On the walk back, I came across this little guy playing in some dirt on the sidewalk outside of a corner store. It reminded me of how a little imagination can go a long way.

The good old matchbox dumptruck dumping its load.

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The wall in question.

Another section of the wall with a some simple photo manipulation in Lightroom 4.

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It was fairly windy and cold that day, but they obviously don’t mind the cold as they made no effort to avoid the wind. I on the other stopped the jeep, hopped out to take a few quick pics, then hopped back in to the warmth of the jeep to continue my search for polar bears.

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I wasn’t the only driver that found this train interesting as there were a few cars and semi trailers pulled over to the side of the road watching this sparking train go by. Initially I thought there was something wrong and the train was on fire, but I soon realized the wild sparking was all part of the plan. The smoke was quite acrid as would be expected with so much grinding going on. In the end I ended up leap frogging a few vehicles and semi trailers a few times in order to get this video and some pictures. I’m thinking I’ve seen this train before, but it was during the day time so it wasn’t very interesting. I didn’t even notice the guy on the train near the caboose waving until I was watching video at home, feel kinda bad now for not waving back.

According to Wipipedia, a railgrinder (or rail grinder) is a maintenance of way vehicle or train used to restore the profile and remove irregularities on worn rail track to extend its life and to improve the ride of trains using the track.

Here are a few of my favorite pics taken during the festival of sparks.

The rail grinder train partially reflected in the trunk of my car with a cool blue sky above.

Streaking lights illuminate some tall grass.

A close up of rail car. Cool yellow tone.

Close up of rail grinder sparks reflected in the ditch water and converted to black and white.

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My suggestion is to watch the video a couple times to understand the steps involved. I went with the manual update route which requires the battery to be removed to find the serial number and for the files to be manually installed onto the Micro SDHC card. I chose this route as I’ve had Java disabled on my computer for a number of months now due to known exploits.

Step 2: Format your GoPro Micro SDHC card

In order for you to be able to upload and edit your Hero3 videos on the iPad Mini, the Micro SDHC card needs to be formatted as MS-DOS(FAT) and not exFat. exFat is the native formatting of the GoPro Hero3, so if you allow your Hero3 to format the Micro SDHC card, you will not be able to upload your GoPro videos onto your iPad Mini. Important note: I initially formatted the Micro SDHC card as MS-DOS(FAT) prior to the update using my Macbook Pro, and when I turned on the Hero3 I was greeted with a SD Error message. After the Hero 3 firmware update in step 1 was complete I reformatted the card as MS-DOS(FAT) and the Hero 3 recognized the Micro SDHC card without problems. It’s also important to realize that the maximum file size of FAT is 4GB, on a 16GB Micro SDHC card that represents about half hour of video footage at 720p 60fps.

Step 3: Upload GoPro Hero3 Video to the iPad Mini

There are two ways you can upload you Hero 3 videos to your iPad Mini. 1: Buy the Apple Lightning to SD Card Camera Reader (I haven’t actually tried this as I don’t have the Lightning to SD Card Camera Reader, but as long as you have a Micro SDHC to SD Card Adapter which are usually provided with Micro SDHC cards, it shouldn’t be a problem). 2. Buy Lightning to USB camera adapter and place your Hero 3 Micro SDHC card inside the SD Card Adapter and then inside a camera that doesn’t automatically want to charge when it is plugged into a USB port (some cameras allow for this feature to be turned off and some don’t). Important Note: I initially thought that I would be able to use a USB SD Card Reader with the Lightning to USB Camera Adapter but I tried two and they both gave the error that they required too much power. This was also the problem associated with plugging the Hero 3 directly into the Lightning to USB Camera Adapter with the USB Camera Cord supplied with the GoPro Hero 3, as the Hero 3 wants to charge when it is plugged into a USB port and that obviously draws too much power for the iPad Mini’s liking.
In my case I am able to use my Olympus Pen-ePL2. When I want to upload Hero 3 videos to the iPad Mini I remove the Micro SDHC card in the Hero 3, insert it into a Micro SD to SD Card Adapter, and place the SD card into the SD slot of the Pen e-Pl2.

Step 4: Edit GoPro Hero3 videos on the iPad Mini with iMovie

The hard part is getting the GoPro Hero 3 videos onto the iPad Mini, once you can do that using the steps above, editing video on the iPad Mini with iMovie is limited to what iMovie has to offer. iMovie on the iPad Mini is obviously a less robust app compared to the version available for Macbook Pros, but it has a number of useful features for quickly editing GoPro video on your iPad Mini. Here is a list of iMovie for iPad Mini tutorials on Youtube.

Another Note: I purchased a Samsung Micro SDHC card off Amazon which came with a Micro SDHC to SD Card Adapter. When I initially plugged the SD Card Adapter into my Macbook Pro, the Macbook Pro did not recognize it. After searching online I found information that it could be related to the metal contacts on the SD Card Adapter not lining up to the contacts inside the Macbook Pro, with the solution being to insert the card a few millimetres less than all the way. This did not work for me. I tried a number of times without any success. My solution was to try with a different Micro SDHC to SD Card Adapter, a Polaroid SD Card Adapter that was provided with my Polaroid Micro SDHC card, this worked. After inserting the Samsung Micro SDHC card into the Polaroid SD Card adapter, my Macbook Pro recognized the card immediately.

Final Note: If you’re looking for Backpacking and Outdoor Deals and Coupons check out my other site onClickDeals.com

Cheers, Dave

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Prepare yourself to minimize the chance of a loss, take matters into your digital hands, and have your case in order when you need the airlines to pay up for their mishap. Fortunately there isn’t much to it aside from a few good clicks, clock hand ticks, and learning to deal with airline…personnel.

I found Anil’s suggestion of taking pictures of your bags, and the contents while packing and ingenious idea. Especially if/when the need arises to explain to the airline personal at baggage claim what your bag or backpack looks like or what they could expect to find inside. Because chances are your bag or backpack looks similar to the 10′s of thousands of other bags or backpacks that go through airports everyday.

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A well tuned bike is a quiet bike, and with that in mind, here is a fairly exhaustive list of bike noises like clunks, creaks, and rattles that can annoy you when out cycling, and how to fix them. The site is maintained by Jim Langley and is updated regularly as new and often mysterious bike noises appear and their solutions found.

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Spring hiking evokes images of delicate woodland trillium, gushing waterfalls and hikers trying to locate the most compelling destination that isn’t socked in with snow. It’s a time of giddy anticipation as we eagerly make plans to visit our favorite trails.

That’s why WTA has put together these tips for spring hiking. Whether it is your first time hiking or your 1,000th, it’s always wise to refresh your memory about these important safety issues before heading out.

A few friendly reminders of things to consider before heading out on your first few hikes of the season.

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