Lelan, Sam and I road the route last weekend to make sure it was safe. We didn’t see one mountain lion the whole time, but some kind of fecal matter that had Lelan curious. I am pretty sure it was from an herbivore, so no worries. The hills were not obscene, but the scenery of the whole trip is pure Kansas. We even stumbled on a small town where we will eat lunch at the midpoint of our ride. This is way too easy.

Kansas is known for its roads that go on forever but we found quite a few curves on our tour route. Well, a lot of curves for Kansas anyway. We had temperatures in the high 50′s when we headed out. I was actually wearing arm and leg warmers. By late morning they came off.

We stopped for a quick potty break and to shed the extra clothing. It only got into the 80′s as it is supposed to this weekend too. Perfect riding conditions. In Kansas, these conditions only come for a few weeks a year before it is scorching hot or freezing cold. It is time to ride.

I shot Sam as Sam shot me.

We had to ride for just a mile or two on a paved highway before heading straight north to Burdick, Kansas. I was pleasantly surprised to find the perfect little town at the halfway point to have lunch. We even met some locals and discussed future bike tours where they could have lunch ready for us here. It’s great that our tour participants we be able to see a few small Kansas towns. I love the old little towns of Kansas. I would love to create a book with historical facts and pictures of each one.

Adventure Monkey turned one last month. This could not be overlooked. A cake had to be ordered. A celebration was definitely necessary. It is unbelievable the journey I have been on since I launched the Adventure Monkey into existence. It all happened when I decided to quit figuring things out and to just do something I loved to do. I think the made up term is “photocycling” and it has nothing to do with photosynthesis. It has everything to do with finding yourself while on a bike in the midst of God’s creation and sharing this with others, and then eating cake formed into a Dr. Seuss looking hill with a gravel road leading to a monkey sitting under a tree. Quit whining and wishing and just do something YOU desire to do. Who knows? Maybe you will get a funny shaped cake too.

The party was mostly contained to the garage. We were lucky enough to recently sell the money pit and move into this quaint house with an enormous garage. This will soon be Adventure Monkey headquarters with a “bike shop,” hang out and office space. We have to work out a wall building adventure weekend as well as an HVAC system, but it’s going to happen. The cars are behind me, that’s how big this crazy garage is. Notice LeLan helping himself to the water cooler filled with Gatorade. That’s right, I filled the cooler with Gatorade.

So it’s good to have friends in high places. Yesterday I received a package. A hot package. My mouth currently smells like cinnamon and will for quite some time, thanks to my new best friend. You are the best!

 I am very excited, some may say stoked about this weekend. We have participants from Colorado, Missouri, Kansas City, Wichita and Oklahoma to name a few. It is going to be su-weet! I am already planning for next year’s tours. We will have two for sure along with four magazines next year, two yet to produce this year… I’ll rest some other time, this is too exciting!

Oh, and I have numbers on the winning tee shirt, so just hold your horses, I will publish that soon!

Feed Your Monkey!
Eric

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Since many of us are living for the weekends, I thought I should share my new found discovery. Forget “The Secret,” I really got it all figured out. First of all, I assume you have plans to Feed Your Monkey on the weekends. Get outside and do something! You weren’t created to be a couch potato and it is quite unhealthy to live as a potato anyway. Since you have that covered, the only other way to make a weekend better is to make it   l  o  n  g  e  r. What I discovered over Labor Day weekend was the emotional high, the relief, the awesome feeling I had Sunday evening when I realized something even more exciting than discovering the lost Titanic. I realized I didn’t have to go to work on Monday.

No lunch to prepare. No clothes to set out (stupid collared shirts anyway). It was like having a get out of jail free card. It was like I was cheating the universe and getting one more day to “not work.” It was as great as Superman flying around the earth in reverse really fast and turning back time. Yes, it felt that good. I am not exaggerating one bit.

You know what I did with my extra day? The first half of it I lounged on the couch with my wife and watched a classic chic flick with her. That’s right, I did and it felt great. I am man enough to admit it. Then, I felt tired and took a short nap. I finally showered sometime in the afternoon and got to work. After a good monkey feeding (like a 60 mile ride through the Flint Hills) it feels quite exquisite to relax and do nothing for a bit. But just for a bit. The Adventure Monkey had some things for me to do.

I prerode the route for the Adventure Monkey Tour on Sunday and I needed to look at some side roads on a map, answer some emails, and prepare a dazzling presentation for the photo classes I will be presenting next weekend on the Flint Hills Photo-Cycling Tour. I am really excited about that.

I got most of that done and sat with the wife and watched just a bit of tube before that feeling came back. It’s that feeling we all have when we have to put our Adventure Monkey back into its cage for the work week. At least it’s a shortened work week.

Stay tuned for the results of the t-shirt voting, the winner of an Adventure Monkey tee and new pictures. Oh, and your welcome for the secret. Let me know if you figure out how to lengthen all the weekends and shorten all the work weeks.

Feed Your Monkey!
Eric

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I may be a little vain, but man I look pretty good in this image shot by my friend John Decker.

I was feeling great. Little did I know my spleen could burst. What? So yeah, I got a call from the Doctor. He said there wouldn’t be a call unless something was up. They called that same day. I didn’t know that because our home phone is a little cell phone that Melissa talks on sometimes and it was hiding under the couch. Not knowing about the phone call was OK though. I went for a nice 50 mile bike ride through the Flint Hills last Sunday. I actually felt great. No cramps at all. A great ride.

When I finally found out the doctor had called, it was Sunday. Hmm, I wondered what they wanted since they weren’t supposed to call unless something was amiss. I wasn’t too worried. Probably some paperwork issue or something like that.

I was busy at work Monday and the Doctor’s office left a message to call them. Alright already.

If I go to the doctor something must be up. I don’t like going to the doctor. But sometimes you just know things aren’t right. This could not still be the DK200 affecting me right? That has been three months ago and I haven’t been able to ride 100 mile ride since. I cramp over 40 miles pretty much every time. Plus I have been tired to the point of falling asleep with the mouse in my hand mid button click. On top of that I have been having trouble focusing on things I need to be working on. Not a good time for that. I was having trouble even writing blog posts well and planning for Adventure Monkey things. That’s when I knew I needed a check up to make sure something wasn’t up. Well something was up.

I called the doctor’s office back and got the nurse.

“So what’s up?” I asked her.

“Well, you tested positive for mono,” she replied.

“Great.”

“How long have you been feeling like this?” she asked.

“Months,” I said

“You need to quit doing any jarring activities,” she said.

“You mean like the 50 mile bike ride through the Flint Hills I did yesterday?” I asked.

“Yeah, you can’t do that.”

“That’s going to be a problem,” I said. “I ride every weekend and then some, plus I have the MS ride coming up.” (donate HERE)

“You need to get some rest,” she said.

So that’s what’s up. I have mononucleosis. I don’t accept things easy, so I did some research. You see, as a high schooler I had mono. It’s a virus and if you’ve had it you can’t get it again. It goes dormant and stays in your body and it can become active again, although rare. Things like stress can weaken the immune system and these dormant viruses can take a hold again. Great, then I found information on chronic mono. Some people never completely fight it and it and they end up having chronic fatigue. I cannot accept that. There’s no “cure” for this virus. I just need to fight it. Hmm, how am I supposed to do that?

The Dirty Kanza was something I could physically train for and literally fight the day of the race. But a microscopic virus is a bit different. The one thing I found that I keep stumbling upon is a major diet change and eating more natural foods and foods that boost the immune system. I found an interesting reference from a holistic doctor that fought and beat her chronic mono battle HERE. Of course she wants me to pay for her book, but it may be worth it. You see, after giving this some thought and talking with my dear momma about it, I have complained of tiredness for years. Seems like I have always been tired. Hmm.

The other thing I see is that I am an all or nothing kind of guy too. That comes to stress too. I am either stressed and want to change things immediately or I am fine. No in between for me. So why am I stressed?

I may have posted something about not hating my job once, but these days I have no other words than I do really HATE my job. My job isn’t stressful, the circumstances are. I am a graphic artist in charge of producing media (posters, pamphlets, videos, etc) for the company. Usually it’s an emergency that I produce it quick, but in reality all the media I produce is meaningless. People won’t be more safe, more involved, more trustworthy, more aligned or better employees in any way because of a new poster or video from the CEO. The very thought of posters or other media making changes is completely asinine and so are the people behind it. Now a CEO that models great behavior and is passionate about the company and his employees will make a difference.

I admit, I am a little sensitive. If I don’t feel like I am making a contribution to society in some way, I get extremely bored, then I begin to feel trapped, then stressed. Even while I am typing this, I can physically feel my chest cavity tightening up with anxious stress of hating that place. Good money and benefits are great. But that is not what my life is for. That’s not what I live for. That’s just all there is to it. No excuses or explanations needed. I was made for something more. I just need to accept it AND DO SOMETHING about it! Therein is where my stress occurs. Adventure Monkey is on the verge of something great and the work situation is getting worse and worse or I should say, Dumber and Dumber, and not in the funny Jim Carrey way either. Stupid, meaningless media with an emergency deadlines. Like oh no, somebody tripped in the parking lot, we better make a poster and video. Anyway…

If it is physically affecting your health, if you drive into work and feel a tightening in your chest, a pain in your gut, if you constantly roll your eyes after every comment in every worthless meeting, if you’d rather spend time in the restroom (that’s desperate) then it is time to leave. We are made for a purpose. Sometimes it’s hard to find, sometimes it’s easy. It has taken me a long time and I believe Adventure Monkey is my purpose right now. It is a vehicle I can use to inspire people to do great things with their lives instead of settling for the circumstances of many poor decisions. It is a new age. It is time to think out of the box.

I’ll beat this mono thing. And I’ll stop my activities and get off my bike when I am dead. I am not into wasting time.

That said, let’s enjoy the scenery and if you haven’t done so, REGISTER for the tour using THIS FORM and don’t forget to vote on your favorite shirt HERE.

Feed Your Monkey!
Eric

This is the same "Lone Tree" from a winter image that appeared on this site, but here it is in the summer,

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You can still vote on your favorite t-shirt too from the last post below. It’s funny, I don’t know if “Don’t Spank” has the most comments, but it does have the most downloads for sure. You guys crack me up! Go leave a comment and get your name in the drawing for your favorite t-shirt! This site will soon have an e-commerce side if everything goes well! Now if I only had my own garment printing machine…

As you may have read, I have had a cramping problem since the DK200. Whenever I try to ride hard, I cramp up. I haven’t done a century ride since, and I was doing one every week up to the big race. I have also been having trouble staying focused (well, more than usual) on things. I did what every man does when things don’t seem right with his health. I waited for my wife to get mad at me and make an appointment for me to see a Doctor. So that’s exciting huh? I had a checkup last Friday. The good news is, no hernias – cough, cough. I will hear about all the blood work and other tests this week.

After the fun doctor’s appointment, I went to High Gear to help Matt with the new website. Go check it out HERE. It’s coming along nicely.

Once again, don’t forget about the photo-cycling tour. I am pretty excited about it. It will be a lot of fun and informative too. Register and learn more HERE. Not only will ride together, we will shoot some Flint Hills pictures together and you can see how easy it was to post process this image from a phone camera.

Feed Your Monkey!
Eric

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I have dreams, big dreams in fact. For now it is going to start with Adventure Monkey t-shirts (other gear and products in the works). There has been some discussion and disagreement at Adventure Monkey HQ about t-shirts. There are so many choices of colors, sizes, t-shirt styles and different designs and logos. This is where YOU come in. 

I need your help. I am not writing much today. I want YOUR input in the form of comments. If you want to email me that will be OK, but please leave comments on the comment area of this blog post. Here’s the deal. 

We have eight different t-shirt designs and I want to know what you think. I came up with a few different sayings and one new logo. Some of the sayings are funny but maybe a bit crude. Instead of wondering and trying to guess what you think, just tell me. Possible comments could be: 

• I love t-shirt X but would rather have it in blue
• this design is disgusting
• if you made up this t-shirt I would buy one immediately
• I want 500 now

Which do you like? What colors? Which do you not like? Which do you think would actually sell? so on and so forth. By entering a comment you have a chance at winning your favorite t-shirt!

After I tally your comments, we will make our final decisions on which to produce and begin the pre-ordering process. So let the comments begin! (click on the t-shirts to see a larger image)

You get the picture right? Leave some comments and win your favorite Adventure Monkey t-shirt!

Then you will be like Mikey in the opening photo – a Superstar!

Click on the image to see a larger image. The t-shirts on the left are the fronts.

Never Give Up design inspired by the Dirty Kanza 200

Love Your Monkey

Love Monkey

Large Feed Your Monkey design

Don't Spank design; funny? yes, crude? a little, but the Adventure Monkey should not be oppressed was my meaning here with humor of course

Cycle Monkey

Adventure Monkeys on Logo design

Skater Monkey design

Feed Your Monkey!
Eric

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I started noticing that the days are getting a bit shorter. Someone even mentioned something about planning for winter time training. Yuck. Guess I will have to get the rollers ready again.

We had to move the Emporia Thursday Night Bike Ride a half hour earlier to 6:30 to get in a decent ride. We usually ride around 15 or 20 miles or so at a pretty chilled pace. Come on out if you are in the area! It’s always fun riding in a group. We usually try to keep it on flat areas, but last week we challenged those that wanted to to ride up the first big Dirty Kanza hill.

So I am riding in the Bike MS ride to help raise money for those affected by MS. It is a great cause. If you want to help support the cause, GO HERE and give a buck or two to make my 150 miles mean something!

This weekend was quite eventful. Jen and I hung pictures and art on the walls of the new house on the freshly painted walls. We finished up one room and it ended up looking very nice and homey. It feels good getting things situated, but we still have a ways to go. For example, the man-cave garage still sits waiting attention. Maybe I will get the bikes hung up this week.

I also rode the borrowed full suspension mountain bike through the trails at Camp Alexander just outside of Emporia over the weekend. I think the trail is about three miles long. It is rocky, rooty, has some nice climbs and lots of trees. Tons of fun. I am impressed at how well maintained and technically fun they are for this area. The verdict is still out on the full suspension vs hardtail for me though. I gotta say, I was feeling pretty good out there on the cushy full suspension bike. I felt like I could ride over anything. I was definitely able to ride faster and more confident than I ever have on singletrack. Just not sure I need it. I want to start entering some MTB races next year for fun. The fun part is most important to me. Will a full suspension bike end up being more fun? Not sure. What do you think?

I hit the trails on Saturday and was planning on getting two or three laps in, but one of our guys wrecked. I was behind him when he went down and saw the whole thing. It happened fast. He went down hard and had me a bit worried. He jumped up more mad than anything and didn’t seem hurt until I noticed the open gash just above his elbow. Yikes. Luckily we had a couple of people that drove to the trails. We loaded his bike and him into a truck and got him to the hospital. Once he left, we decided it would probably be best if we um, finished our lap through the Camp Alexander trail. It’s not like we could help in the ER or anything right? I dedicated the rest of the lap to Jed, our fallen soldier. After seeing such carnage, it was hard to keep my head in the game and continue riding, but I was able to muster a good show on the rest of the course. I gotta say, I am a bit timid on the downhills though.

After finishing the lap, we rode to the hospital and upon arriving into the air conditioned ER, I realized how disgusting I must look and smell. Although it WAS an ER right? I am sure worse smelling than me showed up often. Good thing I hadn’t eaten any Cliff bars though. It wasn’t until I had been there awhile that I looked down and realized my jersey was zipped down and open, showing my man chest to the public. Oops.

Once the doctor finally looked him over, it was decided that Jed’s injury was pretty serious and he had to be taken to Topeka where on orthopedic surgeon could check him out. Come to find out, Jed had a bunch of rock and gunk nestled up against his bone. He never yelled or even shed a tear. I think I would have been screaming like a little girl (or more accurately like little Mikey at home) up until the time I passed out before they took me to the hospital. That’s one tough dude.

The next morning, I went out to the trails again with some other friends. I felt pretty good on the singletrack. Better in fact than I ever have. Constantly negotiating the trail trying to find a good line to ride is much different than a long gravel ride. It is exciting and a blast. You know what that means right? There is a new mountain bike in my future.

So the Nancy boys I was out with were ready to go home after two laps. I wanted to go again, but thought wrecking out there with no one around was probably a bad idea. I rode back to Emporia with the group. We had a recovery drink (beer) and then I felt like riding some more. I went home, had a bite to eat and mounted the Fargo. I planned on doing a 30 mile ride through the Flint Hills to wrap up the day. I felt pretty good and planned on getting the ride over quick so I could have a useful rest of the day. But that wasn’t going to be the case.

I used my legs pretty hard in the trails, so they were tired. I haven’t been riding much in the past three weeks or so, but I figured 30 miles on a training route I have would be no big deal. It was.

I started cramping up in my thighs. Ever since the DK 200, I have had terrible cramping issues. It is really getting me down. I am not sure what to do, but I know something is up. How could I go from riding 130 miles on a Sunday ride to not being able to make 30 miles without leg cramps? Yeah, I know I have not ridden really hard in three weeks or so, had a dehydrating beer after a hard couple of laps of singletrack, but a 30 mile ride is usually no big deal for me. I am thinking I need to do more stretching, keep riding and look into using some supplements for help. I eat pretty healthy, so I am not sure what is up. It’s like my legs are preconditioned to cramp up. Before the DK 200, I never had cramping issues, so I am at a loss here. Any advice would be appreciated, since I am looking forward to doing some more gravel grinders in the future.

To say the least, I was not in the picture taking mood with the cramping issues. But I did shoot a few.

This is not a photoshop effect. Something is going on in this little stream. It doesn’t look good. Yuck.

Later that evening, Downtown Matt Brown of High Gear Cyclery INC put together a concert with a couple of local bands and a band from Idaho named Esterlyn. They are a Christian Rock Band and were actually pretty good. The concert was held at the world famous Las Casitas Park in Emporia, Kansas. Matt has a vision of bring more concerts to the Emporia Area to give our youth some good old fashioned entertainment, well, with electric guitars and loudspeakers that is.

Three young guys from Chase County in a band called “Crossroad.”

Looks like he is singing, but that’s Matt Brown, the MC of the evening.

One more local band named “Altered to Offer” before the main attraction.

Esterlyn rocking out in Emporia, Kansas.

Feed Your Monkey!
Eric

P.S. keep your eyes open for new Adventure Monkey t-shirts with new colors, sizes and sayings!

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We headed towards Kahola lake and had unusually cool weather for a Kansas August last Sunday. We didn’t have any racers with us, so it was a pretty chilled ride, just what I needed. With the move, we’ve been trying to get situated in our new house and my cycling miles have gone down considerably. My mood has taken a dive too, so I need to get back on the bike for sure.

Shawn rode his singlespeed. I rode the Fargo.

Shawn wrote a few articles in Issue One and is an avid cyclist. He is the reason I bought my first real bike back in 1990. He is very busy as the co-owner of IM Design and the father of two boys, but still finds time to ride on a weekly basis. If you are in or near Emporia, the Thursday Night Ride meets at his house at 6:30 at 15th and Sherwood. Anyway, good for Shawn for finding the time to ride with life going on all around him. That’s not always easy. I know if I don’t ride, I get very cranky and feel miserable mentally. It is very much like medication for me.

Here’s a few pictures of the birthday boy balancing in my shot. He looks pretty good for an old man, wouldn’t you say?

Good thing John brought that spare tire in case one of us has a flat or something. I have been riding with Shawn and John for years. There’s nothing like riding with old friends, or new friends for that matter. I am itching for a multi-day bike tour. I need to get some ultralight gear. I hope I can do something like that, maybe even this year if all the stars and planets align just right…

We hit plenty of hills on this ride. It was nice being able to motor up the hills ahead of everyone but Shawn on his singlespeed. Shawn has always had the endurance of a madman. I am always last when I ride with the racers, so this was a nice change. I am definitely not fast, but have gotten a lot stronger on the bike in the past year or so.

Who can guess what’s happening here? Check out Rick wearing the OLD SCHOOL bikeworks tee.

Yeah, there’s something wrong with this bike. It doesn’t have any gears.

I am going to have to borrow a singlespeed to ride on an entire bike ride to see what I think. I don’t know if I am tough enough to muscle it up all the hills or not. I gotta find out though. This was a great ride. Happy Birthday Shawn! I can’t think of a better way to celebrate.

Feed Your Monkey!
Eric

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So last weekend I witnessed something very cool. My good friend Adam, that finished the Flint Hills Death Ride and wrote about it HERE, planned a Death Ride challenge for his two boys. There’s nothing as cool as getting young kids to Feed Their Adventure Monkeys!

Adam and his family were my support team for the Dirty Kanza 200 this year and JJ really got into helping me out. He made sure I had enough to drink and eat and was by my side at every stop. There was absolutely no way I would miss this ride for them. I will be honest, I had a lot going on, but sometimes you need to stop your own stuff and make time to support other people and their endevours. That is a very important thing to do, just sayin’.

Adam took the time this Summer to ride with the boys on training rides and get them pumped and ready for this Death Ride. He also drove 90 miles away to get on a bike path that would be safe and long enough for the Didde Boys Death Ride. I probably would have just made my kids ride on gravel in the Flint Hills and hope for the best, but Adam went the extra mile. We all met up in Wichta to witness this grand event.

JJ is pretty intense and is Quality Control on the water detail. Adam moved race time up an hour earlier because we were supposed to be in the 100′s again on Death Ride day.

Toby blew the horn and the boys were off. As you can see, JJ is pretty focused and ready to put some space between him and the peloton. Notice the boys are single speeders, pretty tough.

The first checkpoint was in the downtown Wichita area by some pretty cool monuments and bridges.

The fans were waiting in extreme anticipation for the leaders

JJ had pulled ahead and was first to stop at checkpoint number one.

One the way to the next checkpoint, I passed a building dedicated to the Society of Decorative Painters. Does that seem funny to anyone else?

JJ was still in the lead at checkpoint two, but Eli rode in in style, letting his fans know he cared.

Checkpoint two, with only the finish line waiting, meant the boys needed to step it up a notch so they broke out the pickles.

Coming into the finish line, JJ is still intensely focused and Eli raises his hand in victory.

The trophy ceremony.  I am sure this is something the boys will remember forever. I am glad I took the time to cheer them on. Adam definitely wins Dad of the Year for this!

Feed Your Monkey!
Eric

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There is something about the Adventure Monkey that has gotten things happening in my life. When I put myself out there and have faith in the good in the world, steps keep appearing in the journey ahead. I decided last year that each time a new step appears, no matter how scary it looks, I am going take it and have faith it will work out. So far so good. (Although the Photo-Cycling tour is still not full and I really don’t want to pay for uneaten meals, so I’d appreciate it if you’d make that commitment and REGISTER now. You won’t regret it. It will be fun, relaxing, challenging and you may learn something too.) That being said…

… Adventure Monkey turned one last week.

Wow, I still remember my first post. I had no idea things would happen so fast. I had no plans for fundraisers, t-shirts, racing the Dirty Kanza 200, photo-cycling tours or even a sweet magazine with amazing contributors. I had no idea how many new and awesome friendships I would make because of this silly monkey. I had no idea I would sell my house to make more money available to the monkey. I had no idea, I just had a hungry monkey. I decided to feed him. I gave up on trying to be “successful” and instead decided to do something to please my soul by feeding the Adventure Monkey inside. All I wanted to do is ride my bike and take pictures. I thought someone may enjoy that too. Seems like the adventure thing is catching on these days for sure. We are all looking for more in this life.

When money takes a front seat in my projects, they tend to fail. I have learned my lesson for sure. But I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t care if Adventure Monkey made some money. I am hoping it does someday soon. I want to keep the idea of, “Inspiring others to feed their monkeys,” at the center of every decision I make and every thing this site may offer. That is my promise to you. That is why this site hasn’t gotten full of advertising. But things will be changing. I will have more to offer soon. New t-shirts (even for you big XXL guys) and gear, upcoming magazines, reviews and maybe even a few ads only for companies I have used and trust. We will see.

Stick with me because it’s going to be a fun ride for sure! And don’t forget to REGISTER

Feed Your Monkey!
Eric

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If you have a bike that can handle gravel, are in decent shape and have a desire to shoot better pictures, this tour is for you! We will be stopping to take pictures, discuss shooting technique and mooing at cows. Don’t worry about being left behind. I will be riding the Fargo with supplies and am not planning on going too fast at all. Don’t let any hesitations (fear) get in the way of a great time and maybe even a moment of self realization. Who knows? The Flint Hills have a way of cleansing the mind. 

Some of you may think your equipment is not up to snuff for this tour. Don’t be so sure about that. I will talk about bicycles later, but today I want to discuss camera choice. 

My friend on another great photo-cycling blog made a very good point the other day about camera choice. There are so many cameras out there with so many features. Which one should you use? 

Do you need weather sealing, 10 shots per second, high ISO, big zoom lenses, vibration reduction, 20 shooting modes, 12 megapixel, 24 megapixel, 6 megapixel, auto white balance, scene detection, flash, high flash sync, CMOS sensor, CCD sensor, full frame sensor, smile detection, video, HD video…? The list could go on and on for days and most of it, although doing something, is not as important as one feature not housed in any camera. That feature is YOU. 

Photography to me is the art of seeing. More specifically, good photography takes an eye that can frame a scene in a rectangle (or square) in an interesting way while controlling the amount of light that hits the sensor (or film). That, in simplistic terms is all in takes. So what do you NEED? 

Your ability to “see.” That is the starting point. That is difficult to teach. But that is more important than any camera function. 

To get to the next level, you need to be able to control exposure. That takes a little knowledge to choose the correct F-stop or aperture value and then the speed of the opening shutter. That’s about it. If you are using auto functions, the camera will do the work for you and you can concentrate on “seeing.” (I say that, but I am a believer in shooting manually.) 

Seriously? Yes. Did you notice I mentioned nothing about any digital features or fancy techie jargon? 

Yes, someof those things have a place in assisting the photographer in taking good photographs, but the best camera will not turn you into Ansel Adams any more than a Trek Madone will turn me into Lance Armstrong. 

I plan on writing a short essay on camera functions someday soon to help you weed through all the confusion, but until then the best advice I have for you is to keep shooting with the camera IN YOUR HANDS. That is the best camera. 

It’s the content of a great photograph that stirs the soul. Not the sharpness, white balance. or resolution. It’s the content. Think you need a fancy camera to shoot great work? Go HERE and be proven wrong. 

I not saying good cameras are useless. A good camera makes it easier to shoot, it doesn’t make you a better photographer. 

Don’t stay on the couch because your bike isn’t that great. I started this blog on my 19 year old, rigid mountain bike. Don’t stop shooting because you wish you had a better camera. Become great with what you have NOW and when you upgrade it will be that much sweeter and you, my friend, will be that much better. I was. 

This tour is not for the know it all cyclist or photographer.  It may be too laid back for you. It is for the photographer that wants to get better or that wants questions answered but have been too intimidated to ask. As cycling goes, if you have wanted to experience the Flint Hills in a laid back way, this tour is definitely for you. 

To be honest, at this point I need more people to register. I must have my numbers into the camp by September 3. Register NOW to get a spot. Leave a comment if you have any questions at all. I’ll see you at the Tour! Register HERE. 

Feed Your Monkey!
Eric 

Great photography starts with you being there and letting yourself "see." I shot this with a non-fancy 35mm film camera in manual mode that I kept in my glove box. Good thing I didn't worry about having the "right" camera!

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