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.