Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jetaddict/map?&fLat=33.1216&fLon=-98.6398&zl=13&map_type=sat&order_by=recent
I'm still messing around with some stuff and trying to see what programs will work the best for me out on the road. I tried using PICASA the other day to upload some of my pics from my new Droid. Picasa is good because it works well with Google/Google Earth, and supports GPS data saved on the picture. Problem is, Picasa is about as user-friendly as a rabid wolverine. I uploaded my pics to it, then clicked on something to post it on GE, and the next thing I know, it changed all my recent photo GPS data to some arbitrary city in KANSAS....what the fu**????!
So, being frustrated with Picasa, I started messing with Flickr, which I had used in the past with my Blackberry. Flickr is pretty cool, has an integrated "my places" map, which I posted a link to above. Problem is, I cannot upload the pics directly from my phone to Flickr using the browser- that's something I have to do when I get home. I can upload them to Picasa, and hope that Picasa doesn't fudge the coordinates and I can view them on GE later...there's a lot of stuff to learn.
I tried using a program to load data directly to my blog, but it seems pretty useless. I am going to delete it and try something else.

Cadillac Trail at Tom Brown Park

Day Two- Cadillac ONLY

View Day 2 Cadillac in a larger map
We enjoyed this trail so much, we rode it again. Technical with some good climbs...just a bit too short, unfortunately.
3.34 miles total
6.16 average speed
13.81 max speed
975 foot elev gain

DAY ONE-TOM BROWN PARK, TALLAHASSEE

View Tom Brown in a larger map
8.74 miles total
1hr 19 min moving time
Avg. moving: 6.56 mph
Max speed: 17.5 mph
Elev Gain: 1845
This was a very good ride. Video forthcoming...

NEW PROGRAM TEST

84°14'46"W
30°25'55"N
WhereBlogger!

TestEdit me

New DROID phone

I had been struggling with the idea of getting an Android phone for a while, after seeing how fast it was compared to my Blackberry Tour. So the other day I made the switch, and I am pleasantly surprised. After being on a Blackberry for a while, I became spoiled with the email and facebook "push" methods of delivery, and I was wary that the Droid would be a problem.
First off, GMail on the Droid is PUSH. All other mail clients are PULL...meaning you have to log onto your account to retrieve them. Now, I only have two email accounts, one is Hotmail and the other is Gmail. The Gmail works like the BB did...I get a notification almost instantly after I get an email. I set up my Hotmail to send me a text alert when I receive a new email, and this is working out perfect so far.
Big plus with the Droid? NAVIGATION. Turn by turn, FOR FREE. No $10 charge for VZ Navigator (lousy program, by the way). Google Maps navigation is as good if not better than a Garmin standalone unit. This is a major selling point. I was sold on this alone.
Internet browsing? Just like broadband in your house. FAST. Kicks BB's butt...the BB internet is pathetic compared to this. And, I have Wifi also...something the Tour did not have!
The Droid screen ROCKS. Destroys the tiny BB screen....movies look amazing, and the resolution is amazing.
GPS acquisition on the Droid also gets major thumbs up over BB's...I can get a GPS fix indoors without any problem.
Reception on the Droid? Awesome. I dropped calls with the BB in my house- I have 3-4 bars with no dropped calls on the Droid so far.
The Tour did have the following advantages over the Droid: better keyboard- the Droid's is flat and the push-up screen of the Droid gets in the way of the top row of keys...makes your fingers feel mashed and makes button pressing difficult. Ability to screen capture-unless you hack the Droid, there are no apps available for you to capture the screen...except the home screen, which you can see on the picture I posted.  The Tour was also smaller and more compact- the Droid is bulky, but it still is pretty small considering all the cool stuff you can do with it.Speaker quality and call sound-the voices on the BB sounded much more like a landline phone. The Droid sounds a bit hollow.
If you plug the Droid in to charge, the phone turns on! WTF??? I read every manual on this phone and every forum post, and this is the way it was designed. Very irritating. If you charge the phone up overnight, you have to silence it, otherwise you will be woken up with email and text alerts...wow. Why don't they fix this?
So overall, the Droid trumps the BB Tour in pretty much every category. I am heading out to Tallahassee, and will be using it to post to the blog and share info, so we shall see how it does in the field!

TALLAHASSEE FLORIDA ROAD TRIP

Well, I am gonna head up to Tallahassee next weekend for a couple days, and plan on riding a couple trails up in the area.

The two trails up there are Cadillac/ Tom Brown, and Redbug. Reviews say that out of the few trails in that area, these three are the most highly rated. I plan on taking the helmet cam and capturing some trails on video. My standard def wide camera WAS gonna go with me too, for multiple angles, but it crapped out on me. GoPro had a firmware update for it, and I downloaded the update as directed from their website. When I tried to start the camera up, it was dead. So if you have a GoPro standard def wide camera, DO NOT TRY TO INSTALL THE FIRMWARE...IT WILL BRICK YOUR CAMERA!!! I'm waiting to hear from GoPro support, but I doubt anything will happen before I go on the trip. Bastards.
Check out the reviews of the Cadillac trail below.

Cadilac Mountain Bike Trail in Tallahassee, Florida || SINGLETRACKS.COM

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CARTER PARK VID

I was a little pissed off when I found out that 7 of the MP4 files on my new SD card were corrupted after the ride. Some of the best trails were on those files, along with my wipeout. I searched on line for this issue, and learned many people experience this problem when using those cheap, piece of shit SD cards from EBay shipped from China. I wanted to save a few bucks, so I rodered one of those abortions. That's the last time I do, let me tell ya. Back to my SanDisk 8GB- that's enough space.
Anywhere, here's what I could salvage.

CARTER RD. PARK RIDE AND REVIEW!

So the other day I finally made it to Loyce Harper Park (aka Carter Rd. MTB park) in Lakeland, Florida.  I have been wanting to check out this park for a year, and I finally managed to get in a good ride. I have to say I read many reviews of this park, and was hesitant on riding it due to some of the negative reviews. I have to say all the negative reviews are unwarranted.
The park is off Carter Rd., a short jaunt off the Polk Parkway tollway. The mountain bike trailhead is at teh end of a paved road that is actually in a full-on park: baseball, football and night lit fields. Very nice!
The trails are all very well marked, with wood signs placed on the trees. I had no issues navigating through the main area. The cool thing about this place are all the features placed along the trails. You will be riding along a relatively tame singletrack, when you will come across a wooden bridge or a wooden jump bridge. You have the option to ride the feature, or take the tamer route next to it. Very nice!
Many of the trails are quite hairy- and I mean HAIRY. There are thin singletracks along spines of this old quarry, that drop down 50 feet into the water below- in some areas, SHEER drops. You can get VERY HURT if you make a mistake along some of these trails- make no mistake!
There are some incredible climbs, and some adrenalin-pumping drops. All in all, this place has something for everyone. I was not disappointed. The trails are maintained by Ridgeriders in Lakeland, and they do a good job keeping this trail in good condition.
There is even a bike wash in the parking lot. Very sweet.
I took a little spill though on one of the features. There is a skinny along the back part of the trail that guides you over a muddy portion of the trail. Part of the plank was broken, which made for very unsure footing when you are off a few inches to the right. I endo-ed off the bike and raked my left leg along the broken part of the wood when I slipped off the side of the plank and into the mud, then stuffed my front tire onto a small wood beam.

 

Eh. Not too bad. Stings a bit though! I would have rather had it deeper than skinned the way it was! LOL

Sedona Condos

http://tourfactory.com/470668
I was just doing some real estate searching online the other day, and came across these nice condos in Sedona. I hope deals like this are available in 12 years when I retire!