T19:54:00.000-06:002010-07-05T19:54:14.979-06:00

Over the past few weeks I've learned a few lessons. The videos I've taken haven't worked out great, I've missed some of the best stuff of the night, and cheap batteries just don't cut it. The beginner rides are just too easy, and I can't get enough riding. Wednesday will be different! I'm buying some lithium batteries, pressing record once, and editing out the boring part later. My bike is muddy

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-83302747627541274332010-06-24T09:30:00.000-06:002010-06-24T09:30:19.302-06:00

I had a good ride last night. The weather was great and we mostly avoided the rainstorms. I got a little wet, but nothing serious. Here are some videos, I got my helmetcam mic sorted out finally. Next time I go out, I'll have to go on a more difficult ride. I think we were stopping too often for my liking. I don;t have much to say, I liked my tires and was happy I had case guards and rad guards,

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-91915179806107789002010-06-22T13:29:00.000-06:002010-06-22T13:29:16.833-06:00

We have a moderate forecast for Wednesday. This is a guided ride night. My bike is ready to go, and so am I! I swear this has been the wettest spring on record. I've struggled with getting the mic on my helmet cam set up right. Well, I think I may have it, look forward to the footage.

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-13950931487404454192010-06-19T21:13:00.001-06:002010-06-21T17:33:03.462-06:00

Well the training was much more pleasant than I expected. The morning was a little slow, but that's because they were teaching people who had never even sat on a bike how to use the controls, start the bike, etc. At the very beginning I was scouting out a bike to ride. They didn't want me to ride mine, so I had decided that the KLX250SF had the highest seat height, so that'd be the one I would

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-58688278688574845662010-06-19T08:24:00.000-06:002010-06-19T08:24:24.053-06:00

Or how about 20 hours of instruction on a motorbike. Today I am going out to my motorcycle training course. My insurance costs will be 20% of my current insurance when I complete the course. I'm not exactly excited that I get to ride a cruiser around a parking lot all day, but hey if it's to save like $800 a year, I guess it'll be worth it. Plus I will hopefully pick something up on being a more

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-30926699925810886592010-06-09T19:28:00.000-06:002010-06-09T19:28:31.341-06:00

I was planning on going out on the guided ride tonight, but it got canceled. The RMDRA is a off-roaders club with a land advocacy focus. They felt that riding on the trails with it being so wet would definitely hurt the environment. Too bad, I really wanted to get out and ride. Next week, I can't make it out with them either, however, there is a "dual sport" club in the area that regularly goes

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-31458654999063000702010-06-06T14:06:00.000-06:002010-06-06T14:06:07.485-06:00

Like my last post foreshadowed, I have a tale to tell about my tires. I decided to get some real offroad tires, and that meant getting rid of my old ones. I ordered a set online and they delivered in a few days along with my other parts. They looked like great tires, nice and meaty and ready to be put on the rims. I had only changed one tire on my bike previously and before that I hadn't changed

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-4896617757779269472010-06-04T22:25:00.001-06:002010-06-04T22:28:13.703-06:00

Well, after my last (and only) adventure at McLean Creek, I decided to get some stuff added to my bike to make my life a little more fun. A few months ago I had written that mods should only be for a purpose, not just to show off all your sparkly things to each other. Well, I bought some sparkly things to show off, but don't worry, they are purposeful. Item #1 - CFC Case Guards Rumour around

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-81612429194256508772010-06-04T10:43:00.000-06:002010-06-04T10:43:19.133-06:00

My new layout doesn't look good in any version of Internet Explorer! Looks like I have to go back to the old drawing board. I hope there is a solution, or better yet, UPDATE YOUR BROWSER to something more modern. You could use Firefox, Safari, Chrome, or even Opera. I think I can code it so IE renders the most basic of designs, that way I can encourage you to get something modern by offering

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-67076174271889083622010-06-03T14:04:00.000-06:002010-06-03T14:04:12.042-06:00

Well, I'm kind of a nerd. I spent the last three nights staying up late to redesign the blog. I learned CSS and XHTML. Well, I never really learned it, I just learned to modify it. I hope you like the new layout. I think I have to mess with the colors a bit. I'll update with an actual blog post again when I have something to say. For now I must go get a peanut butter sandwich.

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-89544008068596788372010-05-27T11:05:00.001-06:002010-05-27T11:09:49.491-06:00

I had an expensive mountain bike and lots of time to play on it. I rode to work every day, I usually rode for around 4 hours every night. There were some Saturdays where I even rode trails for over 100km. I loved riding so much. Unfortunately things took a turn for the worse. It was a dark and stormy night, in fact, it was a Friday the 13th. I had ridden my bike across town to visit with my

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-18611998193402207892010-05-26T23:37:00.001-06:002010-06-03T23:49:08.104-06:00

Well, I did go out on the guided ride tonight. More on this in a minute, but first let me tell you that I didn't have fresh batteries in the helmet cam, and forgot to GPS the trails with my iPhone. Very poor execution on my part. Perhaps I shouldn't dwell on this though, rather let's talk about my fantastic ride instead! I showed up to the guided ride with this as the background. EVERY other

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-5595818190058833022010-05-26T13:23:00.000-06:002010-05-26T13:23:35.270-06:00

I am joining a local offroading club at McLean Creek just southwest of town for a guided ride. I have been itching to get out and do some trail riding ever since I got the bike. I've been doing a little offroading here and there, but my love is trail riding. Well at least that's what my love was when I mountain biked so many years ago. I'm fired up. I did the first oil change on my bike this

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-68380924952183803062010-05-18T07:15:00.000-06:002010-05-18T07:15:24.209-06:00

I made this.

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-25155110845180597342010-05-12T11:33:00.000-06:002010-05-12T11:33:14.236-06:00

I got a motorbike jones. The weather is finally starting to get lovely. I rejetted my carb earlier this week and the power increase is substantial. I have to be careful not to wheelie now. I still have to tweak it a bit since I have a slight midrange bog. I figure it's just a little rich. I'l dial back the fuel screw a little and see if it helps.  I've been desperately waiting for the local

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-45406446424320329012010-04-22T12:42:00.000-06:002010-04-22T12:42:34.505-06:00

Well, it's not a post about some crappy Canadian drama on TV, it's about a sunny nice day with the wind blowing from the south, instead of the north.Wow! The day was amazing, 22C and the sun just shining like crazy. I was just itching for a ride all day long. Unfortunately, I was watching the child all day, and when my wife got home from work she had to go out again and wouldn't be home until

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-16159207358835754712010-04-02T14:40:00.000-06:002010-04-02T14:40:40.340-06:00

What a great day to go for a ride. It's Good Friday and I'll have to agree that it is good! A couple weeks ago, I was messing around in the garage with my bike and sweeping it up and such, when I accidentally ran over a tack. My front tire went flat and the bike has been sitting ever since.  Well, this morning my wife didn't have to work so she watched the child while I tackled the tire repair. I

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-45709947370403046512010-03-12T16:22:00.000-07:002010-03-12T16:22:31.240-07:00

I am kind of getting sick of all the safety insurance we have all around us. When I was a kid we rode in the beds of trucks, never even thought about seatbelts, and airbags whatever... On my bike there were two safety switches that I disabled today. The clutch safety switch and the kickstand safety switch. The bike won't start when the clutch isn't in. I took out the switch spliced the wires

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-14784732875521336942010-03-04T11:28:00.000-07:002010-03-04T11:28:48.049-07:00

Every day it seems that spring is getting closer and closer. I've ridden my bike twice in the last two weeks and actually took it to the car wash yesterday. Our little black squirrel is playing in our front yard again, and I've seen some video on the web of people riding in Waiprous. Spring is here! Before my ride yesterday I installed my 1" extended MSR shifter. It took all of about 3 minutes,

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-7680989574208799012010-02-24T17:24:00.000-07:002010-02-24T17:24:23.512-07:00

Here's the vimeo video embedded. Which is better? First Helmet Cam Test from giantjoe on Vimeo. I bought a Drift x170 Helmet cam a while ago, and finally got to test it today. It seemed to work well, but the wind noise was rough.

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-22118426017232764892010-02-24T16:42:00.001-07:002010-02-24T16:43:45.850-07:00

Well, here it is. Late last year, I bought a Drift X170 Helmet Cam. It was a fairly good price and seemed to be what I was looking for. I thought it would be fun to share videos of me biking. After what has seemed like an eternity, my ankle is out of the cast, feeling good, and the weather was nice so I took my bike for a cruise. I didn't last long, because I have no riding pants, and I was just

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-61239223357712215422010-01-26T20:11:00.002-07:002010-01-26T20:27:36.489-07:00

Well, I've noticed that whenever someone starts a new hobby, inevitably that person will be drawn to bench racing. I hope that I don't fall into that pattern but instead buy a few necessary items to make life easier and make the bike more durable. Today, my parts arrived from wheeling cycle supply. I got a few items that will help to make my bike more durable, and a little nicer for me to ride.

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-28565696396290721622010-01-18T10:49:00.000-07:002010-01-18T10:49:37.318-07:00

Turns out I've been walking around on a broken ankle for a couple weeks now. I was having some strange feelings with swelling and pins and needles so I went to the doctor last Wednesday. They said all is well, you got a sprain most likely and said to get x-rays just to be sure. Two days later, while playing volleyball, I get a call telling me to get to the doctor because my ankle has a fracture

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-56330334350602658272010-01-14T16:56:00.000-07:002010-01-14T17:06:01.933-07:00

A lovely traffic update. Just wanted to see if this works.

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-20412794747911571442010-01-14T13:02:00.002-07:002010-01-14T13:02:57.251-07:00

Here is another post just to check if it works... In theory I should be updating your news feed with this without even doing anything.

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-29458369343770003902010-01-11T10:59:00.000-07:002010-01-11T10:59:53.672-07:00

That's how the motorcycle show was on Friday. It stunk! I sat on a couple fine bikes though. The KTM 690 and the BMW 550 I think. They were nice dual sports. The strange thing is that the gas tank didn't seem to be between your knees. Cool bikes, but hey, I've got a cool bike too. I just ordered some parts from the internet, again. I can't believe how poorly motorbike parts are sold. Online

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-5120851180206428672010-01-07T10:43:00.000-07:002010-01-07T10:43:52.112-07:00

Well, it looks like there are a few people actually looking at this blog. Nice. Makes me feel important. Whatever. So I got my helmetcam, I got my bike, and I got a sprained ankle... On Tuesday at work I was excited to be back I guess, started playing some basketball and landed on some kid's foot. Wrench, crash, throw my keys to another kid and yell, "Get me a tensor bandage!" Well, two days

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-63571990320301799232009-12-14T10:51:00.000-07:002009-12-14T10:51:23.971-07:00

Well, it's cold in my neck of the woods. How cold? Real cold. Like -40C cold. What does that mean for a motorcycle enthusiast? Whining, reading forum ride reports and thinking of going north for the summer. What, North for the summer? That's ludicrous. Well, I've been checking out ride reports of people going to Alaska during the summer months, and I think that I need to try a solo ride. I know

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-61731729241509894412009-11-24T18:36:00.000-07:002009-11-24T18:36:50.958-07:00

So I have this friend in Whitehorse Yukon... I'd really like to do an adventure solo trip one day. I am mulling over the idea of going up there for the summer solstice in 2010. Wouldn't it be cool to see the sun be up for 24 hours straight?? I have just read a thread about a guy who rode a moped from Sydney Australia to London England. That's crazy! I would really like to experience some of that

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-5298210016311966102009-11-17T21:25:00.001-07:002009-11-17T21:25:30.387-07:00

So I was cruising after work today and wanted to test out my GPS software a little more. I found these trenches and a fake burned out forest. Thought it may be interesting to show off.Name: WWII trenches Date: 2009-11-17 4:30 pmLocation:Latitude: 50.985321º NLongitude: 114.194635º WAltitude: 1,159 mClick on this link to display the waypoint in Google Maps. This link will be valid until Dec 17,

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-9438640484797326912009-11-17T19:32:00.001-07:002009-11-17T19:32:13.955-07:00

Good day! Well in fact it was a good day. The air was warm, the sky was blue, and the wind was blowing. That wasn't such a big deal though, since it was +15C. Well on to the story... Isn't it funny that we spend most of our life trying to remove adversity from our lives. Actually, I believe the whole entire principle behind the Buddhist religion is removing adversity. Well today I descovered that

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-42420754466273668282009-11-10T15:54:00.000-07:002009-11-10T15:54:52.454-07:00

So I thought it would be exciting to chronicle my adventures, so I've been looking at GPS apps for my phone. I also have been looking into helmet cams. Well, I found a nice one. Not too expensive and it looks like it will be easy to operate on the bike. Here. I'm excited to crash for the first time using it so you may laugh at me profusely! Anyway, it has been ordered and should be shipped out

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-37426200732277880702009-11-10T10:55:00.000-07:002009-11-10T10:55:06.339-07:00

This morning, it was above freezing, sunny and not much wind. A perfect day for riding to work, but alas, I was too lazy to ride to work. I regret it now as it looks like it'll be shaping up to be a great ride tonight. It's perfectly clear, and not a tree is moving. Too bad I guess. I should be relishing every opportunity to ride while it's still warm enough to do so. I was just way too lazy

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-67790656439002989842009-11-09T08:49:00.001-07:002009-11-09T08:49:06.734-07:00

Hello, giantjoe uses MotionX-GPS on the iPhone 3G or 3GS and is sharing with you the following waypoint: Testing my gps software. Name: Tsuu T'ina High School Date: 2009-11-03 10:28 am Location: Latitude: 50.950725º N Longitude: 114.269356º W Altitude: 1,127 m Click on this link to display the waypoint in Google Maps. This link will be valid

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-43967013292826474092009-11-06T23:13:00.000-07:002009-11-06T23:13:00.306-07:00

Just trying to be artsy.

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-85049830516140949662009-11-06T23:04:00.000-07:002009-11-06T23:04:44.193-07:00

I know it's a good looking bike.

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-50213224084864179502009-11-06T23:03:00.000-07:002009-11-06T23:03:38.363-07:00

There's some mud on my bike from the wipeout I had yesterday.

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-37973201994127822762009-11-06T22:42:00.000-07:002009-11-06T22:42:29.937-07:00

So, I'm not sure if you saw the movie Passchendaele, but a few sets from that movie are on my way home from work. I decided it would be great to take a few pics of my bike with the sets for some fun.

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-51461000535163149142009-11-06T22:37:00.000-07:002009-11-06T22:37:40.474-07:00

So I took another little ride after work today. Driving to work was great. It was about 6C and clear. The wind was a little rough though. Bad day to choose the freeway. Oh well, no biggie. About 10am a student comes to me and asks me if I rode my bike to work. I told her of course it's a really nice day. She then said well you better get a ride home then, because it's snowing!! Right there...

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-10348964012227177952009-11-06T22:30:00.000-07:002009-11-06T22:30:05.261-07:00

My next obstacle was a pretty dicey creekbed, locally we call them coulees, but who knows if you've heard that word before. Like the rest of the terrain, it was snowy and muddy. I knew I wouldn't be able to use the road so I took an alternate path. Isn't it just like me to choose an alternate path? Anyways, I crossed the creek and tried to climb the grass on the other side. Not likely. The

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-72722212301683753402009-11-06T21:59:00.001-07:002009-11-06T22:02:35.071-07:00

So after work one day this week, maybe Monday??? I want for an offroad tour. The weather was great, it had to be at least 5C outside and mildly overcast. I was pretty nervous about what I could do with my bike. It's a 400cc and my last bike I rode was a 175cc. Big increase! Well, true to the online forums say, the stock tires are useless on mud. I think I had been out for about 5 minutes and

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-54785105248949908912009-11-06T20:55:00.000-07:002009-11-06T20:55:52.851-07:00

So in the province I live in, you have to have a class 6 license to operate a bike. You can ride a bike with a class 6 learner's permit, but must have accompaniment in order to ride. On top of that, it's pretty hard to insure and register a bike without a license. I managed to find an insurance company that would give me coverage without a license, and got it registered and everything. Ready to

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-48615462343953866922009-11-06T20:45:00.000-07:002009-11-06T20:45:09.589-07:00

So when I went to purchase my bike, I only really had two things in mind. Seating position, and maneuverability. I had broke my elbow quite badly ten years ago and have a real tough time straightening it out. I had to have a bent arm that wasn't supporting much weight. There are other adventure bikes out there like the KLR 650, or the DR-650 or all the KTM's or BMW's which I could never afford.

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-71331932248136107892009-11-06T20:35:00.000-07:002009-11-06T20:35:58.542-07:00

I'm planning on doing a nice low tech blog. Basically, I'll take pictures of my adventures on my iPhone, up them and add a little commentary while I'm at it. I'm not much for journalling, if that's a word, and hopefully I'll be able to spice up my posts in the future. Here's the deal. I am a pretty busy guy. I am a teacher, I am the school's Athletic Director, I have some pretty serious

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-12824610385251920292009-11-06T19:49:00.001-07:002009-11-06T19:49:16.814-07:00

Here is a test, but I forgot to add a picture.

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495867854895169712.post-13370718787526708542009-05-12T10:17:00.001-06:002009-05-12T10:19:02.068-06:00

What is the purpose of blogging? I'd like to think that this would be a good way to share pics with the family. Now that I have a baby and all. but really why would I do this at all?

giantjoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12808912515168122325noreply@blogger.com0