Bringing spots back to life.

Do you remember those riding spots that you went to when you were younger, and then stopped visiting for years?

Sneller and I ended up re-visiting an old wallride next to what used to be Menards in Holland, MI. Yesterday was a nice break from the cold and wind we've had here lately, so we decided to venture away from the skatepark and ride some real obstacles.

This wallride has been around since I can remember (even before I started riding bmx). It's a perfect grass bank which leads up to a grippy brick block wall.

After not being ridden for a couple years, the bank has become soft and dense. It took a little bit of rake, shovel, and broom work to get runways ridable again, but things started to look good after just an hour or so. We were even able to get a few runs at the wall before the sun went down. At the top of this post, you can see that Sneller has already been getting comfortable with his runs!

This spot is nearly perfect, with plenty of space for speed. The Menards which used to occupy the area has moved, so the whole lot is now clear. My only concern is that a Save A Lot across the parking lot may have some employees who don't like people riding bikes in their area. So far, they've only been giving us looks of curiosity rather than annoyance.

I'm excited to ride this spot more and more as the weather gets better! -Pat Ellis

As Seen on TV

Obviously, if you know me personally (or keep up with anything Run Jelly Pandas-related), you've most likely seen these already. Anyway, just a couple more shots from last Sunday to help get you through the middle of the week.

Trail Work

Bmx NEEDS a Crash Section Like This

Close-up, face-grinding, blood-smearing, crash section like this. NEEDS!

Big Bay

For some reason, any time I think of what it must have been like to operate a light in the 1800s, I think of nasty storms with high winds, large waves, heavy rain, and little visability over the lake. I'm sure the lighthouse keepers saw some intense storms, and some spectacular sunsets. These buildings are tied to some of the Great Lake's most fascinating historical events, and I hope that they are kept around for many years to be visited and photographed.

Some Random

 Little Javi is a shredder. Here, he's not doing that. Street portrait.

*(I looked at this picture on a different screen, and it wasn't as dark as what it looks like on the computer that I'm viewing it on now. So, if you can't see it clearly... I don't know. There.)

Black and White

I found an old roll of 400 speed black and white Kodak negative film, and thought I'd do something a little different than my usual color shots.

Marquette Lighthouse, Marquette, Michigan.











































East of Munising, Michigan, at the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

There Is Nothing Serious About This.

I was bored and couldn't sleep the other night. This is the poop that I made as a result of that.

A quick pic

A morning shoreline hike along Lake Superior in Marquette, MI.

Weather is Better

Rode all day, did a little shooting as RJP.
Got a few okay shots. Eat 'em up.

Little Javi and Devon.

Late winter goodness

What we have here are a few recent shots, some from tonight, and a couple from last week. I wanted to show better copies or different angles of shots posted elsewhere.















Castle Rock. In the spring, summer and fall, I would likely have been standing shoulder to shoulder with other people, as this spot is the most accessable at the pictured rocks. Due to the last few miles of the road leading in not being plowed, I was able to ski in and be totally alone. 3 stops neutral density filters to keep the sky from washing out.















On my way out I stopped to take a shot of some trees turning orange from the late evening sun with my 35mm body. As I turned around to put my camera away, I noticed a fox standing about 25 feet away, just watching me. I slowly crouched down and started digging through the bag for the digital camera. The fox walked to within ten feet of me, and we just sat there looking at eachother for a moment. I didn't even take a picture. I realized that although I've seen some pretty fantastic scenes, I often spend so much time worrying about exposures and compositions that I don't take the time to just sit and enjoy my surroundings. This was a great moment. Of course, I got some shots after it lost interest and started walking around.

























































Walking through the ice caves in Eben is a wild experience. It's a popular spot, but I was able to get a little solitude on this trip. I think for the first time I used the wireless flash in a landscape shot. I tried a couple different flash placements, but I would really like to go back with another flash so I can fill up the dark areas.