Pacific NW bikepacking tour – June 30, 2019
The BAD NEWS – flat rear tire.
But … I had a good ride. And I managed to fix it. At least I thought I had fixed it.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Log Train Trail is popular with everyone in Port Alberni.
I stopped at McLean Mill en route.
Despite the flat, I made it to Cynthia’s birthday party on time.
The unique thing about Parksville is the incredible beach at low tide. It’s massive.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
😕 Yeesh.
Here are all the devices I need to power for my upcoming bikepacking trip.
In fact, this photo is missing my EarPods and that dedicated cable.
For hiking I’ll carry only phone, watch, EarPods and one (of the 3) battery chargers.
Coombs is a BIG tourist trap destination on Vancouver Island.
I rode the new dedicated cycling trail to get there.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
For summer 2019 I’ll use the Relive app.
It generates Google Earth videos with the photos you too included.
Here’s an example from the FREE version of the software.
The free version adds a maximum of 10 photos. For up to 50 photos you must join the CLUB which costs US $60 / year.
Mapping works in conjunction with Strava, Runtastic, Endomondo, Garmin Connect, Suunto, Apple Health (Watch), MapMyRun, MapMyWalk, MapMyRide, MapMyHike and Polar Flow.
I might be using the free version of Strava. Otherwise I’ll use Apple Health.
One of the main things I dislike about Macs (since 2015) is the lack of ports.
For my new 2019 MacBook Pro I had to buy a Sanho HyperDrive hub. (CDN$ 109.00)
It’s tiny (80gm) and looks super durable.
If interested, there are several different versions of the HyperDrive hub.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
This is the best, smallest and lightest hardware I’ve ever used.
I splurged a bit on the Samsung T5 Portable SSD 1TB USB 3.1 for CDN$ 239.99 all in.
Only 50gms. Almost exactly the same weight as my EarPods & case.
Currently the most popular solid state external hard drive.
I use it as a Time Machine backup for my Mac. AND for additional storage of videos I want to bring with me traveling.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
As of May 2019.
I tried and gave up on drones.
I tried and gave up on gimbals.
GoPro works for me. Small. Tough. Durable. Waterproof.
For BikePacking travel I’ll be carrying:
Click PLAY or watch a 4K sample on YouTube.
For reasons unknown, GoPro stopped supporting their Apple Watch app. I use my watch a lot for iPhone, but will have to use voice control rather than my watch for the GoPro. (There is a 3rd party app called EasyBlack 7 that I might try.)
Click PLAY or watch a sample of Slow Mo on YouTube.
Typically I delete audio replacing it with some soundtrack.
On my last trip I tried using the audio. That can be tricky as the GoPro is not great at audio. It’s not easy to edit audio.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Click PLAY or watch a sample on YouTube.
This GoPro photo came out as .tiff — huge at 96 MB. When I exported it to .jpg it was still large for web (1280 x 960) at 735 KB. It’s not been edited.
As of May 2019.
Two cameras. The iPhone can be remotely controlled by my Apple Watch 3.
I’m trying to use voice control as much as I can for the GoPro.
I have GoPro attachments on both bike helmet and bike handlebars as well. All mounts can attach either GoPro or iPhone.
What’s lacking most is the ability to ZOOM with either camera. I MIGHT carry a small camera with zoom, as well. I like zoom for distant animal sightings. And for Gymnastics.
Rick McCharles 