The White Noize Blog Jam

2009-11-18T16:19:00.002-06:00

Sin City Rollin'!!!

2009-11-18T15:28:00.004-06:00

Some people might say that starting a ride west across the mountains of New Mexico and Nevada at the end of October would be a risky proposition…some of those people were our wives and friends. But what do they know???? More than we thought, apparently.

We took off anyway from San Antonio early morning October 26^th…or at least as early as we could after waiting for a huge cold front to pass through….bringing with it a torrential downpour that would last the first 5 hours of day one – which is why there are no pictures of the first part of this adventure. Something about stopping and setting up a shot of one or the other of us shooting through a low water crossing wasn’t all that appealing at the time…woulda made a cool picture, but we said that more than once on this trip.

So the first picture taken on this report would be in Junction, TX….where we stopped at Lance’s (aka AyeWon) mother’s house for him to “dehydrate”…he wasn’t completely set up for riding under water.

Man, that's a mean case of helmet-head I've got there!!!

So, the story behind this ride – Lance (AyeWon) is on the right – he’s on his Honda Shadow Sabre – and wearing chaps – not friendly attire when it’s raining like a sum’ bitch!

Me, on the left (White Noize), on my DL1000 V-Strom – prepared for the rain and dropping temps.

Our ride plan is to travel to Las Vegas in 3 days from San Antonio…we're in the sports television business and need to be in Vegas by the end of the day on the 28^th in order to report for work first thing on the 29^th at the Pro Bull Riding World Championships where we will cover the event on CBS, Versus and NBC.

Blah, blah, work stuff….let’s get on to the riding.

We head out of Junction after an awesome quick breakfast provided by AyeWon’s mom – and after his clothes get a tumble in her dryer. We were anxious to get out towards west Texas where at least the scenery is worth looking at. Our plan for day one was just to put away some miles of mid-west Texas on the interstate and make it to Las Cruces, NM where we would get off the interstate and head west thru the mountains on some worthy roads.

That was the plan, at least…some 40 miles short of Fort Stockton, TX, this fun insued….

[IMG]http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z155/MarkHarrier/PA260006.jpg[/IMG]

Thank god for the Cycle Pump Combo Kit – saved our ass! Not a soul stopped to see if we needed any assistance – some honyok on a big Harley even soared by without even a glance! We did run into him later at a gas stop and he was surprised to see us....we gave him the "hey, thanks a buttload for stopping and checking on us back there" look.

After the tire delay, we headed on – only to make it into El Paso for the day – but we were happy to have a warm room to settle into. We stayed at Hampton Inns the whole way and they were all very accommodating with parking for the bikes.

Notice the gas can tied on to AyeWon’s Shadow – he brought it along since his tank capacity is only 4 gallons and mine is 5.8 – just in case. Well, his unsafe manner of transporting this fuel earned him the trip’s first nickname – “Clampitt”.

Day two we rise early to make up for some lost time and to finally reach some roads worth riding – and worth getting the camera out for.

We cross into New Mexico,

turn north on I-25, and then per the suggestion of ADV’er Frenchy750, we head west on Hwy152 just south of Truth or Consequences….we can’t thanks Frenchy enough for this suggestion!!!! What a road!!!! Highly suggested to anyone that gets the chance to grace it’s wonderful twisties, switchbacks and un-guardrailed mountain routes!

We enjoy 152 thoroughly and then hit Hwy180 to head north and west over into Arizona.

This is where mother nature throws her next gauntlet at us – wind….wind like no wind you want to ride in….wind like a friggin’ hurricane….apparently, somewhere short of Show Low, AZ we are informed that we had been experiencing 60mph cross gusts. If you ride, you know how much this sucks. A Parks & Wildlife officer, who are normally fine people, informed us that “in these parts, some wicked snow usually follows this kind of windfest”….or something like that. This would have normally been appreciated information....except this guy delivered the news like he was enjoying the visions in his head of us re-enacting the scooter scene from "Dumb & Dumber".

That said, the wind and rapidly dropping temps kept us in Show Low, AZ for the evening. The wind battle of the day required some mini-bottle therapy.

After settling into our room, the sound of the wind called us to the window…..

Yippee…..yeah…..we are so happy…..can you feel the sarcasm?

We awake the next day to this (we’re told it’s the earliest snowfall on record in Show Low…..of course it is!!!!!):

And have to ride north out of Show Low on Hwy77 to I-40 to head west….in 22 degree temps!

We ride thru intermittent bursts of wind and snow all the way from Flagstaff to Kingman…..they thin out as we drop out of elevation…..and then we get to enjoy just the wind again – not as bad as the day before, but bad enough to make the riding a chore.

The looks of the other travelers on the roadways that day were priceless – every car we passed or that passed us, looked at us like we were completely out of our minds...maybe we are.

The new bridge being built at the Hoover Damn was awesome….and I was amazed at how low the water was at the damn.

More to come…..we had a couple days off in Vegas and rode out to the Grand Canyon and Zion Nat’l Park (with some great pix!)…..and then there’s the ride home….we picked up another rider for that leg.

My first "official" ride report...the Catskills!

2008-08-01T18:03:00.021-05:00

Well, once again work took me to New York City....specifically Garden City for the Belmont. You know, the one where Big Brown crapped out....get it???? "Crapped out....Big BROWN....???? Whatever.

The TV truck compound.....

The audio panel on our main truck.....zoinks!!!!!!

Shaq is a pony guy....???? I pity the horse.

That crap taken care of, it is time to hook up with a fellow audio guy/good buddy, Mike Zadroga, for a 3 day ride in the Catskills....sweeeeeeet.....tight twisties in and out of the heights.....perfect.

"Z", as we affectionately call Mike, saddled up his Honda CBR....

and he offered up his Honda ST1300 for me to attempt to keep up with him on.

We check oil, tire pressure, etc., etc. and we prepare for 3 days of riding bliss.

The trip begins, as I get accustomed to the smooth-revving ST's 4 cylinder, as beautiful as can be. A first on our agenda is the Woodstock Museum...oddly enough, not actually in Woodstock. Apparently, there were last minute squabbles about the venue location and the concert, and coincidentally the museum, were and aren't in Woodstock. Either way, we arrived with beautiful blue skies and warm breezes.

And we return from the museum to what can only be described as a torential assault by raindrops that I swear were the size of my fist. What's THAT all about?!?!?!

This assault continued on and off all day and kept us hopping from covered stopping spot to whatever old bridge we could find for temporary reprieve. This one should do.

Notice the blue sign to the right of the bridge???...check out the inflation rate on bridge work over the past 154 years!!!!

But it was pretty cool on the inside....amazing what they can do with a bunch of wood!

Day 1 of the Catskills ride was a success, even though we didn't cover the ground we had hoped due to the scattered hydration offerings from above.

Upon our arrival back at Casa Zadroga after day 1, we had an unexpected visitor for dinner...and she was eating whether she was invited or not! Her head is a little blurry in the second shot as she is shaking the hummingbird feeder to pieces!

Day 2's ride was rain free....just beautiful....if not a bit warm, but I live in San Antonio, so I try not to complain about that much.
One thing about "Z"...he likes corners...he likes speed....he likes to put the two together. According to him, I did a fine job keeping up on a bike that wasn't as suited for it as his is. However, this continuous barage of down-shifting, strategic braking, accelerating through the apex of a tight corner and then hammering it again when completely upright doesn't allow for much picture taking. It seems that "Z" appreciates the scenery...as long as it is passing so fast that it is impossible to focus on...much less notice. It is a fine balance of coordination, skill, concentration, luck and insanity that keeps you in your lanes....and it doesn't provide for the opportunity often to reach into your jacket pocket to grab the camera. Don't get me wrong....it is DAMN fun. But I like to throw in a little environmental appreciation along the way.

That said, I did get some pretty cool pictures at an old (did I say old?) cemetary that we stopped at to grab a sitdown and some H2O that wasn't pelting us from the heavens.
It was a real nostalgic stop...really made me think about what's been done, and is still being done, by soldiers that bring us the freedom to be able to even ride around like we were.

I still get a bit choked up when I look at the pictures...it was surreal just walking around the graves of these heros.

And speaking of history, we ran across this guy riding around just like we were....except on a piece of history.

I also got to practice my deer-dodging skills out on day 2...for obvious reasons, there are no pictures of said practice....but I assure you, it was the best (read "scariest") practice I have had in the evasive manuevers involved in missing a 200 lb. deer as it frantically scratches it's way across the still slightly damp pavement. It's amazing that the human heart can go from "high-speed-cornering rate" to "shit-I-almost-just-drove-through-a-large-mammal" rate in micro-seconds! The second of three occurances was most definitely the closest I've ever come to hitting a deer on a motorcycle, and the closest I've come to dying in quite a long time.

Day 3 was much less eventful, but much warmer also. So we dedicated the day to searching for a few nice spots to stop to cool off in the many creeks still flowing quite freely with the runoff of snow from the winter.

Well, the glorious 3 day ride ended with the gravel road jaunt up to "Z's" cabin in the mountains...and another awesome meal cooked by Chef Z.

THANKS, "Z" for my first real opportunity for a ride report, the great home-cooked meals, a great cabin in the woods and for all your hospitality!!!!! I owe ya, BIG TIME!!!!!

Devil's River 2008

2008-06-16T16:17:00.013-05:00

The Devil's River calls.....as it often does. Rarely we get to answer its' call. However, this past May 26th - 29th, seven of us were able to heed the call, hit the road and brave the river and everything it throws at us, which this year included some new wildlife, 2 "newbies" and some out-of-control rapid riding by one of the river veterans. This year's group was the largest we've gotten out there yet - at seven - Myself, Lance, Dave, Troy, Dano, and the 2 newbies, Frank and Dano (aka "Otto"). Here we are in anxious anticipation, minus me - behind the camera.

The drive up alone provided ample entertainment....first of all seeing as I kick-started my liver before we even hit the road at 5am. Then, the misunderstanding on where all parties were to meet to hit the road led to some schenannigans and the first "un-policed" roadside stop of the trip.

Once we were all on the same page, and on the road, our rapid transport to the river was halted by the Texas Highway Patrol....we had all agreed that 85 miles per hour was a completely adequate speed for the journey.....and not only did one of the badged patrolmen think not of our velocity, but a second one shortly after also delayed our public intoxication on the Devil's River. Sadly, I didn't get a picture of the pigs (the first wildlife we encountered), but while we waited for the oinker to finish with Lance (heh....."waited for the oinker to finish with Lance"....bet that's not the first time THAT's ever been said.....heh.), I did get a shot of a roadside tarantula.

We finally make it to the promised land....and lots of THIS begins (Frank demonstrates):

And that's not an energy drink, I assure you.

Besides that, Dave, as usual, did a fine job cooking gourmet meals.....

Troy spent hours fishing.....

Dano drank his Michelob Gay.....

John captured video.....

Lance chummed the water with his own flesh.....

And I renamed my canoe...."Discovery 169" seemed boring.....

For reasons we have yet to confirm, on day 2, a sheep came into camp and seemed right at home in the doorway of Troy's tent.....Troy did have an odd smile on his face when he woke up that morning.

The REAL reasons we visit the Devil and his river......

A good time (and a hangover or two....or three) was had by all......there were no drownings, or even close calls, which is a plus.......this year's crew of River Rats & Devil's Doctors welcomed its' 2 new members on another successful trip in west Texas.....we already look forward to next year.

The Devil's River awaits!!!!!

2008-05-24T14:53:00.002-05:00

Yes, a blog update may actually be in the making!!!!

A 4 day jaunt out to canoeing the Devil's River is on the schedule for this Monday, Memorial Day, thru Thursday.....so maybe something worthy of a blog post.....FINALLY!!!!!!

I know it's been a long time coming....but I just don't have the exciting life of....say a Frenchy.....that lucky bastard!!!!!

Stay tuned.....

Sacramento....blah.....Albany - sweeeeeeet......

2008-01-31T01:48:00.000-06:00

So one weekend, Sacramento, CA.....booooooring......next weekend Albany, NY - SWEET!!!!!!

The trip starts with my continuing attempt at really cool shots out the airplane window....
Here's the DFW airport from directly overhead.....the place is friggin' hugantic!!!!!

And then Chicago from an aspect you could ONLY get from the air.....

Albany was.....work....as usual. But in me and Lance's constant attempts at having at least some fun while we are out traveling we got out into the Catskills Mountains to visit Mike Z's place for "Retreat Audio-Style". Willy-World joined us out in Z-Land for what can only be described as heaven for a south-Texas boy who misses the north!!!! And to top it all off "Z" is an incredible cook - I think we had an 8 course dinner, and when I woke up on the couch to a view of trees and snow, the smell of bacon and eggs wafted about.....sometimes I'm sure I haven't lived well enough to deserve this!!!!!

Team Audio....enjoying life.....

Z's place.......what a dream!!!!!

The drive through his neighborhood.......

Lance was tired at the airport afterwards....can ya tell....????

So, now I will have to make up for posting that picture of Lance in the next few installments.....that will be tough.....oh well. If he nuts up and buys a damn bike things will be all good....but he forgot his checkbook today when we went motorcycle shopping....what a maroon!

Party on, Wayne.....party on, Garth......

Pathetic....pathetic.....just pathetic.....

2008-01-22T15:58:00.000-06:00

Yes, it has been a while since the last post....as pointed out by Blog King Frenchy....according to him the blog-rating douchometer on the Blogjam has pegged - and probably melted it's internal water/vinegar mixing mechanism.

Too much work and not enough play results in a lack of interesting things worth posting about....poop!

There was Christmas.....

Went to a Stars game on the 23rd....Stars 4, Canadiens 1....there was much rejoicing. Especially since we attended with some friends, Mike & Darcy Connelly - who happen to be Montreal fans....HA!!!!!!

There was New Year's Eve.....

Went to that game also (view above from our suite tickets - THAT's the way to watch a game).....the Stars didn't look so good...so I got drunk.....they lost.....I wore a funny hat....Dick wore an afro wig....we got drunker and I honestly forget what the game score was.

Just got back from Sacramento on the PBR tour....nothing of note blog-worthy from that.....boo.

Traveling to Albany Thursday for PBR there.....temperatures aren't supposed to rise above freezing and the lows are expected to travel near zero. We have some "get out and about plans" for while we are there, so hopefully something worthy of another post. Also, our house is presently under contract and we have no idea right now where we are going to live through 2008 until Anna finishes her degree program, so that will undoubtedly provide for some banter on the blog....and a few corporate rants for sure!!!!!

Trying to salvage what is left of the blog....bear with me.....must pull douchometer needle off of the +3 reading......will do my best.

Please welcome.......

2007-11-22T10:11:00.000-06:00

The White Noize Blog Jam's official....

DOUCHOMETER!!!!!

Here shown with no reading.....a water reading.....no signs of douchosity.

The douchometer will be used henceforth to rate all manner of things encountered on the Blog Jam.

For example, the previously mentioned Sprint....here is Sprint's reading on the douchometer....

As you can plainly see, the meter is pegged.....HIGH levels of douchosity....pretty much straight up vinegar....signs of any "high quality H2O" are not obviously present.

Sprint has officially clipped the douchometer....in it's debut on the Blog Jam.

CONGRATULATIONS, Sprint!

I'm a Romo-sexual!!!!!

2007-11-19T23:14:00.000-06:00

I'm beginning to realize that this blog gets updated around once every few weeks....which means I'm not doing enough interesting stuff.....hmmmmm.....I'll have to do something about that......one day.

The most recent "cool thing" on the agenda was the Redskins @ Cowboys game - 11/18/07 at Texas Stadium - 5th row.....at the endzone that T.O. decided to visit THREE times!!!!!

Two classic lines I heard yelled by rabid Cowboys fans at the game:
-"I'm a Romo-sexual!!!!"
-"I've got 3 words for ya....'How 'bout them Cowboys?!?!?!?!'"

OK....."I'm a Romo-sexual"?!?!?!?!?! Is that a good thing...??? Does that involve the blue & silver or all colors of the rainbow????
And the "3 words"......that one speaks for itself.

The game was a nail-biter!!!! There was pre-game tail-gating....

Pyro....

Half-naked chicks.....

And some football.....

But the end result was as expected......

This installment's WNBJ Corporate Rant: Northwest Airlines.....if you dick me around, the LAST thing I want is some sort of voucher for more of your shitty product......if a BK Whopper puts me in the E.R. with food poisoning, I don't want the "King" bedside with a coupon for a life supply of burgers.....call me crazy, but I doubt my stomach will handle it!!!!!

Speaking of a good rant now and then....and just good all-around reading, I highly suggest a blog by a good buddy of mine and avid motorcyclist (and fellow audio dude), Frenchy...check it out at:
http://frenchysrant.blogspot.com/

Go STARS.....3 to zero over Team Hollywood tonight......6 to 1 over the Avalanched the other night!!!!! YEAH!!!!! What up, Sherold?!?!?!?!

Welcome home....to Texas....?????

2007-10-31T16:30:00.000-05:00

With the ESPN Breeder's Cup show in New Jersey complete.....in the rain.....real rain....east coast rain.....argh, the memory of it alone makes me stutter....I am finally home for a while. No pictures of said event as I was in no mood to take pictures.

I arrive back in San Antonio to find the weather just perfect - a rarity down here. To take advantage of it, I decided to hop on the faithful steed (still no nickname) and hit some of the killer roads that the Texas Hill Country has to offer. My only mistake in the endeavour, was my choice of riding partners:

THIS.......

Plus roads that require this sign:

Equals: only ONE opportunity to see this:

Yeah good ol' Dave and his Hayabusa - which apparently translates from Japanese roughly into something like "crotch-mounted-missile". If the Japanese had made their military vehicles as well as they build a rice rocket, we would all be eating sushi and drinking sake right now - and not by choice.

But it was a good ride - including some tasty frito pie in Wimberley - no charge for the bees. I have a saying about bees........the Devils' River crew (DR's) knows it well.

We headed home on what is called the "Devil's Backbone" - which is a fine metaphor for it.....unless you are riding behind Dave and attempting to keep up.....in that case it would more aptly be called something like the "Wrenched Sphincter".

Either way, it was a great time and Dave helped me refine my speed skills in the sweeping corners - which as long as you keep the sticky side down is a good thing.

Well, now Spurs season begins - so we'll see what that brings around this year.

My corporate rant for today (of which I've decided to display here on the blog jam) will be directed towards Sprint. And this particular rant will be short and sweet......Dear Sprint, You SUCK. The up side to this edition's rant is my new iPhone - from AT&T.

Bite me, Sprint.

The "Hip" Happened!!!!

2007-10-22T22:58:00.000-05:00

Well, the "Hip" happened....and it was sweet.

Some tailgating....pre-game.

And the show....with a camera we probably weren't supposed to have in the club:

Interesting....the lights are red and white....just like the Canadian flag....coincidence???? I think NOT!!!!!

And Zooby and his girlfriend had some drinks.....proof:

Well, working now - in New Jersey....yippee (sarcasm). But I did get to head over into the Pocono Mountains to visit where my grandmother used to live....and it is just GORGEOUS out here right now:

It was great to get out to where I was lucky enough to spend a bunch of time as a kid - a bit of a reality check, really. Everything seemed so much smaller than I remembered it.....the street, the house, the church, the town....everything. Growing up sucks.

Well, this installment ends on a somber note....maybe something cool will happen worth talking about soon......like a STARS win....YEAH!

The "Hip" tomorrow!!!!!!

2007-10-17T22:35:00.000-05:00

Tragically Hip are in the radar scope - tomorrow in Austin - FINALLY!!!!!!

My buddy Kevin Zrubek (aka "Zooby", aka "#9") has been trying to get me to one of their shows for a couple years now and I will finally make it!!!!! He is a Red Wings fan....which we will try and not hold against him.

I'm sure the trip will provide for some fun and mayhem for the Blog Jam....keep posted for pix and a recap - I can't wait!!!!!

Oh yeah - the Dallas Stars won in overtime tonight!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jussi Jokinen is the shiznit in a shootout!!!!

The "Blog Jam" begins...

2007-10-17T18:14:00.000-05:00

Here it begins.....the epic that shall be "The White Noize Blog Jam".

I imagine much of what appears here will be, to some, just white noise...but hopefully someone will find it interesting.

In this case I will be "White Noize" when referring to myself in the 3rd person...and I'm not sure how that began. Anyway, that is one of a couple nicknames that I have received in my years...one of two that have stuck - the other being "Marco Polo", which came from my years of playing water polo in high school and college.

I was christined with "White Noize" more or less by my good buddy and business partner Lance - who was given the nickname "Aye Won" by yours truly. Both of these nicknames refer to our line of business which happens to be audio work - mostly for television broadcast...sports, mostly. Here's us at work - in the same TV truck....freezing.....it's a funny story....trust me!

Lance is the one with the long hair....and the pink took....hey, wait a minute....he hasn't been gay this whole time and not said anything, has he?!?!?! Heh, kidding Lance.

So, the most wonderful part of my life is called "Anna" - my beautiful wife. She is the best! She puts up with my crap, so she has to be! Here she is!

Pretty, ain't she?!?!?!

Another person who will come up often in my "adventure" will be my best buddy Mike...aka "DICK"....nicknamed for obvious reasons...which will reveal themselves over time. Here he is with his wife Jeannie (aka "Dickette")....and yes, his finger is stuck like that.

Another duo that will show up often I imagine is "Mom & Michael"...here they are - dressed up for a night out with me and Anna.

And the most beautiful inanimate object in my life....no nickname for it yet....we'll have to work on that.....enjoy:

Well, there's some background....for starters....not Hemingway, I admit, but it's a start. So THERE!

Updates will be sporadic, I imagine....but stay tuned!!!!!