Snow Before Halloween

A few weekends ago I took a day trip out to Virginia's Skyline Drive. As we approached the entrance, you could see glimpses of what looked like snow on the upper meadows, and sure enough, when we got to the gate, we were informed that the road was closed 4 miles in.

The views were great and there was a nice contrast between the lush green grass and the light dusting of snow.

We wanted more, though, so we backtracked and drove 30 miles south to the next entrance.



This is what we came for! The wind was howling over the ridges and you could tell there snow had been much more intense, with a nice 3-4 inch layer of snow blanketing the mountainsides, the road and the trees. It was still melting, but there were pockets of ice and icicles hanging from some trees!

I'm holding out hope that this winter will be long and dark and snowy and cold. I can't wait to be able to skate on the pond across from our house, and to make a whole lot more of these fun winter drives!

B&W Portraits

Cyclocross Challenge Race #2 of the MABRA Cyclocross Series

For anyone paying attention to my race coverage schedule, I'll be at the MABRA #2 event this weekend. Unlike last week when I missed the Cat 4 event, I will not have any scheduling conflicts, so I'll be there for the whole day! That means coverage of the Cat 4's from start to finish!

2009 Ed Sanders Memorial Cyclocross Event

After a long summer delay, I'm back attending races and shooting pictures. This Sunday, September 27th, I attended the 2009 Ed Sanders Memorial Cyclocross Event in Maryland.

This is the first race of the 2009 Mid-Atlantic Bike Racing Association (MABRA) annual cyclocross series. After it rained all day on Saturday and most of Saturday night, I knew this race was going to be sloppy, muddy, and spectacular for cross. And it was. When I got there in the morning, the course was brutally muddy, but most racers could ride the whole thing. As the day wore on, however, the sun came out and turned the slop into thick, clingy mud that was more like peanut butter than anything else. Peanut butter with long, nasty strands of wild grass in it.

But then, after another two hours of sunshine the course started getting tacky and fast - just in time for the Women's 1/2/3 race, and then the Men's 1/2/3.

The shots turned out really well, minus the first 30 or so that I wasted because my race-photography muscle were so out of shape. Two things about that: 1. I'm surprised that my skills atrophied so fast. It really hasn't been that long since my last shoot..., and 2. it's nice that everything snapped back into shape as fast as it did. For a while there, I was worried it was going to be a long, frustrating day. Thankfully, everything worked out.

If you're at all interested, head on over to www.pingelphoto.com and click on "Go To The Galleries" for some big preview shots in the "Ed Sanders" Gallery (and subgalleries).

2009 Cranky Monkey MTB Series - Fountainhead

The few people who read this blog know that I have recently found a creative outlet that combines two of my favorite hobbies: bike racing and photography. Over the last several months I've discovered that I really love photographing bike races, and, in the course of doing that, I started selling some of my shots. The feedback I've received from racers has been overwhelmingly positive. And while the money I've earned has been nice, I've also found that when people place an order with me, the greatest joy I have is delivering a cool photo to someone who truly appreciates it.

Some of you know that I used to race competitively. Unfortunately, I have a grand total of 3 photos from all 6 years I raced. So, with that in mind, I can't tell you how happy it makes me to be able to give a racer a great photo they will enjoy for years to come.

So....all that to say, that I recently had a very interesting conversation with an individual that has caused me to rethink my motivations for taking photos at bike races. The next race I attend, I thought I'd try something entirely new. I'm going to give away as many of my photos as I can, to as many people as want them. That's right, FREE digital downloads of everything I capture with my camera.

I will see you all at Race #2 of the Cranky Monkey MTB series at Fountainhead Regional Park!

Enjoy!

The Recipe

The ideal day at the beach starts with picking up boards at the local surf truck.

Then heads to the lovely crystal clear water of Hanalei's beautiful crescent beach...

...for some tasty, ankle-slapper waves shared with friends.

and a lot of humor;

Followed by chow at Bubba's - where they clearly have their priorities in order.

Not a bad idea, eh?

Red

Black and Gold