Trail of Torment III
September 29, 2009
Update 10-6-2009 @ 9:11 PM: The photos are posted and tagged now. You can search for them by typing “Trail of Torment III” without the quotes followed by your bib number. If you think you are missing a shot you can also search for “Trail of Torment III no bib” without the quotes and you will see all the photos with obscured or missing bib numbers. For more tips and tricks see the page on searching the gallery.
Special Note: If you were the one wearing the “I’ve got the Runs” shirt and no bib you can find your photos by typing “got the runs from the Trail of Torment III in 2009″ without the quotes.
You can access the gallery here. From here click on the search link at the top. Search always searches the entire gallery which is why it is important to include the event name.
All photos are posted uncropped. If you want to purchase a photo then click the “i” information icon 
for the image to get the file name and email your order to orders@shezphoto.com or bryan@shezphoto.com and we will respond back with a money request through Paypal. Alternately you may mail a check however this will delay your order until the check is received.
If you want the image cropped or adjusted prior to us sending it to you let us know. We will send you the unaltered photo and throw in the cropped image with the sale for free.
Remember, you can access the gallery here and find out search tips here.
END UPDATE
On Sunday, October 4, 2009 @ 7:00 AM PST the Trail of Torment III race kicks off. With three different distances the event caters to just about every endurance athlete out there. If you are participating then you are in luck because this is the place where all of the race photography will be posted and sold.
Check back on this page after the event to see the photos as they are posted. All photos posted in the event gallery are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License which means they are free to use however you like so long as you give credit ONLY at the resolution posted and no higher. If you really want to own your photo outright with no restrictions and at Hi-Res then you can purchase the digital file for $5. We can send it to you in RAW, jpeg, tiff, psd, png, xcf, or almost any other format you like.
All photos will be shot with either a Canon 5D Mark II which features a 21.1-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor or the Canon 50D which features an APS-C sized 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor. Both will be paired with “L” lenses for superb image quality.
Make sure to check back here early and often for new information, updates, and of course your photos.
Vivian Creek Adventure Hike
August 16, 2009
A good friend of mine, Jay recently started what he terms “Adventure Friday”. See, he works Saturday but always gets Friday off. He already completed one major hike about a month ago and was looking to go on another. I took him up and we applied for a permit to hike the Vivian Creek trail which leads eventually to Mount San Gorgonio. As we set out on the trail I was excited and about as prepared as I thought I should be. I carried two liters of water plus an 8 oz chocolate Silk soy drink. Jamie made me two sandwiches and packed me trail mix, dried fruit, Shot Bloks, and Gu. Jay was even more prepared. He packed a full U.S. gallon of water plus he had trekking poles and a water filtration pump. More importantly, Jay is in much better shape then I am.
So we set out on our hike at a few minutes past 7AM. The trail starts flat, crosses a riverbed for Mill Creek and then shoots up into seriously steep switchbacks and loose rocky terrain. Jay and I were both feeling great as we crossed Vivian Creek and continued on a slight uphill. As we were going I mentioned to Jay that I smelled smoke but he couldn’t smell it at the time. We kept going and even though it was some seriously steep and technical hiking I was feeling great. We passed Half Way Creek feeling good. We continued up to another switchback which took us around to a great view of the valley. It was then that we could see the typical thermal inversion layer in the atmosphere and below it this cloud of thick black and orange smoke. This spooked Jay and concerned me as well. My first though was “let’s get away from the smoke”. I wanted to summit and then decide which side of the mountain to come down. If there was fire nearby we would see it and we could go down the other side. Jay reminded me that this would make it a 23 mile hike. “Good Point” I said and so we went down. We got about a mile and a half down or almost 1200 vertical feet and we happened across the first hikers we had seen on the trail so far. They didn’t know where the smoke came from but were not concerned. Then another couple came up and continued on. Jay and I decided it must be safe to continue so we went back up.
Smoke from the Santa Barbara County fires
Jay looking worried
The second time doing that ascent took it’s toll on me. We went slightly above where we turned around the first time and stopped to eat lunch. Then we continued on past High Creek. By this time I was really feeling it. We got a few hundred feet vertically above High Creek when I decided to call it quits. We could have reached the summit but we would have gotten back to the car around 7PM and I had no cell service to tell Jamie I would be late.
It felt really good to be going downhill and we made great time. Then my body just hit a wall and every step was a major effort. I had forgotten how steep the switchbacks above Mill Creek were. Jay lent me his trekking poles and that helped me get down. Then we crossed the creek and made it to the car. I was never happier to see a car in my life and I thought for a moment about kissing it’s steel skin; then I decided not to.
Be sure to check out my GPS information and the photos I took. Also make sure to check out Jay’s Adventure Friday blog here. Oh, by the way the fire was all the way up in Santa Barbara County and nowhere near us.
Independence Day Hike
July 6, 2009
Jamie and I started out our Independence Day at our new Tustin place of residence by having Red, White and Blue French Toast. If you know the history of how this country was founded you’ll understand why that isn’t a contradiction. As you can see in the photo the Red was provided by strawberries, the White by powered sugar, and the Blue by blueberries. Jamie and I then proceeded to spend the rest of the daylight hours filing my old mail in preparation to move it to our new place. This was the height of excitement let me tell you.
Luckily we broke away from that extremely exciting task to do something that was actually fun. Jamie booked us for an evening hike at Bommer Canyon which is in the South Preserve of the Irvine Ranch though the Irvine Ranch Wildlands website. The hike started at 7:30 PM and went on a 3 mile loop up near the 73 Toll Road and paused at the top of the ridge for a spectacular view of at least eight different fireworks shows all over Orange County. I took the camera along and attempted some shots of the shows below. Only after the hike did I realize I truly needed a zoom lens but I think the shots I captured were pretty spectacular nonetheless. Besides the long exposure night shots of the fireworks I also bumped the ISO up to 25,600 and took some shots lit only by moonlight. This is extremely difficult since you have to manual focus and it’s quite impossible to do anything except estimate distance since it’s dark out. Through trial and error I was able to get these shots somewhat in focus.
The hike was fun and just difficult enough to be challenging. Jamie and I look forward to doing more hikes like this in the future.
You can view the details of our hike here as well as our pictures below:
Red, White and Blue French Toast
Bommer Canyon trail taken with the SD550
Orange County
Moonlit shot taken at ISO 25,600.
IVHS Dog Walk 2009
June 2, 2009
On Saturday we participated in the annual Inland Valley Humane Society Dog Walk at Bonelli Park. Even though we had attended this event before it had been two years since the last time. Our good friend Sarah is a volunteer for IVHS and actively participates in this event every year. More recently since her daughter Natasha was born she has been celebrating Natasha’s birthday at the Dog Walk since they are both in May. Sarah has set up a team for Natasha for the past three years and has asked people to donate to Team Natasha in lieu of gifts. This has been very successful for fundraising, Natasha’s team is usually one of the highest fund raiser’s for the event. Last year, Natasha’s team was in the lead to be the top fundraising team, however, another team came in at the last minute and took victory over Natasha. If you know Sarah you know that she couldn’t let that happen two years in a row so she started fundraising very early this year and her efforts paid off because Natasha not only won top fund raising team but also won top fund raising youth. Because this event was also a celebration of Natasha’s third birthday Sarah went all out with the party favors. She made white chocolate paws with Oreo cookies inside and also cupcakes with tons of frosting and little white chocolate dog bones on top.
Natasha annoyed at the paparazzi
Home made party favors
Cupcakes!
Team Natasha
Happy Birthday Natasha!
Aisha and her Wizard
More walking
Jen, Natasha, Mark & Isabella
Natasha, Sarah & Aisha
Aisha eating her cupcake
The Wizard eating his cupcake
Isabella
Natasha wins!
2009 Red Bull Air Race: San Diego
May 11, 2009
This past Sunday we went to the Red Bull Air Race down in beautiful San Diego. This is the second year we attended this event and it never disappoints. The event takes place on the San Diego Bay right in the heart of Downtown San Diego. During last years event we bought tickets to the North Embarcadero part of the bay, this year we decided to go to the South Embarcadero. We got there early so we could secure a spot in the front. This event gets very crowded so going early is a must to get a good spot especially on finals day. Unlike last year, there was not a big Navy demonstration. We did get to see a flyover by an F18, a lifeguard demo and also an old war plane, and of course we got a nice shower from the hovering Seahawk helicopters. This year I brought a hat with a tassel to secure it on my head. Last year I nearly lost my hat when the Seahawks blew it off when they hovered above us. I’m not sure why the Navy chose to scale back their performances and flybys but it might have had something to do with the fact that it was cloudy for most of the morning. The sun did come out by the afternoon, unfortunately because of the earlier clouds we didn’t apply our sunscreen as well as we should have so we came home with some nasty sunburns.
Sea Otter Classic: Day Four
April 20, 2009
We decided to make our final day at the Sea Otter Classic the most eventful. The weather in Monterey was just as warm and sunny as the day before. Maybe even warmer; our car thermometer read 91 degrees. Once again it was a perfect day to photograph, the sky was blue and cloudless. After having breakfast at the media center we hopped on the shuttle to the bottom of the Downhill course. While Bryan positioned himself about halfway up the course, I stood near the finish line. Luckily the course creators put a few jumps at the end so I got some nice photos of that. As with many of these dangerous mountain bike sports, there were a few people who fell. But these athletes are pretty tough so they all got right up. After the Downhill our fantastic shuttle driver Jen picked us up and brought us back to the media center. Jen and all the shuttles were a very appreciated service for us media folks. I can’t imagine walking to many of these courses.
We filled up on a huge taco lunch at the media center and then headed to the Cross Country course. We got to photograph the start of the men’s race and then we got on another shuttle to a see the women race. The coolest part of this shuttle ride is we actually got to drive on the famous corkscrew at Laguna Seca. It was awesome! Bryan then took another shuttle up to Skyline Road where another section of the course was while I went back to the start/finish line. We photographed there for the next hour and a half and called it a day.
One of the many great things about this trip is that we decided to stay an extra day. In an actual hotel room! With a bed and a shower! We used our extra day to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium so I will have even more photos to share!
For more of our Sea Otter Classic coverage check out Bryan’s race report at Amateur Endurance. You can also see more photos from Day 4 in the GALLERY.
Downhill photo by Bryan
Downhill photo by Bryan
Me and the Sea Otter
Downhill photo by Jamie
Downhill photo by Jamie
Downhill photo by Jamie
Downhill crash photo by Jamie
Cross Country photo by Bryan
Sea Otter Classic: Day Three
April 19, 2009
Upon waking up on the third day of the Sea Otter Classic I would say the two things I miss the most are a good nights sleep and showering. At least we have a campsite that has porta-potties and a hose, there are sites here that have neither of those things. It was really foggy yesterday morning but it soon burned away to a beautiful blue, cloudless sky. It also got unusually warm. From what I’ve heard is that it does not normally get into the 80’s in Monterey this time of year. This is probably why they chose to start the recreational bike tours at 9:30am because they figured that’s when it would warm up. Bryan had previously convinced me to sign up with him for the 10 mile recreational bike ride. I’m not sure why I agreed as I can’t even walk straight without falling over. I ended up chickening out at the last minute which allowed Bryan to instead go on the 20 mile tour. I waited at the expo until he got back and took a few photos of the women’s Circuit Race and some other random stuff. After four hours I was beginning to worry as Bryan has never done a mountain bike ride quite so long and in such warm weather. He returned, exhausted as expected but in good spirits. He had run out of water during the ride but luckily there were a few aid stations along the way which provided much needed nourishment. However, the last aid station ran out of water by the time he got there though so all he got was an orange. We decided to go back to camp after his ride so we didn’t really cover any events. The expo was insanely crowded so it was a lot harder to move around freely like we did on the previous days. That was another reason why we decided to head back early. We decided to sleep in the car last and although it was a lot warmer it still wasn’t as comfortable as a real bed.
Check out Bryan’s race coverage at Amateur Endurance. You can also see more photos of Day 3 in the GALLERY.
Men's Circuit Race going down the corkscrew
Bryan starting the 20 mile recreational tour
Women's Circuit race
Sea Otter Classic: Day Two
April 17, 2009
We started out our day at the Sea Otter Classic with breakfast at the media center and some blogging. After looking over the event schedule for the day we decided to walk over to the Dual Slalom course. The course is set up on a hill above the expo and looks like lots of fun to ride. While I stayed down towards the finish line of the course, Bryan walked all the way up the hill to where the real action was taking place. Dual Slalom participants ride on technical courses complete with sweeping turns, hills and jumps. Two riders race down the hill as fast as they can in hopes to qualify for the finals. These riders go super fast down this course which is pretty dangerous, we saw quite a few wipe outs but nothing serious.
Dual Slalom photo by Bryan
Dual Slalom photo by Bryan
Dual Slalom photo by Bryan
Dual Slalom photo by Bryan
Dual Slalom photo by Jamie
Dual Slalom photo by Jamie
Super D photo by Jamie
Super D photo by Jamie
Laguna Seca Recreation Area photo by Jamie
Sea Otter Classic: Day One
April 17, 2009
Yesterday was our first official day at the Sea Otter Classic. As I said in my previous blog we got here at 10am and quickly set up our tent at our campsite. At first I was a little disgruntled at the high winds at the event as it made it very cold outside. Then I found out we had to walk kind of far to get to the expo and the media center. However, my discontentment turned to joy after we picked up our packet for the recreational bike tour (more on that later). After getting our bib numbers for Saturday’s ride we were given a free goody bag. I’m still not exactly sure what’s in it but who cares, it’s free! My joy was taken to a whole new level when we walked up to the media center. I LOVE the media center. As I mentioned in my last blog we were privileged enough to work with Amateur Endurance for this event which helped us get media passes. Media passes are awesome! Once in the media center you are allowed free WiFi, free sandwiches and drinks, another goody bag, free parking close to the race track and free red vines. Is there anything better than free red vines? I want to live here. Anyway, of course the best thing about media passes are the access you get to the races. Bryan and I got to photograph right on the race track. This is huge deal for us since Laguna Seca is a historic raceway. Bryan was especially excited because he has raced on Laguna Seca before in numerous video games and has finally got to see it in real life.
The first thing we did after visiting the media center was go down to the expo. There are hundreds of vendors at Sea Otter and we got to see a lot of what they had to offer before the crowds arrived for the weekend. We also saw some big air stunts by the GT Bicycles team. We decided to go check out the Men’s Criterium Category 1/2 which is a road race on the track. We actually got to walk down to the garage area where the pits are. We were in awe at the whole thing. While Bryan used our telephoto lens to capture the cyclists as they came out of the final corner I walked to the hairpin turn just before that. I actually got to walk on the track, I don’t know why that makes me feel cool but it does. We ended up getting some awesome shots which we have posted below. Of course we were totally exhausted after everything. I was excited to get back to my tent for a good night’s sleep. I probably got a total of 3 hours between the hours of 8pm and 6am but it’s okay because I’m ready for another jam packed, exciting day at Sea Otter.
Check out Bryan’s event coverage at Amateur Endurance. You can also see photos from Day 1 in the GALLERY.
Photo by Bryan
Photo by Bryan
Photo by Bryan
Photo by Jamie
Photo by Jamie
Photo by Jamie
Photo by Bryan
Sea Otter Classic: We Have Arrived!
April 16, 2009
I am currently blogging to you on location from the Sea Otter Classic at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey. We arrived around 10 AM and have already been to our camp site and set up our tent. You heard that right we are camping here at the race track. Actually our campsite overlooks the race track. We are excited to let you know that we are working with Amateur Endurance for this event. We will be here for the next four days to cover a few of the races, the expo and everything in between. We expect to get really great shots because we were lucky enough to get media passes for all four days, a great perk to working with AE, that means access to spots that spectators don’t get. Keep checking back here for updates and also Amateur Endurance will be posting our race reports and general event coverage.
View from our campsite overlooking the track
Our campsite