"Experiments with a GoPro"

This month of March has been a fun month. The weather has been off and on...off and not so nice on the weekends when I'm off and on and wonderfully beautiful during the week when I'm working. That hasn't stopped me from getting out on the two wheeled peddler! Coinciding with that is a new devise that is in constant need of experimenting with! The GoPro HD Helmet Hero POV (point of view) camera. This thing films in high definition and can film in every resolution up to 1080p and 60 frames per second. For most sports and activities they suggest staying in 960p, which is where I've just been leaving it.

My goal with this camera is not to capture the same ol shots as everyone else in the world. But to shoot the things I do and get creative with angles and hopefully capture anything and everything funny! Here is one of my most recent experiments...

Check out the rest of my experiments at my YouTube Channel...http://www.youtube.com/user/AccidentalArtist84?feature=mhum

"Venture People, Venture!"

I recently started up a new Facebook page for people who like to do stuff outside and like to find others to do stuff with. It is a place where people can connect by creating adventures and get in on others adventures! This isn't going to be one of those groups that is left up to the "Admins" to figure out what to do. It's up to anybody and everybody to get out!

I also created an event within the group where every week I will post known activities for the upcoming weekend, and anybody can write any events they know about that will be happening. These events will be constantly updated every week and when events have past, they will be deleted.

And...well, its always better to include an image for the profile and the event. I decided to create logos for them!

Here is the logo for the page: Venture Western Colorado ©nolasvoboda•accidentalartist

Visit the page here: Venture Out Western Colorado

Here is the logo for the weekend events page ©nolasvoboda•accidentalartist

Visit the events for the weekend here: Weekend Shenanigans

"The High Desert Plateau Plain Mountain"

Early Spring is my most favorite time of year in Grand Junction. It is the one time of year where I can do almost everything I love to do...minus the camping hiking and fishing that is done in the summer time in the mountains. I most of all live this season because I can get out in the desert and play in the dirt AND get up on the mountain and play in the snow in the same weekend...and if I'm feeling really gun hoe, the same day! The weather on the last few weekends hasn't been love prettiest, gloomy clouds, maybe a sprinkle and snow up in the mountains. Normally one would look outside and declare that kind of day to be a jammies/movie inside kind of day. Not I! I had things to go do! Adventures to seek out!

A friend and I had rented a couple pairs of snowshoes in our quest to try out as many different kinds that we could. So we needed to get out in the snow and give those babies a whirl. We have also been cooped up all winter doing only winter type activities, and the dirt was screaming our names. We needed to get out on our bikes as well!

Last weekend, we accomplished everything we set out to do. Here was our new revised schedule for the weekend (as of Saturday morning).
1. Drink Coffee
2. Watch a Little Saturday Morning T.V.
3. Eat Breakfast
4. Make a Decision...go skiing or go snowshoeing and biking
------------------------
5. Decision Made! Today we go snowshoeing up above Glade Park on the Pinon Mesa, then we will drive back down through the Colorado National Monument and pull over and ride the Lunch Loops and the Tabeguache Trailhead and tomorrow we will go up to Powderhorn Resort to ski/board!
6. Get Dressed. Throw on the snow clothes, load up the pups, bikes and snowshoes and go!

Went snowshoeing in feet of snow in a blizzard, then mountain biking in the dirt and dusty trails in the desert and went skiing and snowboarding on the mountain the next day...best weekend of my life...this year!

We like to drive up to Mud Springs Campground to snowshoe. It only takes about 20 minutes to get there!

Snow poops the hyper pup out quick!

Rad indeed!

  

  

This video was actually taken this past Sunday (a week later) but like I could tell the difference, it was the exact same kind of day out.

Warning: Due to the nature of this video and the placement of the Go Pro Camera, content contains a lot of my ass. Feel free to chuckle and laugh!

Up at Powderhorn on Sunday!

Testing out the splitboard on the slopes. It most definitely likes the deep powder the best!

"A Full Affair"

 

©nolasvoboda•accidentalartist

©nolasvoboda•accidentalartist

©nolasvoboda•accidentalartist

©nolasvoboda•accidentalartist

"Sweeping The Awards"

Published in The Daily Sentinel: February 20, 2011

"Ice Ice Baby"

This past weekend was, to say the least...incredible. The Packers won the Super Bowl, I tried out my new Venture Helix Splitboard for the first time and two friends and I did something else for the very first time. We climbed ice...a lot of it! Our destination, Ouray, CO!

We left from the Outdoor Program at Mesa State at 6:30am. Yes, it was THAT early! I actually wasn't scared of the ice climbing part, more so that the waking up that early would kill me!

We arrived at the Ouray Ice Park at about 10:30am and got all geared up.

At the entrance we stopped to put on our crampons.

View looking south off the bridge of Box Canyon. This is a very technical section.

All the warnings.

Kinda felt like the Dwarfs with the gear and helmets as we hiked to the section we were going to climb!

You can bet there was whistling!

We had to descend into the canyon.

And cross the creek on a log.

And again on a ladder.

Go team orange helmet!

My friend lowering down one of our trip leaders.

Cheese!

My other friend making the climb.

Up I go!

Oh goodness, there's the top. Hmmm guess I gotta go back down!

 

When standing around on ice, one must find a way to stay warm! 

 

 

And as I mentioned, I tried my new (well sort of) Venture Helix Splitboard this past weekend. Venture Boards are handmade and built with love in Silverton, CO. I found this board on Craigslist and bought it off a feller from Durango, CO. I met him In Ouray a week before ice climbing to pick it up and hadn't had a chance to get on it till this weekend. It is a 09/10 board that had been used one year, and the feller was selling it due to the fact that he could no longer ride anymore. It is in outstanding condition and he gave me an amazing deal on the board too!

It is pretty much the most awesome thing I have ever ridden! It is quick and floats like a dream! I am super impressed at how well the Voile Binding system works and skinning up the hill was a breeze! I didn't go very far up, just went out for a couple hours before the Super Bowl. Enough time to test it and see how everything works. It was easy to put back together after I made it to my destination and it felt killer in the powder!

The board being from Silverton, I felt it appropriate to be drinking a Silverton Brewery Red Mountain Ale while putting my bindings on!

Here it is all set up, I have made a couple position and angle adjustments since taking this pic.