I went pro.

Steve S. had already warned me that pretty soon he would have to take a bit of a break from the runs. Now, my thought is he could previously justify his Go Pro from having been pretty heavy into the street bike scene and now getting additional usage out on the trails. This pretty much is my only scene...and for a while I felt content doing my shaky hand cam work with the digital. However, with these  upcoming rides to Ivy Branch, Drummond Island, Morningwood and Gulches, the likelihood of me returning in the near term is pretty unlikely. So I decided I wanted to invest in capturing the best footage I could during these initial visits in the event I do not get a chance to schedule a follow-up.

The other factor is the position of trail leading. If I were merely a participant in a convoy, I can jump out at my leisure and set up a quick shot while somebody is figuring out a line or is taking extra time getting spotted. While leading, any down time is spent either studying the map, spotting others, or quickly progressing through tricky spots to make space for subsequent drivers following suit. I therefore really would like the option of already having a camera mounted/affixed to the vehicle and being able to send commands to it remotely to snap pictures or stop/start recording. So I bit the bullet and decided to go pro. Also, if I ever want to attract the attention of real explorers and expedition folks, I suppose I need to show some better investment in gear to chronicle these travels.

No longer a novice. 

I tried covering up the price in the photo, but the Mrs. already came in and saw how much it cost. Error on my part. I think the fact that Steve already  had one helped my cause. "Is this the thing Steve has?"
"Yes, dear," I venture timidly.
"Oh, ok"

Disaster averted.

 My registration came in late last week. They really are insistent on me wearing a helmet inside of my truck. I thought I'd be cool and place this on my windshield, but the instructions on the back clearly indicate where it is to be placed on one's helmet.

 My other decals came in as well. I normally wait  until I have at least arrived at a given park before affixing them to the truck, but I was anxious. The Drummond decal is here too, but there was a part of someone's check visible in the background of the other photo, and with what I'm learning in my Transnational Security class, there is probably some scammer perusing for clues to rip folks off. I blocked you, scammer.

I probably will not have time to work up the in-cab controls before the trip; there are some husbandly duties I did not get to this week between the observation of holidays and some welcome backs and send offs that were going on this weekend. I think it just means, 'Don't get stuck' is the order of the day. Or William P. might have to give me a hand on his maiden voyage with his truck offroad. We'll see.