So today I decided to compile all my blogs into one again. I love taking pictures, whether it be cars, landscapes, portraits, etc. Doesn't matter, I just like to shoot! So having a seperate blog for my Fit, then for other thoughts and photos doesn't make sense. Today I updated this blog with older posts from my two others, and will continue, so for the next day or two, things may be out of order.
A lot has happened since I "blogged" last. We just got back from CO and seeing Neil and going sandboarding. I hadn't been able to go to the top of Pike's Peak yet, but this time we made it happen. I wish I was in the Fit or just a decent car to tackle this road. I don't know how the PPHC guys run up this road full blast. The drop offs are unnerving and exciting at the same time. The dunes blew us away with their size: 750 feet tall! These dunes were formed from centuries of erosion on one mountain that built up at the base of another. These dunes are at high elevation, so spending the day trudging up and down these dunes was exhausting, but exhilerating on the way down.
The Fit has also seen some changes. My first lip got destroyed when I hit a box on the interstate at 60mph. I got a new one painted and mounted, hopefully this will last a lot longer. Also, the car is back on its stock springs. After a ride in the passenger seat with the Tein springs, the ride was intolerable and I applaud my wife for putting up with it for so long. I am keeping them only for future shows. I still have the Progress rear sway bar in and it does a good job helping to boost turn in and keeping the handling feeling eager, even with the softer springs. I hate the wheel gap, but the ride is so much better and I actually enjoy driving the car more. I am toying with the idea of getting coilovers from Ground Control with custom rates similar to stock to keep a softer ride, but also have the ability to slam the car for shows or meets rather than spending 2-3 hours swapping springs for a harsh ride. Since the car is mostly a daily driver and cops have gotten ridiculous on the Gap (its been over a year since I have been up there), this makes the most sense. All in all, the Fit will likely remain in its current guise for a while with small upgrades periodically. I still have a strong interest in cars, don't get me wrong, its just a very expensive and time intensive hobby.
I have been getting more into photography recently and plan on getting some more time behind the camera and experimenting more with GIMP. I plan on getting 2 new lenses and a converter for Christmas - a 0.42x wide angle converter, a 55-250mm f4.0-5.6 and a 50mm f1.8 - which will help open up a few new possibilities. The kit lens will be an all arounder and landscape lens. The 18mm side does well with capturing a whole environment (subject like mountains and the sky). The teleconverter will work with this lens and help give an even wider view and maybe some fisheye like shots. The 55-250mm will get most duty while I am shooting motorsports. The kit lens is out of its element when trying to capture MotoGP riders knee down at 150mph and I end up having to crop the picture so tight that the sharpness and resolution is completely lost. The 50mm lens will be used in a variety of situations when detail shots or depth of field really matter - portraits or showing details on a large object, etc. I would like to take some rolling shots also. I'm not ready to take the plunge into a rig for this, but shooting car to car or car to bike would be a lot of fun!
Plans for 2013 include Formula D at Road Atlanta in May, MotoGP and dirt track in August and probably another NASCAR race in there somewhere.
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