Car Lot

Fastrip

Once my cycling blog got launched, it's cut into the post frequency here. In the interest of injecting some life back into the blog, I'm going to start selecting photos from my archive to highlight periodically.



Starting things off is this gas station photo in the middle of nowhere California on the way home from a snowboarding trip to Mammoth.

Draw Party

Some friends of mine, all Otis alumni, got together for some mexican food and drawing stuff. You can check out what other perversions of pensmenship were spawned that evening at my friend Samantha's blog.


The comic above was created by each of us taking a turn to draw the panel after the previous person. I had the honor of drawing the last frame, our epic conclusion. See if you can guess which other frames are mine.

Gary Rides Bikes

My new blog devoted to bicycle adventures is here. All hail the bicycle.

(Enter the world of bicycles. Feel their awe inspiring glory fill your lungs.)

Life is like a giant donut...

My blog has gone into a state of stagnancy as of late, and there are a few reasons. One is being busy with work, and also having a more active life then I've ever had, physically (biking) and socially (yes, I interact with people). The other reason is for a while now, I've been a little conflicted about the direction of the blog, which started out as an outlet for my art & photography and some of what I was up to. Pretty soon what I was up to was lots of biking, and the blog became more about biking then anything else.

In short, sometime soon I may split apart my blog into two. One for all of my biking adventures, and one for my photography & art.

In the meantime while I figure out how I want to do this, enjoy this giant donut, courtesy of my old hood, the City of La Puente.

Second Annual All City Toy Ride

All City Toy Ride Photos: Flickr Set (65 photos)

In what has become an annual event, this being the second year, the Midnight Ridazz community donates toys to under privileged children. Delivered by bicycles to a central location in East LA, with riders in groups from all parts of LA planning their own routes. Masses from The West Side, Hollywood, The Valley, Pasadena, Downtown and Long Beach were represented. It was a magical evening that brought together people from all over LA for a good cause, and in typical Ridazz fashion was concluded with a big after party.




(The little guy with the two vertical eyes was my contribution to the Holiday good will.)

Santa Monica Critical Mass: December

Critical Mass in Santa Monica this month, was again tailed by police using selective enforcement of the law, giving citations for things ignored in other contexts or given as warnings.



Apparently less police force then last months ride & far fewer citations, although some believe that had more to do with a SMPD Christmas party that night then an effort to ease up the crack down. This is in fact a crack down, in the words of our mayor, who was interviewed by Fox news, which covered this months ride along with several other news stations.



Although I am a Santa Monica local I never made it out to SMCM in the past due to it conflicting with Ride-Arc, an architecturally focused ride, usually starting downtown that I was attending regularly. When I heard about the political situation brewing back home though, I wanted to come out to represent and also to see for my self what the fuss was about.


(She received a citation for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign, and a warning for being under 18 without a helmet. Seen here being interviewed by TV news after the ticket was given)

As someone who has been on many mass rides now, and read up on some of the history of the critical mass movement, I was shocked at the police attention to such a tame group. Santa Monica critical mass is so peace loving compared to any mass ride I'd ever been on, or any of the Critical Mass rides I'd read about in other cities. They stay in one lane, stop at reds without corking, let cars through at stop signs, and the route for the most parts did not follow busy streets.


(citation for "lack of forward facing lights" of which the rider had two, seen glowing on his fork)

The mayor apparently feels it is an effective use of our tax money to use the police force and clog the judicial system, in his political agenda to squash this group bike ride. A ride that has now existed for several years and done so peacefully. Why it has become such an agenda is not entirely clear, and seems to run counter to Santa Monica's supposed environmental leadership and efforts to reduce car commuting, which clogs our city far more then any bike ride can.


(Santa was apparently riding to far to left. SMPD seen here spreading the holiday cheer)

My First Wolfpack Hustle

Image from wolfpackhustle.com

Pictured here is the gentleman responsible for last nights ride, known as affectionately as Super Cole. He's been riding Wolfpack for 52 weeks straight, and as such this ride was in his honor. The mustache makes him more aero.

Was a fun ride with a lot of intensity, averaging 19.5 mph for 44 miles. Data from the ride below.

Wolfpack. The Hustle Ride. Super Cole Edition: RIDE DATA 0101001010101101001001

Texas Renaissance Fair

Flickr Set: Texas Renaissance Fair (298 Photos)




I recently visited friends in Houston and went to the Texas Renaissance Festival for the first time. It was well above and beyond what I had imagined even with my friends there hyping it up.



Hilarious live performances were certainly a highlight of the fair, pictured here Sound & Fury performing "Testaclese & ye Sack of Rome".



Numerous elaborate costumes could be seen everywhere, and lots of real plate armor and chainmail.



One of the things that consistently impressed me at the fair was how many permanent buildings had been erected on the grounds, and the level of detail that went into them. More elaborate then Fantasy Land at Disney Land by far, apart from not having a large castle with a moat in the middle.



What medieval reenactment would be complete with out staged violence in a jousting arena.



At dusk every night of the fair, the sky lights up with flying boom sticks.

One of the things I was also not expecting, is how crazy things would be outside the fair. There are campgrounds where some spend the night to enter the fair the next day, and some who just come to make their own festivities outside with no intention of actually going in the fair. Until late in the night or early in the morning, depending on how you look at it, there were fires and dancing, music and glow sticks. Hippies tripping out, frat kids getting hammered and everything in between.







There was lots of amazing craft works out there, and with so many who take a great interest in these Renaissance Fairs and role playing, it keeps a fairly vibrant economy of hand made goods alive.











All and all it was an awesome and memorable experience, one certainly worth the trip out there.

Halloween in West Hollywood

Flickr Set: WeHo Halloween (78 Photos)




Before riding our bikes out to WeHo, we got some sustenance from Cinco de Mayo, regular feeding grounds for night rides on the West Side.



Drag queens posing in front of the religious protesters. We're they real protesters, or were they in costume as religious protesters?



Warhol's 15 minutes of fame still ticking.



Finding Nemo The Ride The Costume. Yes amazing!



Don't know what the hell these were, but um interesting.. someone pointed out they were in colors from the Fanta girls.



From Russia with love. Cosmonaut guy was one of my favorites.



No Face from Spirited Away, was surprised I didn't see more Miyazaki characters out there.



Superman escorts his lady friends.



Bat Boy in the flesh.



Freddy grabs himself a handful of little Asian girls. Creepy.


WeHo Halloween Flickr Set (78 Photos)