December 13, 2018
Texas AIDS Ride 1
After just one day of riding, we were hit by a severe thunderstorm in the middle of the night. We grabbed our stuff (excluding tents and bikes) and they transported us to a nearby high school where we hung out for hours in the gym until they bused us from there to what would have been our destination on that second day. No bike ride that day. The photo below is of me in the night as we were evacuating.
A Confederate memorial on the grounds of the state capitol building in Austin.
Tom & John who hosted Michael and me in Houston. John had lived in Boston for a little while around 1980-'81 and I knew him from then.
The Ellis County courthouse in Waxahachie which Michael and I rode through on our way from Dallas to Austin before the ride started. We were rather surprised to suddenly see what seemed an obvious H.H. Richardson in a small Texas county seat. Turns out it was designed by a student of Richardson, James Riely Gordon.
Michael riding right behind me in a pace line. This was shot by a professional photographer who had stationed himself along the route.
Michael and I had flown into Dallas with the plan to stay at the home of my friends Steve & Jeff (formerly of Kansas City) and then bicycle on our own to Austin. TAR would take us from Austin to Houston and then to Dallas. As we headed from Dallas to Austin we tried to follow small tw-lane highways, of course, but in Texas (or at least in this part of Texas) those roads all go either north-south or east-west and a direct route from Dallas to Austin would be something of a diagonal. I-35 would be the direct route, and the inefficiency of our route became annoyingly obvious as we continually crossed and recrossed I-35 on roads that weren't going in the direction we wanted to go. BUT, in Texas the interstates are parallelled on each side with smaller two-lane, two-way roads that I believe are intended mostly for slow farm vehicles. Turns out they are also excellent for bicycling...if you don't mind parallelling an interstate highway. Even at complex highway interchanges, these small roads were designed to carry us through the interchange without risking our lives. It'd be great if every state had the money and space to build roads like these. You can see an example of one of these roads on the right side of the photo below.
Re-assembling my bike at Steve & Jeff's place in Dallas.
Closing ceremonies in Dallas.
At College Station. In 1998 there had been only one President Bush, so there was no need to insert any middle initials to eliminate ambiguity.
My first time seeing cotton growing.
The Dealey Plaza memorial in Dallas.
In Dallas, the banner made for us by Steve & Jeff.
That's Geoff in the shade.
Steve, Michael, myself and Jeff in Dallas.
Geoff who was also from Boston.
Myself with Dan Pallotta, who created the AIDS Rides.
The complete set of photos is here.
permalink | December 13, 2018 at 07:52 AM | Comments (0)
December 8, 2018
Goat Canyon Trestle
Wikipedia article about Goat Canyon Trestle.
Scott C. led me on a hike to the Goat Canyon Trestle in 2014, but I've only recently posted the photos to Flickr. We hiked in the "easy" but longer way, following a mostly flat route from Dos Cabezos, across desert, to the railroad near Tunnel 20. From there, we hiked the railroad to the trestle, which comes just before Tunnel 15. The acceptable, standard way to hike in without hiking on the railroad as much requires one to take a straighter, but more difficult hike up and over the mountains.
You can also hike from the clothing optional resort at DeAnza Springs which is near I-8. From there you will be hiking uphill to the trestle. On the route we took, we hiked slightly downhill to the trestle...and then had to hike uphill on our way out. A few of the photos:
The water tower at Dos Cabezas. You can drive to this point. The railroad is right there, but if you follow it, you will go on a loop that makes your hike even longer. It's shorter to hike cross desert to Tunnel 20.
Tunnel 20. This is where we started hiking on the railroad.
Our first small trestle and our first view of the mighty Goat Canyon Trestle.
There are some wrecked railroad cars resting downhill from the railroad.
The red line is the railroad. The purple line is an approximation of the cross-desert route we took to Tunnel 20. The green line is the proper, standard, more difficult way to hike in.
permalink | December 8, 2018 at 12:51 AM | Comments (0)
November 14, 2018
Mac Mini with 4K
I can now watch 4K videos with ease. I've got a couple of cameras that can shoot in 4K, and earlier this year I bought a 4K monitor. I could plug a 4K camera directly into the monitor to watch real 4K, but I couldn't watch 4K videos from any other source in 4K because my old Mac Mini (2012 model) could do no better than 1080. But finally, last month Tim Cook announced the new Mac Mini, greatly enhanced and with the ability to handle 4K.
Here's a test video I used: Driving Downtown - Los Angeles 4K - USA. 4K videos of Oahu, or aerial flights over Paris are quite lovely. But to judge the technical abilities of my hardware, I need to look at something familiar. Three hours of downtown Los Angeles in 4K...on a Sunday, so the traffic is unusually light.
For the new Mac Mini I went with the "3.2GHz 6‑core 8th‑generation Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 4.6GHz)." On all previous models of Macs that I've owned, I've maxed out the RAM, but the max on the new Mini is 64GB! That would cost an additional $1,400. I don't think I've had a computer before that could hold more than 16GB, so I decided I could probably live with 32GB of RAM on this one. And I got the 1TB SSD drive.
The 4K is beautiful and realistic.
permalink | November 14, 2018 at 06:02 PM | Comments (2)
November 3, 2018
Los Angeles Just After Sunset
permalink | November 3, 2018 at 06:16 PM | Comments (1)
October 18, 2018
Box Canyon Flood
Box Canyon Road was flooded out twice this month, the second flood being far greater magnitude than any flood I've seen on that road. Check out the video:
This is a photo I took in 2007 showing the drainage channel going from the Coachella Canal (foreground) to the Salton Sea (background). The drainage channel can be used to send excess water from the canal into the Salton Sea, but I haven't heard of that option being used in the 15 years I've lived here. The farmers can use all the water they get. The drainage channel actually extends under the canal so that it can also carry runoff from the Mecca Hills (behind me as I took this photo) to the Salton Sea. Otherwise, all the rain that falls on the Mecca Hills will simply pool next to the canal, eventually undermining it.
So the huge flood from Box Canyon Road (or as much of it as possible) squeezed through this opening (also photographed in 2007):
Before the flood could get to the Salton Sea it had to pass under 70th Avenue as well as the railroad and highway 111. The panorama below shows where the flood hit 70th Avenue:
Not only was the bridge destroyed, but the entire concrete drainage channel is simply gone.
Below is a closer view of the 70th Avenue bridge. Those are date palms along the road with their fruit wrapped in cloth bags to protect it from birds.
permalink | October 18, 2018 at 09:09 PM | Comments (3)
October 15, 2018
Wende Museum Of The Cold War
I recently visited the Wende Museum of the Cold War in Culver City, which had been on my gotta-see list for quite a while. Open to the public Friday, Saturday and Sunday; no charge for admission; check the website for variations on that. It's right next door to Veterans Memorial Park which is right next door to Veterans Memorial Auditorium.
On the other end of the museum sits the House of Warrior Poetry (Dance. Parkour. Acrobatics. Action Arts. Yoga. Movement.).
Veterans Memorial Auditorium - the marker out front was placed in 1950, so call it 1950.
In the museum I thought the cover of this magazine said "1961." Only when I went to edit it did I see it was actually 1981! It sure has the look of 1961.
Yuri Gagarin hanging out with kids.
You can see all the photos here.
permalink | October 15, 2018 at 11:12 PM | Comments (0)
September 25, 2018
2018 Burning Man Photos
A view of my camp from the elevated deck at Box Office Camp. This was taken my second day on the playa.
Trago Peak on the eastern edge of the playa.
Burner Buddies Stephanie and Klank.
Every year there's one art piece that is obviously dangerous, and BMOrg will let people play on it until someone gets seriously hurt and then they make some changes. Before this one had been open for too many days, someone fell off and it was shut down.
The front of Box Office while we were setting up.
My first evening on the playa.
My truck in the Nugget Casino parking garage in Sparks.
A menorah constructed on a tandem bike.
At the Burner Buddies Little Black Dress Party.
The Champagne Bitches art car stopped in front of Burner Buddies for a while.
Customers at the Burner Buddies Drive-thru.
Aerial view shot by Frank with Burner Buddies camp highlighted.
Burner Buddies group shot by Ed.
My complete set of 2018 Burning Man photos can be seen here.
permalink | September 25, 2018 at 08:00 PM | Comments (1)
September 14, 2018
Videos from Burning Man 2018
permalink | September 14, 2018 at 08:04 PM | Comments (0)
September 11, 2018
El Capitan State Beach
When I was at El Capitan State Beach with Great Outdoors Santa Barbara I walked what used to be the paved bike path from El Capitan to Refugio State Beach. Part of the route has eroded away, so much so that the path is closed, although pedestrians still hike along the closed portion.
Sirens for the offshore drilling platforms.
See the complete set of photos here.
permalink | September 11, 2018 at 04:57 PM | Comments (0)
August 10, 2018
"Ignite"
Just released, this video documents the 2017 Burn. 2017 was my 11th time at Burning Man, and that makes the narration in this video seem a bit over the top...because I've been there and seen it and I know every second of this video is just real. The only "special effect" in this video is that it was shot at a high frame rate so that it could be slowed down a bit to make this.
There's no great voiceover narration to thrill you as you bike across the playa. No dramatic music. But the excitement is the same, nevertheless. It's just hard to convey the feelings in a video. I can still recall clearly how stunned I was by the first Burning Man I went to. It was bigger, brighter and louder than what I was prepared for. Today, Burning Man has about twice as many attendees as it did in my first year and the technology has leapt forward. If 2017 had been my first year, I probably would have needed a bucket to catch my melting brain.
permalink | August 10, 2018 at 07:16 PM | Comments (0)
June 1, 2018
U.S. Botanic Garden
Some photos from my visit there about a month ago.
The complete set of photos from the U.S. Botanic Garden can be seen here.
permalink | June 1, 2018 at 07:37 PM | Comments (0)
May 12, 2018
No Spectators - The Art of Burning Man
That's Greg & Shep looking at the penny bear.
People played around on this in pretty much the same way Burners did.
"Truth is Beauty" one-third scale replica.
These people are looking up at a small version of the artwork seen at the beginning of the following video:
This complete set of photos can be seen here.
permalink | May 12, 2018 at 11:30 PM | Comments (0)
April 5, 2018
Arriving At Burning Man, last year
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My shirt is clean; my tent behind me is not yet covered by my shade structure, so it's midday of my first day on the playa last year, 2017. Photo by George Post who is always there when I arrive and always still there when I leave and I'm beginning to suspect he might live out there all the time.
The umbrella hat, to my surprise, proved very practical. Kept my head well shaded, well ventilated, and the headband did not irritate me. That was what I expected to be my main objection, but, no, it's fairly comfortable. Not practical in wind, however.
If somebody wants to give me a word balloon, send it complete (not just an idea or suggestion) to me at RonsLog@RBGilbert.com
permalink | April 5, 2018 at 09:18 PM | Comments (0)
Gigapan Aerial Image of Black Rock City 2017
The Gigapan image is here. Below is the view of our Burner Buddies camp.
permalink | April 5, 2018 at 11:39 AM | Comments (0)
March 22, 2018
Slide Photos Of The Past (well, we couldn't have future, could we?)
Somewhere in New England (Maine, most likely).
A view of the skyline of downtown Boston from Alewife Station on the Red Line. I think the very white steeple you can see towards the left part of the downtown skyline is a church that used to stand in Porter Square. You can see the Federal Reserve building on the righthand part of the skyline.
My brother's stepdaughter at the wedding between her mother and him in 1986, Fremont, California.
Polaris and the star trails around it. I probably shot this while out camping, which means it's probably Maine.
I can't remember where this is, but I'm tempted to say Chicago. Kodachrome, 1987.
Prometheus in front of the Prudential Center in Boston, 1986.
The old John Hancock, Back Bay, Boston. Kodachrome, 1986.
The reflecting pool at the Christian Science Center in The Fenway, Boston.Agfachrome, 1985.
Chicago City Hall, Kodachrome, 1987.
The Christian Science Center in Boston. Kodachrome, 1986.
More scanned slide photos can be seen here.
permalink | March 22, 2018 at 07:34 PM | Comments (0)
March 11, 2018
A Few Slides
Boston Light, Kodachrome, 1987.
permalink | March 11, 2018 at 09:57 PM | Comments (0)
February 23, 2018
Sliiiiiiiiides
Harvard along the Charles River as viewed from the John W. Weeks pedestrian bridge. I'm facing the Cambridge side, of course. At the extreme left you can see the North Harvard Street bridge. On the right you can see as far as the Western Avenue bridge and the power plant next to it.
Yes, this couple looks like a Duane Hanson sculpture, but they are, in fact, living tourists in Hawaii. Kodachrome, 1986.
Paris Street; Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte at the Chicago Art Institute.
Marina City, Chicago - Kodachrome, 1987.
The LDS Temple in Oakland - 1986.
Coast Guard pier in Provincetown, Massachusetts - 1985.
![[Former] Polaroid Headquarters](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4607/39738064354_2dbb499397.jpg)
Polaroid headquarters on the Charles River in Boston (Allston).
permalink | February 23, 2018 at 06:59 PM | Comments (0)
February 14, 2018
Match Sphere
Scientists at Los Alamos Laboratory had a betting pool for Trinity, the first atomic bomb test. One of the betting options was that the bomb would work, but would ignite the atmosphere, wiping out all life on Earth. This video allows you visualize what that might look like from the moon.
permalink | February 14, 2018 at 09:44 AM | Comments (0)
February 13, 2018
My First Hummingbird Nest
Just spotted it today when I noticed the future mother flying in exactly the same path twice very close to my house. I'll have to get a ladder to see down into the nest.
UPDATE: I can't get high enough on my ladder to see clear to the bottom of the nest, but for now here's a photo of the mother sitting.
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permalink | February 13, 2018 at 11:48 AM | Comments (0)
February 11, 2018
Scanned Slide Photos Again
The Charles River after sunset, looking westerly. Kodachrome, 1987.
Sal Sorrenti and David K. This photo is from about 1986 or '87 and is somewhere around Boston, maybe Westboro. Sal, on the left, was my boyfriend at that time.
If you can identify this portrait, please let me know. I don't recall the artist or where this was on display. It might be in the Chicago Art Institute.
The Na Pali coast on Kauai. Kodachrome, 1986.
MBTA Alewife Station in Arlington, Massachusetts.
Louis Sullivan monogram on Carson Pirie Scott & Co., Chicago. Kodachrome, 1987.
This is Hammond Pond behind Chestnut Hill Mall in Newton, Massachusetts. Kodachrome, 1988.
The 1985 gay pride parade in Boston passing in front of the State House.
