Figure8TheStates

Stay tuned...

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:18:28 GMT

Embark date is coming within a couple weeks!

Easing into it - Miles 0-1,268

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 23:40:12 GMT

Or so I thought. If I had to sum up the morning and afternoon of the first day into two words, they would be ‘mild’ and ‘uneventful’. Everything went along without a hitch; a bit of rain here and there with 100% overcast throughout. Sure I was a bit tired after 700 miles into Omaha, but nothing unexpected.

Then came the night of, which brought with it freezing temperatures, lack of dry wood, and dreadful wind. It’s one thing to have to shower or do your daily routine with a frigid walk in between; it’s another when you’re trying to sleep, wrapped in layers, with a 20degF rated sleeping bag, inside your tent and your body temperature is still tumbling. Oh well, an experience is only an experience if you learn from it…what I learned?

Down on Power

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:04:26 GMT

I arrived into Denver expecting a loss in power, just not knowing how much. It’s common knowledge that forced induction rules here as it’s less affected by the thinner air. As Brian @ Avalon put it “normal aspiration is nearly obsolete (for the car enthusiast)”. Personally I’d find it a great excuse to go B.A.T. (big-ass turbo) on the car. Maybe a obnoxious-displacement engine? Fine, I’ll take both (Bugatti Veyron please).

Onto today; the morning started off with a visit to the shop to get the Apikol Intercooler upgrade. It’s a beautiful piece to start off and the size difference is quite notiecable:

Free Bier!

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 20:43:06 GMT

Yup, that’s right. Not only do Mile-Highers’ have to spend less $$ to be ‘happy’ (due to the altitude) but a quick trip to Golden, CO leads to a wristband and complimentary samples at sizes of your choosing – Ahh, the good life.

Name a mountain, any mountain...

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 21:51:34 GMT

Chances are, you said the ‘Rockies’ (no, Rushmore is not a mountain). I finally had a chance to get up there, peaking at about 10,000 feet above sea level. The roadside walkway starting at a parking area was covered with snow and my fear of heights kicked in immediately. Needless to say, I didn’t hang around that particular walkway for long. I wandered down a closed road onto another opening and snapped a few pictures for a panorama:

This entry brought to you by the letter "S"

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:04:44 GMT

A salty supercar on a Sunday in Salt Lake City, a place where snowsports abound.

But first, since my previous entry I met some new Nepalese friends in Estes Park, CO and had a good time, nearly making the trip to SLC a bit delayed. Interesting characters were met, different perspectives were shared – the beauty of traveling rejuvenated.

As for the next stop, Salt Lake City, that falls under the gracious hosts of Hans and Greg, avid snowboarders and fellow auto/photo enthusiasts. After a solid night of sleep I headed out to Miller Motorsports Park simply to “check it out” (you can never go wrong taking in the track environment). It’s an immense track and a slew of activities were occurring on the east and west portions (no ovals here). After some time spent on a walkaround, I headed for an all-important car wash.

Exiting Miller.

To all those back in MI...

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:09:32 GMT

Let me start off with a picture…

Living up to its name

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:06:13 GMT

Is Highway 1 (California portion) all its chocked up to be? Without a doubt. If you’re a California native, or have spent extended amounts of time on the “left” coast and still have yet to get on this beautiful road, shame on you.

Having gone from Los Angeles to San Francisco on this famed byway, I’ve discovered a few nuances. Firstly, it’s not 100% hugging the coast, only on certain portions. The road starts off right on the coast from LA, then goes inland for quite a while. You dip in and out as you continue, stopping along the way to see hordes of elephant seals laying around.

Traveling is about the people you meet...Pt. 1

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:01:24 GMT

...even more so when going about it solo. Whether it’s those you’re traveling with (it can strengthen or fragment a relationship) or those you’ve met on the road, “people” can be taken as any other being in your travels.

The latter is the case with me and these past few days in San Francisco and Portland epitomized this.

The first day started off meeting with fellow Flickr-ites and auto-enthusiasts, Erica and Corey. They share a beautiful place with 2 cats in Oakland (no, only a small portion of Oakland lives up to its stereotypes). We grabbed some lunch together on a warm, sunny afternoon followed by a drive up through a famed cemetery where many of the original Bay Area “founders” lay today. Then, before we rushed back to check on a possible parking violation on my part, we stopped briefly at the shipping docks with newly renovated parks nestled in. We caught this family quite unlucky that day:

Traveling is about the people you meet...Pt. 2

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:37:16 GMT

The last full day in SF brought me to Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA. It was a short drive over the Golden Gate bridge and I popped my head in over at the guys at Stasis Engineering. Jason, Jared, Ford, Mike and others there were welcoming and even came around to changing my oil.

Afterwards, a mini-photoshoot was in order and after some group shots amongst the next-generation A4’s, myself and Jared went about some motion shots in their TT and S5.

Photo: LonelyCorner

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 03:58:11 GMT

Taken 02/06/2008 03:58:11

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Photo: FleetwoodAtClosing

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 04:16:23 GMT

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Photo: A2NewsBuilding

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 04:35:28 GMT

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Photo: A2News

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 04:40:56 GMT

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Photo: Antislavery

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 04:42:15 GMT

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Photo: WearYourHelmets

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 04:59:13 GMT

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Photo: Refreshing

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 05:30:01 GMT

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Photo: PoorTree

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 05:33:45 GMT

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Photo: SpikesToTheSky

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 05:38:26 GMT

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Photo: Arch_itecture

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 05:45:12 GMT

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Photo: ILiveHere

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 06:18:36 GMT

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Photo: BioMedHDR

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 08:59:58 GMT

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Photo: MetroMarket

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 18:59:20 GMT

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Photo: StudentsInside

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 19:09:54 GMT

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Photo: WhiteMeatOnly

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 19:13:12 GMT

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Photo: Suicidal Rear Exits

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 14:58:59 GMT

Taken 03/22/2008 14:58:59

Photo: RollingTurn

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 02:41:08 GMT

Taken 03/27/2008 02:41:08

First go with filmtools rig.

Photo: Lincoln Capital Building

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:48:28 GMT

Taken 04/01/2008 09:48:28

Capital Building at Lincoln, NE on a frigid April morning.

Photo: First Pony Express Station

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:54:25 GMT

Taken 04/01/2008 13:54:25

The claimed first Pony Express Station, albeit not in the original location.

Photo: Setting the example

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:58:37 GMT

Taken 04/01/2008 13:58:37

Inside the Pony Express station lie quite an ironic situation – I didn’t do that btw.

Photo: Corn Country

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:15:00 GMT

Taken 04/01/2008 14:15:00

What’s a cross-country trip without the corn fields and it’s various accessories?

Photo: Apikol SMIC

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:47:51 GMT

Taken 04/02/2008 11:47:51

Beautiful piece.

Photo: Apikol vs Stock

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:49:33 GMT

Taken 04/02/2008 11:49:33

The size difference is pretty obvious.

Photo: Apikol Installed

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:53:38 GMT

Taken 04/02/2008 11:53:38

Sittin’ pretty in there.

Photo: Fresh Wash Outside Avalon

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:08:21 GMT

Taken 04/02/2008 13:08:21

Sitting pretty outside Avalon.

Photo: Riverfront Park Structure

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:03:57 GMT

Taken 04/02/2008 14:03:57

Cool looking structure down the street from the 16th Street Mall.

Photo: Abandoned Bike

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:14:24 GMT

Taken 04/02/2008 14:14:24

Lonely bike lying in the stream.

Photo: First Timer

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:21:09 GMT

Taken 04/02/2008 14:21:09

Denver as an outdoor-sy town? Absolutely.

Photo: Fair Wages

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:38:53 GMT

Taken 04/02/2008 14:38:53

How many police do you need around a Chipotle protest?

Photo: At the Ready

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:39:10 GMT

Taken 04/02/2008 14:39:10

In case things go sour, or in this case, bean-y?

Photo: Protest

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:01:58 GMT

Taken 04/02/2008 15:01:58

Protest in front of Chipotle in downtown Denver.

Photo: Red Rock Entrance

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:42:59 GMT

Taken 04/03/2008 11:42:59

Greeted by a massive formation.

Photo: Red Rock

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 12:56:33 GMT

Taken 04/03/2008 12:56:33

Photo: Trail Ahead

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:10:49 GMT

Taken 04/03/2008 13:10:49

On the official trail about halfway through (total 1.4 miles)

Photo: The Tools

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:17:49 GMT

Taken 04/03/2008 13:17:49

Besides the car, the other inanimate objects I…well…let’s not go there =-)

Photo: Trail Walkin

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:22:02 GMT

Taken 04/03/2008 13:22:02

Lookin’ and walkin’.

Photo: Dead End

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:33:45 GMT

Taken 04/03/2008 13:33:45

This trail was actually off the official one, but it lead to a neat wedge.

Photo: Trail Running

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:37:11 GMT

Taken 04/03/2008 13:37:11

Self-explanatory.

Photo: Taste the Rockies

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:58:18 GMT

Taken 04/03/2008 14:58:18

Entrance to the brewery tour; mmm~ free beer.

Photo: Coors Kettles

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:58:42 GMT

Taken 04/03/2008 14:58:42

Work harder!

Photo: Rocky Mountains

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:02:58 GMT

Taken 04/04/2008 16:02:58

Photo: Fall Off

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:24:52 GMT

Taken 04/04/2008 16:24:52

Be careful!

Photo: Underrated Supercar

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 13:56:48 GMT

Taken 04/06/2008 13:56:48

Photo: S6 Avant

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 14:02:39 GMT

Taken 04/06/2008 14:02:39

Photo: Exiting Miller

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 15:06:08 GMT

Taken 04/06/2008 15:06:08

Photo: Fire Mild Spicy

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 17:36:15 GMT

Taken 04/06/2008 17:36:15

Agonizing off-roading led to this.

Photo: Admiring the Great Salt Lake

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 17:39:24 GMT

Taken 04/06/2008 17:39:24

Salt and Cars do not mix very well.

Photo: Suzuka Gray R8

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 20:43:33 GMT

Taken 04/06/2008 20:43:33

Photo: Hibiscus

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 20:47:21 GMT

Taken 04/06/2008 20:47:21

Photo: Salty R8

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 20:54:31 GMT

Taken 04/06/2008 20:54:31

Wind stopped blowing the water for this.