You can expect upwards of 1000 bikes or more. Here they queue up to pay the registration fee.

I ran into a friend, Gerri, who was taking her inaugural putt in the Freedom Ride on her own bike.

A potential future participant.

A couple strolling by.

A Union County officer astride a 3 wheeled chariot.

One of the many clubs in attendance.

]]> http://meandmymc.wordpress.com/2010/09/21/freedom-ride/feed/ 0 Greg In Line Gerri Future participant GP_100919_8265 Union County officer Colors http://meandmymc.wordpress.com/2010/08/01/elks-miracle-run/ http://meandmymc.wordpress.com/2010/08/01/elks-miracle-run/#comments Sun, 01 Aug 2010 20:22:39 +0000 Greg http://meandmymc.wordpress.com/?p=20 ]]>

Leading the ride

The Elks Miracle Run is a large event held annually in New Jersey. Groups of bikes depart various Elks Lodges and ride to a chosen one. In the past the destinations have been Old Bridge and New Egypt. Both times I have ridden in this event I have gotten wet. The first time the group didn’t make it to the Garden State Parkway before the skies let loose with a downpour. We all took refuge at a service area on the Parkway until it slowed down.

The second time all was good until we got to New Egypt. After grabbing some food and something to drink, the skies again let loose with a downpour that thoroughly soaked the surrounding fields. Sure glad they had tents. Instead of bike games we were entertained by a resilient few who began using the wet grass and puddles as a slip ‘n slide. We hit sporadic rain on the way home under the cover of threatening skies.

I didn’t intend to ride in the run this year but decided instead to photograph the bikes leaving the Cranford Elks Lodge. You can see the images here. Since the bikes leaving Cranford were on the “scenic” route I thought I could make it to Old Bridge and catch many of the bikes arriving at the destination. Even on their scenic ride they beat me there (I did have to go home to get the address and directions). Next time I should be more prepared. I got a few coming and a few leaving.

All the money earned goes to charity so consider the Miracle Run for your donation dollars. And yes, later that afternoon it rained, so any who stayed throughout the day for the music and food most likely got wet.

Two weeks ago I found myself capturing images at the Liberty HOG Poker Run. In a previous post I introduced the idea of the “mobile” studio. This event would be the maiden voyage for it. We would be covering two areas of the run: getting images of the bikes on the road and creating portraits at the end of the run. Since I couldn’t be in two places at once I enlisted the aid of my wife and business partner, Susan, as the second shooter.

The studio went up without a hitch and I made my way to where I would be shooting. I knew the route and had pre-rode it to find a decent location. I chose a road with a farm with two silos that would serve as a background for the bikes. I found a spot, set up a chair and waited. By the time the last bikes went by me, I had taken about 200 images. There were over 200 registrants and I had shot numerous frames of some of the bikes. Most likely some either got lost or knew a shorter way to the next checkpoint.

Back at the run endpoint, Susan was manning the portraits. We didn’t do as well as expected with only a few taken. At the end of the day, we packed up and declared the day a success. The images went up online that night. You can take a look here.

While on the road I met the owner of the house whose lawn I was borrowing. Jim was a carpenter with a large garden to take  his mind off of his work and the rest of life. He told me the town had purchased the farm from the family (has yet to fully pay them for it) and turned it into an arboretum. At one time he bought fresh eggs and vegetables just a short walk from his front door.

Smile, that photographer on the side of the road might just be me.

I spent the greater part of the spring creating a “mobile” studio where bikes and their owners could pull into and get a portrait done, reasonably priced and printed on high grade paper with a professional color printer. This will be set up at the end point of selected events, so look for it at the runs you attend, especially if you are looking for a quick portrait of you and your bike.

I can also be found on the road getting images of bikes and riders on various runs. The images I collect will be in the gallery and available for download.

I will be looking  for you on the road. Look for us online.