Begin.
This first official video was delayed by a good measure. I wasn't sure my phone was up to it, because I tried once and the app crashed trying to handle a video that long (~30 min). But, since that first attempt, I upgraded, and the newer phone didn't even seem to notice! Still, I should have started working on these sooner. "The best time was yesterday", right? Anyway, it's up, and more are to come!
This ride is north on Phantom Canyon Road in Colorado. I've wanted to ride this one for years. I started riding in the summer of 2016. By 2017, I was feeling confident in my abilities, and had started looking on maps for new roads that were very twisty. (Benefits of a mountain state!) Phantom Canyon Road is one of these roads I spotted. It's around an hour away from me. I don't remember when, but I rode out, excited for a challenge.
Only a mile or so into it, the pavement ended. I stopped before the dirt and stared. I'd like to tell you I was making a decision, but in truth, I'd immediately declined this challenge. For one, my SV650 is not the best bike for such a road, and the handlebars came modded from the previous owner and, for me, make for a medium lean. Second, my gut told me that my skills weren't high enough yet to take this on. So, I turned around and headed home.
Cut to last year. While I've wanted to share on video the beauty and fun that US-24 is, I suppose I had to discover a few more to realize how much there is around here that I can show you. I don't recall a specific motivating point to order a camera and start. But I'd been seeing more and more 360 footage, and that seemed a really good fit. Not long into 2022, I'd ordered a 360 camera, kit and all.
I spent plenty of the summer and fall of 2022 recording numerous rides. So much so, that the 128 GB card I ordered with the camera couldn't begin to hold all the files. I was offloading all the footage after every ride so I could record the next. (That's a small fib haha I was more often offloading just before the next ride.) Altogether, I racked up 1.5 TB of footage. Now that I know I can complete a video with the tools I have, all of this is headed your way! I hope you enjoy seeing one of the prettiest states in this country, and I hope to record lots more.