Tenor loved motorcycles maybe even more than I do
May 21, 2022
Hi friends,
Welcome to my very first blog post! This post is going to explain what I hope to share with you all. My next post will be about my most recent adventure trip geared towards photography. Most of you that will be reading this are going to be guests that I have worked with in the past. With many of you, we have built a connection. It’s not uncommon to end a day in the field with a new guest and leave feeling like friends, or to say goodbye to a regular returning guest who has come to feel like family with the words “I love you” shared between us. How amazing is that? I feel pretty dang fortunate to be working with such a great number of people with great hearted people. I think it’s really amazing, because generally we come from different walks of life and live very different lifestyles, hold differing beliefs, etc. But this is one of the great gifts that travel and nature offer. It is a place to expand ourselves, to go into the unknown and to connect, because at the root of all of human differences, we are the same. We are nature. And being in the natural world has the ability to connects us. Just think about 2 people walking down a street in New York City as they pass by one another. It is highly unlikely that these two strangers will say hello to each other. Put these same 2 strangers on a trail in a National Park passing each other. Saying hello, or offering words of encouragement to the other is quite standard with these same individuals. Nature, and travel have this power, and it is fantastic.
One of the bottomless amounts of inspiring locations that are still relatively unknown in Utah
Just like the wilderness, and all of its inhabitants…. the plants, animals, rocks…. we all experience the same things. Moments in our lives that are great. And times that are difficult and tumultuous. Those are the things that shape us into who and what we are. Through this blog, I’m really hoping to share some of that part of my life with you. The experiences that are shaping me, as well as my photography. As of recently I’ve been having a deep desire to share images, and the background of those images with people that I know, specifically you whom I’ve worked with and have shared our enthusiasm for photography together. Social media just doesn’t seem to be a great fit for how I want to share and it’s been 6 months since I’ve posted any photo work on any platform. There are a number of reasons for that, but I think that the biggest reason is that it doesn’t feel personal enough for the way I would like to share. For me, the photographs are an important aspect, but photos don’t hold a candle to the experience itself. For me (this is different for everyone and that’s ok… there is no right or wrong to approaches in photography) the experience is ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING! It is 100%. The photos… that’s just the icing on the cake. If I walk away with zero images I like, it doesn’t take a single thing away from the moments I enjoyed out in nature, and the amount of fun I had shooting. I’ve realized that for myself, and I’ve realized that the clients who get the biggest, richest experiences on workshops with me are those desiring the experience as much, or even more than the photos themselves. So, this blog is going to be the most fun for those of you. The blog is really about life, and the photos are there to share the experience as well as the areas I visit that inspire me and fill my soul.
As a very honest disclaimer, I can have the tendency to gain great enthusiasm for one thing, and then move on from that when life presents other things I would like to chase at the moment. I believe the doctors call it the A.D.D. This could in all reality be the only blog post I make. So please hold zero expectations. But I do hope to have some level of consistency in order to share these experiences, because they are fun and I hope they bring joy to you. An exciting chapter of life is presenting itself right now, and it feels as if the winds of change are blowing in a really unique direction. Some of you may know that photography is only one of my passions. If I’m to be honest, it is not my biggest passion. Outdoor adventure sports have always reigned supreme in my life. Specifically rock climbing and motorcycle riding. While I do still climb, motorcycle riding is really where my passion and time has been devoted through the past decade. I purchased my first motorcycle with the intent of just using it for going to photograph harder to reach off-road areas. I quickly realized that I enjoyed its sporty nature as well, so time on the bike through the years has been split between use for photography, and use for sport. While I have paired photography with motorcycle through the past 10 years I have recently discovered the approach that is delivering the photography experience in the best way possible, and this approach is feeling monumental in my life right now and I’m pursuing it relentlessly.
To give you a glimpse into my life as a climber, here is a video of a climbing trip to Hueco Tanks, TX near El, Paso some years ago.
Disclaimer: Please forgive the few pieces of foul language as well as the grown men acting as children.
Idaho has hundreds upon hundreds of miles of single track trails open to motorcycles. With 2 weeks worth of time up in those mountains on a bike, we’ve only ever ran into 3 people total, and they were trail maintenance crew. They said they were maintaining trails that entire summer and we were the only people they saw.
I pursue different dirt oriented motorcycle riding disciplines. Trials riding, hard enduro, extreme enduro and adventure riding. Adventure riding is the newest to me, and it is the discipline that lends itself to pairing photography, along with travel by far the best (if you’ve seen “The Long Way Round” it is that type of travel/riding). The aforementioned motorcycle disciplines are much sportier and don’t allow for long travel distances, or transporting gear. That has to be done by carrying a large backpack, which limits travel opportunities. Adventure motorcycles are the types of bikes that allow for long distance pavement and long distance dirt travel while hauling full loads of gear which can sustain someone in the backcountry, or on the road for several days at a time. Adventure bike rides are commonly done as overnight trips via camping, or in hotels. I’ve recently purchased an adventure bike that I did not know that existed until I ran into a guy in Death Valley this past winter who turned me onto it. Light and nimble enough to get sporty and adventurous with, but has the ability to travel long distances with comfort while hauling full camp and camera loads consecutively. For those curious, the bike is a Husqvarna 701. It is an absolute backcountry exploration beast. With 75 horse power, there is plenty to have fun with, and the bike is 100 pounds lighter than the next heaviest adventure bike on the market. Significant. So when the bike tips over, I can actually pick it back up even while fully loaded. Picking up a fully loaded adventure bike outside of this bike model can be quite the task, and truly a liability if traveling solo in the backcountry. Just getting it up on its wheels can require two people, or the unloading of all of your gear to get it back up. The 701 eliminates that, and this baby is rocking my world.
Ok, now that you know what the blog is about, if you are interested in being added to the mailing list to be informed of new blog posts, scroll down and add your email address in the box below. I will only send out emails for every blog post to those subscribed to the blog as I don’t want people who are not interested in it, who are only on my main mailing list to get unwanted emails. Thanks, and hope you enjoy!
