I got home a while ago and I've been wading thru hundreds of emails, moving files from my laptop to my main computer and then reading this thread. Whew! I'm ready for bed already!
I wanna start off by stating that this was my first BUB meet and that I really don't know a lot about bikes, although I just had a rather intensive training course. Last time I owned a bike, I was stationed at Ft. Bliss, Tx. That was 1967. Been a while. However, I really appreciate the offer Jon made to have me shoot some photos while he was covering other things. It gave me a great sense of purpose and a great deal of pride in my work and satisfaction to get some shots that...well, some of 'em took a lot of effort to get to and fro, so to speak. But it was all very rewarding.
Then there was the frustrating part. I had zero web access all the time I was there. Well, this is gonna get fixed. For WoS, it's my goal to have a cellular modem setup like Jon has. I think this will help a great deal, since Jon and Nancy will be racing and I'll be able to report on their progress as well as other stuff while they're busy. Probably not as well as Jon, but have you ever watched that dude type? I swear I saw smoke comin from the keyboard. In any case, I should be able to overcome a somewhat awkward process: I'd go shoot a coupla hundred photos, choose the "pick of the litter" then edit 'em (which is really frustrating on a laptop with sun and glare etc. My eyes aren't what they used to be and I'd have to cover the windshield and side windows...and then I roasted) and when I got 'em done, I'd have to find Jon or he'd find me and I'd give him a USB thumb drive with the edited shots. Then he could put 'em in the photo gallery, and then I'd wander off to find more stuff to photograph and we'd repeat the process.
So. I'm gonna branch out a little so I can post my shots to the thread or to my server and add a link...or something so that the delay between the action and the photos getting there is minimized. I'll also be on more familiar territory at WoS where I can at least read the class abbreviations. I only found out a coupla days ago about the pushrod classes for bikes. Like I said, it was an intensive OJT session.
Having said that, I really enjoyed myself. I was a bit concerned, cuz I'd had some mystery infection that had me pretty miserable the previous week...but I wasn't gonna let that keep me from the salt and the cameras. As it turned out, the antibiotics I'd been taking seemed to have things pretty well under control and the only thing I suffered from was my normal shortness of breath (for those who don't know, I have some pretty serious cardiovascular issues...but the handicapped tag in my window sure comes in handy when looking for a parking place. <G>) I camped up on the flats above the Bend in the Road where the "peace and quiet" folks tend to hang out. Crow and Texican know what I'm talkin about. That was just fine. It got a little warm the last coupla days, but hell, it's the salt flats! What would I expect?
I'm gonna post one photo here and then try to get the shots on my own web server:
http://www.chevyasylum.com/lsr/bsf2009/Welcome.html I only have a day to do it, so I may have do an abbreviated version, but I'll get something on there. I'll be shooting the Vintage Cycle Fest at Miller's. I had the credentialing email in my in box when I got home, so I hope to have some nice shots of those nuts on the sidehacks. Last year was really something:
http://www.chevyasylum.com/racing/racing2008/20080907/02_sidecar/sidecar.html I've got a bit better long lens (Canon 100-400 L Series) and should be able to get some closer, sharper photos from that one.
Anyway the shot I'm posting is (so far) my favorite. It's Sam Wheeler and Chris Carr shaking hands and wishing one another well before Sam's run. It seemed to capture the whole spirit of the meet, with petty disagreements set aside and true sportsmanship and competition displayed. After that, I'm gonna get a night's sleep and try to get some photos on the server before I go shoot another event and get farther behind.
Thanks to all of the wonderful people that I met there who really made it a wonderful experience. Just for the heck of it, many of my shots are in the Gallery:
http://www.landracing.com/gallery/ Ok...I'm gettin goofy from fatigue (ya couldn't tell, could ya?) so I better get some rest.