White Lighter

Any frequent flyers on this blog will have seen many photos of White Lighter playing live. They are good friends and the drummer used to be a singer in my band. ....and I just like their music. This show was at The Cave in Akron - a few of my other friends run this DIY venue. Of course Ben and I rode our bikes through the snow to get to this. An awesome night!

Krampus Kross

Krampus Kross is a cyclocross race at Camp Manitoc in the Cuyahoga Valley. I rode my bike there to meet some friends and watch the racing. Some of the race categories are very serious and others are a little more loose and fun. We drank beers, cheered and heckled. One of these races/years I'll jump in and compete.

Black Friday

A number of years ago my family started a tradition of brewery crawling on Black Friday - no real shopping for us! This year we stuck to the Akron area. I carried my camera all day but only thought to take a few photos. Its funny how much more chill I've become about that. Before I was full time I would have been snapping all day - now I do allow myself to just enjoy things and leave my camera in the bag. My friends and I actually rode our bikes to all the stops this year. Some people joined up at different portions of the day too.

Thanksgiving Football

Thanksgiving morning football has been a part of my for a long, long time. I can't remember when I joined the Milo family's game but I know I still lived at home(down the street from them). A couple of us even went out to toss the football around in the pandemic years to keep the streak/tradition alive. This year I was unfortunately sidelined with my sciatic nerve pain but it did allow me to capture some great photos.

Hikes & Beers

A hike back on the blog!? Yup. It didn't feel like a good day to ride so lets get back to our roots here. Ben Erin and I went for a hike at the Pine Lane Trailhead in the CVNP right outside of downtown Peninsula. A trail I have only hiked a couple of times but does intersect with a bandit trail we cross on our bikes. After the hike we went to Hudson for lunch then out to Hinckley to try a new brewery. So yeah - this blog could have been written 10 years ago - but my photos are better now.

Cinci Fail?!

I went down to Cincinnati with Erin for her work retreat. Well - I wasn't really there for the retreat but I was there to photograph the retreat. I took portraits of all of the employees. Since Erin had a hotel we thought we would spend the next day exploring - but there was a really wet snow and neither of us felt like drinking(we are cutting back a bit). We had brought the bicycles all the way down there for nothing. It was still a paying gig and Erin had to be there - but after some coffee and a walk we decided to head back to Akron. I did capture the above photo of Erin and the below photo of this mural by one of my favorite artists(Ralph Steadman).

Kill the Hippies

This was a pretty amazing night. A band that I have been friends with forever(and who helped my band along the way) was playing in Kent(their original hometown) at a place called Bar Lucci. The interested thing is Bar Lucci used to be a run down, hole in the wall, DIY venue called The Mantis. You would never know it in its current, modern, cocktail bar iteration. A buddy from the music seen owns it now too. Anyways - when we met Kill the Hippies they would book us as their opener in the old place. So lots of memories - and then on top of it all my old friends(and bandmate) Pete moved back to town and made it out to the show. Lots of familiar faces in a legendary place.

Heck of the North

Heck of the North is a cyclocross race hosted by Cleveland bike shop Joy Machines. Even though there are always serious races(ers) at these events this one has taken on the reputation for being a little more fun. Their "main event" was fat bike race which definitely had the mullet vibe - business in the front, party in the back. Costumes, beers, Lake Erie views - another great day in the Northeast Ohio cycling community.

The Fall Trip

For the second year in a row we went out to Connecticut to ride an event called Nutmeg Nor'easter. The event is almost all the way on the coast(Long Island Sound) so it is to far to travel and not make more of a trip out of. So we packed a number of other rides and stops into a full week of travelling. It was peak Fall color in New England and we had a great time. As a cycling trip I did focus more energy on the YouTube video than the still but I did snap some that I really like - follow along below.

Higher Ground Hundo!

Last weekend I drove to Johnstown, PA for a cycling event run by Hope Cyclery. I had signed up for a 73 mile ride that had 8200 feet of climbing - more than I had ever climbed before. When I arrived in town I went to the bike shop and Crust Bikes was hosting a "happy hour" party. My buddy Dylan and his friend Ed showed up from Columbus - I was proud of myself for planning something solo but also glad to see familiar faces. After the party it was over to a city park to set up camp. In the morning we were off on the beautiful but tough ride. I really enjoyed the extremely challenging ride. I was absolutely whooped when I got back to camp. There was food, beer and a fire and just hanging out and talking to other cyclists was how I spent the afternoon/evening. I did not capture a lot of photos but did shoot a lot of GoPro footage - check out the video HERE. I plan to be back next year!

Bandit Cross!

A friend of the Youtube Channel was hosting a bandit cross event near Cleveland - me and a few friends rode up to check it out(it made for a 99 mile day in the saddle for me!) The idea behind a bandit cross event is that it is a cyclocross race but completely unsanctioned and with no permission asked. (not that we were disrespectful in any meaningful way). It was fun to shoot some photos and see the Joy Machines crew. I actually interviewed Jon, the organizer, on a livestream. It did make for a long ride home to Akron in the dark though!

Canton Day

Erin had an old friend hit her up about some bicycles he was trying to get rid of before moving. They were a couple interesting older mountain bikes so we went to grab them. Since he was near Canton we brought our own bikes and decided to make an afternoon out of it. We parked in Downtown and rode to a coffee shop we had heard about - Walkie Talkie - which was great. We then found our way to Covered Bridge Park, which is distinguished by a notable lack of a covered bridge, and picked up the West Branch Trail. We then worked our way back into downtown and hit a couple breweries for lunch and drinks. The day was a good reminder that you can have a lot of fun exploring close to home.

The Mom's & The Bone Zone

Ben, Brad and I went out past Kent on a bike ride - we drank a couple beers at one of our favorite secret spots. After we rode back to Dirty River Bicycle Works in Akron where The Mom's were playing an outdoor show.

What's the Cordelia?

For Erin's birthday a group of friends rode up to Cleveland to have lunch at Cordelia - a restaurant run by a friend which is absolutely amazing. I had a gig after brunch so I wasn't able to ride up there(of course I still brought my bike and cruised around a bit before they arrived). I snapped a couple photos of their arrival.

Akron Pride

It was a beautiful summer day to be out cruising around on my bicycle. It was also Pride in Downtown Akron. This was the second year they held it downtown and I think it works awesome in this location. There was a massive turnout again and I saw a ton of friends. I wasn't working this year but I had come from another event on my bike so I snapped some photos to document.

Asterisk Turn the Big Three!

Here are some images from Asterisk Coffee Bar's third anniversary party!

Working in Detroit

Babcox Media in Fairlawn hired me again to shoot their Auto Pros on the Road Series - this was season 3 in Detroit. I always love visiting Detroit and this was a really cool shoot because we were filming at a lot of the historic locations in addition to the usual shops. I was filming with my Canon R5 - mostly slow motion b-roll. These are some of my behind the scenes photos. I also had an extra day there after we were done working - which I used to ride my bicycle around a bit. I made a couple of riding videos on the YouTube channel showcasing that experience.

Free Black in Kenmore!

We rode our bike to see Free Black headline Kenmore's First Friday. First Friday is a monthly event in the business district of Kenmore - a neighborhood in Akron. Food trucks, performances, local art, vendors etc. Summer in the city.

Free Black at the Rock Hall

Micah, Ben and I rode our bikes up to Cleveland to see Free Black perform at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The Rock Hall has had an outdoor concert series for a while but this was the first time I made it to one. We had a lot of fun watching the band in this beautiful setting with a perfect summer sunset. The late night three hour ride home in the dark was a long one - but we made it. I was really glad I lugged my camera all the way.

Codelia & Cleveland Light

We were excited to make a reservation and get up to Cordelia on East 4th in Cleveland. It is a new restaurant our buddy Chef Vinnie opened. We had had his food at other catered events and it has always been amazing - and it did not disappoint at the brick and mortar spot. We all ordered a bunch of shareable small plates - maybe most of the menu! It is 100% worth the trip to Cleveland. A breath of fresh air in the dinning scene. We went for a walk to the Lake after dinner - it was beautiful out. 

No Justice, No Peace

DC to Pitt by Bicycle

For a number of years we have been going on a bike tour around 4th of July. This year we decided to take on the C&O Trail and the GAP Trail. The C&O runs from DC to Cumberland where it changes over to the GAP Trail to Pittsburg. We spent a night in Pitt then took the early morning train to DC where we spent the night hanging out with a friend and checking out the city before hitting the trail in the morning. We were not trying to rush the trip - we wanted to enjoy the ride. We did spend three days riding the C&O and only two riding the GAP as we wanted to spend a little more time along the canal history.

1996 Team Marin

My friends and I are planning for an adventure(more on that soon) and I decided to build a new bike for it. "New" in quotes because it is actually a frame and for from 1996 - a California built, steel, Marin. The rest of the build is a mix of new and old - Shimano 9 speed groupset, Velo Orange cranks, stem and bars, Wald basket etc. There will be a lot more about this bike over on the YouTube Channel but I had to take a few images of it here in the studio.

Swift Campout

I own a number of US-made bike bags by Swift Industries and every year around the solstice they encourage people to get out for a bike-packing over-nighter. This year they had a photo contest to go along with it. Five of us set out to camp in Garrettsville but two decided to turn back. I took a ton of photos and strung them together to make a video - here are a couple of them and the video version will be linked at the bottom.

Arts Awards

My buddy Albert who owns Akron Coffee Roasters was being honored for his patronage of the arts in Summit County. I wasn't working this event and didn't want to get in the way but still did capture a few photos. It was a huge bonus to find out my highschool photography teacher was also being honored! Hadn't seen him since he turned me on to photography all those years ago.

Go Skate Day

 

Go Skate Day is on the Summer Solstice. It started in 2004 and the idea was to get more people out riding and lots of skate shops now host events. A few friends of mine had their own DIY version at the RailYard in Akron. I stopped by to hang out and drink a few beers.

June Things

Here is a little mix of images from the first couple weeks in June. This first shot is from the valley ball courts near downtown Akron while being used by Summit Sports & Social.

Light on The Land

I had a gig in Cleveland at the Great Lakes Science Center - there was some perfect light on the city from there so I had to snap a few photos. After the gig there was a perfect magic hour followed by a pretty sunset. I hung around, got some dinner at the newish BrewDog and took more photos.

Bike Packing Shake Down

A few snaps from an over-night bike trip we did down the Simon-Kenton Trail. Cyclotherapy in Springfield, OH had booked a group campsite and it was fun to meet new and old friends there at John Bryan State Park. I didn't take a ton of still photos but did make a video which is linked at the bottom of this post.

The Market

Erin and I made our first trip of the year to the Countryside Farmer's Market in the Cuyahoga Valley yesterday. Here are a few photos that I snapped.

Jake's Rocks

A few friend invited us out to Jake's Rocks for the weekend. It is a primitive camping and mountain biking park in the Allegheny National Forest. It sits up on a mountain at a bend in the river and had some amazing overlooks. We did a lot of riding and also experienced every kind of spring weather there is. Waking up one morning with snow covering our tents. The riding and camping were still great but I definitely want to come back and ride in the summer.

Light at the Museum

I had an event to shoot on Thursday evening at the Akron Art Museum. All day had been pretty dreary but the sun popped out not long before it set and I had to take a moment to capture the light shining through the museum.

Party Size Cycling

A friend in New Jersey sells some cool cycling swag under the name "Party Size Cycling". When I got my latest order I decided to take some selfies in the studio to help promote it. Fun stuff.

Working in Charlotte

Babcox Media in Fairlwan invited me back to help film the second season of Auto Pros on the Road. Last year we filmed in Louisville and this year we headed down to Charlotte. We had a bigger crew this time as well - three cameras, a sound guy and the two hosts. I shot video with my Canon R5 but also took some behind the scenes stills. In the week we were there we shot hours and hours of footage and I shot over 800 photos. Here is a selection of my favorites from the on location shots to some exploring the area. I also did a little bit of exploring on my own.

Dinner PARTY

After my shoot at Akronym(last post) I rode over to my friend Ryan's in another part of Downtown Akron. Ryan and his girlfriends Ping were hosting a seafood dinner party that they had planned with Erin. The food and company were awesome and after some natural wines it turned into a full on dance party. It was great to be back to fun like this.

Big Brews in Akron

On Saturday afternoon I photographed the Barrel-Aged beer fest at Akronym Brewing. A number of breweries were there pouring their high octane brews. These strong craft beers were also paired with tasty little cakes. It was my kind of photo gig - here is a selection of a few of my favorite photos.

January Things

Here is a little photo dump of some January photos that I hadn't shared yet. Most were taken while out filming YouTube videos. I can't remember a month like that - 3 big winter storms in a row. It has been pretty but I'm also ready for Spring!

Tallahassee, FL

A friend of mine gave me a call a week ago Tuesday and asked what I was doing over the weekend. My schedule was fairly free. He said there was a gig he got asked to do on that Friday but he already had a shoot ....but it was in Tallahassee, Florida! Thursday afternoon I found myself on my way to FL. The video shoot took up the first half of Friday and then I was free(besides checking in on my files uploading). Late Friday afternoon I grabbed a rental bike(Giant Revolt) and explored the city a bit and grabbing some food and beers. I was super surprised to find out the capitol city is actually quite hilly - especially compared to the rest of Florida. Saturday morning I was up early and off on a rail trail to St. Marks. I ended up also hitting some gravel/dirt & mountain biking trails. It was nearly record breaking cold(32F when I left) but it was still nice to be somewhere without 2 feet of snow on the ground). The bike had to be back at the shop at 4:30 so the rest of the trip was on foot or in a Lyft and I flew out Sunday at 3:30. It was a great little get-a-way all in all and the job more than covered it.

Ice Ice Gorge

The part of the Gorge in the downtown Cuyahoga Falls usually puts on a nice show in the winter when the weather conditions are right. It was actually quite a tourist destination over a century ago. I rode my bike down to capture a few photos of the icicles and snow earlier today. Not the perfect light for this but a few still looked pretty cool.

Outside Birthday

With the omicron surge we celebrated Brad's Bday socially distanced and on the bikes for the second year in a row. This year we rode out to Taca Tontos in Kent and drank some beers outside while waiting for our food which we then took to MadCap Brewing. MadCap has their side room with lots of space with a German Beer Hall feeling. Lastly we made a quick stop at Missing Falls Brewing who also have a side room with space. Another year of making the best of a strange situation. The light was great for photos again though!

Yeti Squad Ride for Bob

On the Sunday Yeti Squad shop ride that Dirty River Bicycle Works hosts we remembered a friend who passed away from Covid complications last week. We went to one of his favorite spots to ride and also to our/his favorite stealth beer spot. We had a toast and told some stories. Bob was a great guy that I have never heard a single bad word about. He will be missed by the Northeast Ohio cycling community - and I can't imagine what his close friends and family are going through. I didn't take a ton of photos but have a video of the ride at the end of this post.