White Lighter and The Dreemers

White Lighter are a band of friends that I have known forever - The Dreemers are a band that I've more recently become friends with. Both are great. Here is some photos of them playing Musica.

Akron2Akron: South Akron

I was bummed to miss the last Akron2Akron - but I had a colleague photograph it for me. Anyways - this edition was in South Akron and was a good one since I had never been to most of the places that we visited and learned about.

Ohio to Erie

Over the 4th of July Ben, Erin and I rode the Ohio to Erie Trail from our doors to Cincinnati. We did it in four days - 312 miles. We camped two days, stayed with a friend one, and then an Air BnB in Cinci. A few friends joined us in the beginning - all the details follow below.

Super-Domestique

Le Tour de France starts tomorrow!!! I'm ready!!!

Touring Machine

A few of us are about to embark on a multiple day bike-packing adventure to Cincinnati on the Ohio to Erie Trail. This is my weapon of choice. The frame, fork and bars are my 1983 Trek 500 but all of the components and wheels I took from my 2007 Trek 1500. The goal is modern tech with that smooth, steel, vintage ride. Now that I have it loaded and photographed its time for the test ride!

Torchbearers in Pittsburgh

Last weekend I photographed the Torchbearers trip to Pittsburgh. I have been to Pittsburgh a few times now and I always enjoy it. There was plenty of fun and good food on the trip but the most important thing was how much I learned. We met with so many interesting organisations that are doing amazing work - great ideas that can be brought back to Akron. I also saw parts of Pittsburgh that I had never been to before(even snuck a little ride in on a citi bike).

Akron2Akron West Hill 1

A new season of Akron2Akron neighborhood walking tours is upon us! The first one was the West Hill mini-tour. The weather didn't really cooperate but we managed to learn, mingle and and have fun anyways.

Lunch Outside

Erin and I rode out to a spot in Kent to have a little picnic lunch. I've heard to this spot referred to as the "Moon Tower" - one of the few remnants of the Erie Rail Yard that used to be here. It is obviously a popular hang out spot as the decades of broken beer bottles can attest.

Memorial Day Ride

On Memorial Day a group of us decided to ride up to Cleveland and go to Noble Beast Brewing's Second Anniversary Party. Ben and I rode down and met each other at the Dog Park, we met Erin at the Ira Trailhead, and the three of us met Brad in Boston at TrailMix. We ended up running into a couple more friends by the Towpath Mounds in Tremont and they joined us for the ride as well. This was the perfect chance to test out my latest photography purchase - the Canon 40mm f/2.8 pancake lens. I was curious to see how this tiny and inexpensive($200) lens would perform.

Cleveland Ride Vid

Ben and I rode up to Cleveland to check out the new Joy Machines Bike Shop and have lunch at Saucy Brew Works - I made a short GoPro video of our adventure.

Farmer's Feast

Last Saturday night Erin and I attended "Sprung Spring" a "farm to table experience collaboration from Colin Brown & Annabella Andricks" at Erin's friends' farm Yellow House Cheese. The night started off with cocktails, cheese, and other snacks during live music - but I was pretty much wandering around taking photos during the beautiful sunset. The home infused cocktails and snacks were amazing and then Colin started bringing out the three courses of lamb that were from the farm. The food, music and overall atmosphere couldn't have been better.

Summit Lake Loop Trail

On Saturday I went to Summit Lake to check out the new Summit Lake Loop Trail - they were having a kick-off event. It really is amazing what some signage, mowing and a small bridge can do. Much of the trail is just a line mowed through a few fields - but it totally transforms the area. It is somewhere you never have would've walked and now it feels like beautiful park.

They had different activity stands along a few different points of the trail for the event. 

Augmented at Lock 2

New Territory created an augmented reality canal boat at Lock 2 for the Ohio & Erie Canalway. You simply download the app then point your camera at the photo on the banner and the canal boat comes to life - you can walk in it and all around it. Very cool. I can imagine so many cool applications for this technology. I rode my bicycle down and shot some photos during the kick off event.

ACR Turns Three!

Last night Akron Coffee Roasters celebrated their third anniversary with some snacks, drinks and good people. I'm drinking a mug of their special third anniversary coffee right now - stop in for their special drinks and bags while they last. 

Around Blackfork

A few of my cycling friends went down to the Mohican area to ride in the Blackfork Gravel Grinder Race - it was a beautiful but brutal course. It was raining at the finish of the race and I did not want to carry my camera up and down all of those hills(there are a few cell phone photos on my instagram) so I didn't shoot anything at the race, but the day before and after Ben, Erin and I did do a bit of exploring. Here are a couple of those shots.

La Belle Fleur Sauvage 2019

Every Spring I like to go down by Furnace Run and take photos of the Virginia Blue Bells. I then post a blog with as many "blue" and "bell" puns as possible - this year it is just the photos...

Louisville

Erin and I wanted to see the band Lord Huron but the announced tour skipped Ohio - so we decided to take a road trip to Louisville to catch them. A day after we booked our Air BnB they announced a second part of the tour that would be stopping in Cleveland - oh well - we still decided to explore the city on our bicycles and take in the show. We ended up having a great time - Louisville had some great bike trails and great bicycle infrastructure on the city streets. I brought my old camera(6D) with me since I knew we would be spending most of our time on the bikes and I can fit it in my frame bag with the nifty fifty.  

Missile Toe Plays L.A.M.F

Missile Toe is a usually a punk rock Christmas cover band - but over the years they had always thrown in some Johnny Thunders songs. They decided to do a cover set of the legendary Heartbreakers album L.A.M.F at Jilly's Music Room. Here are a few shots I took while rocking out.