Top 3 reasons why I carry my phone while biking + free brushes

 

My husband and I have taken a liking to biking, both mountain and road. I call it the 35+ form of exercise. When your joints start to hurt and your body begins to ache, it's time to get back to basics and on a bike! This started happening to me once I hit 35 years old.

We're not professionals. We aren't ultra hard-core bikers. (ok, I am on Strava, and I do tend to get competitive, but it's all in good fun!) I apologize for this "sultry" looking photo, the sun was in my eyes, not trying to look tough! I am merely trying to explain why biking and memory keeping go hand in hand.

We live at the base of one of the most beautiful mountains in Utah. We love to get out and breathe the crisp mountain air while enjoying the quiet sounds of nature (no fighting children)!

We're also so lucky to live in a time where technology allows us to capture everything around us with little pocket sized mobile devices!

Top 3 reasons why I carry my phone while Biking

1. Emergencies. I may need someone to change a flat!
2. Strava. This GPS based iPhone app charts incline, miles, time, and calories. Sure, there are lots of apps that do this, but the fun part- riders can compete via location "segments". Strava lists fast riders in order by gender and overall. Climb to the top and gain a crown, called the King/Queen of the mountain. This app just makes biking fun. Set goals, achieve & conquer with Strava.
3. Photo Opportunities! Bikes can take us places we've never seen before. Singletrack trails are winding throughout the world waiting to show us the hidden majestic beauty that awaits. I love looking through my biking photos reclaiming the exultant feelings and challenges of certain climbs. Some of my most favorite shots have been on bike rides, all with my iPhone.

 So, what do I do with these photos? Lose them in the sea of digital photos on my external hard drives? No! Print them of course!
These 4x4 9-up pocket pages from We R Memory Keepers make it easy.
Many of my photos are posted to Instagram, and are already formatted square. I print them all up and organize them into my 12x12 albums. (sheet protectors on Amazon)

Our unique metallic photographic paper is my favorite. It's just as archival, waterproof, and scratch resistant as our matte or gloss. It is still fuji silver halide, but it pops like no other! Think chrome on the back of your car, or a component on your bike:) Metallic adds contrast and looks best with solid colors.

Lastly, biking endorphins bring out the creative side. As we were climbing the rocks in Southern Utah last month, I thought- "I need some biking themed .abr photoshop brushes to "stamp" on these photos and tell the story".
And then, I thought I should share. [download here]

Enjoy
-Chari

You may also like: How to use brushes in Photoshop

Weekend Biking

Weekend Bike Bender- (January)

  The snow here in Utah has been unusually abundant and we’ve had a little more than a cold spell.  For two years straight, I’ve been able to avoid putting miles on my indoor trainer. This year, I’ve not been so lucky. There are only a few things worse than riding your bike indoors and going nowhere, and I wouldn’t wish those things on my worst enemy.  Luckily, we live only 3½ hours from St. George.
  St George is located on the very north east corner of the Mojave Desert. This small community is surrounded by beautiful mountains and red sand stone buttes. Basically it’s a mountain biker’s paradise.

 Every January, my friend and professional mountain biker Lynda Wallenfels puts on a free mountain bike camp. 

 It’s a great time to catch up with old friends and spend the weekend in warm weather on pristine desert single track. It was just what I needed to get out of my winter funk.
Also, I was excited to start training for my next 24 hour race coming up in three weeks.  Lynda gives everyone a GPS track of the day’s course and everyone rides at their own pace.  The problem is that half the riders that show up are professional or semi professional racers, which means the pace is hard and fast.  It’s a good thing that I’m not competitive or anything.  Needless to say, after 3 days and 17 hours on the bike, I’m totally cooked.  It will take at least a day or two before I need another biking fix.

Do stuff…. And take pictures while you do it.

Kenny