It's been quite awhile since I entered anything on the blog.  My large project at work is about to be released and so the pressure's a bit off and I can start thinking of other things.

One thing that I had been thinking about purchasing for some time is the GoPro Hero3, Black version.  This is their top of the line camera which comes with a wifi remote which will be invaluable during rides where I want to start the video sometime after I start riding.  It will allow me to have the camera mounted and ready so that I can decide at the last minute to turn it on and start filming.

I bought the camera last week and have been reading GoPro tips online and learning the controls for the camera.  Over the next couple weeks I'll be experimenting with it so that when I take my trip to Colorado, I'll be familiar enough with it to be able to take some great shots.  The one thing I don't have is a good way to download images while on the trip.  One easy way would be to simply download it to a small netbook computer.  My brother has one and has offered to bring it on the trip so I can do just that.  I have a 64Gb microSDXC card in the camera which is the largest the camera will take, but I plan to take a lot of video, so off-camera storage is important.

Another important thing is to have a safety tether for the camera in case the mount fails.  GoPro of course sells a set for $25, but being the do-it-yourselfer, I thought I could figure out something just as good for less money.  I found it in some steel fishing leaders.  Mudstad sells a set of six, 45 lb test, 18 inch steel leaders with swivels and clips for about $2.50.  The swivel I didn't need so I cut it off, but I then looped it around the hinge-pin of the waterproof case as GoPro recommends and voila!  I merely connect the other end to the bike and I don't have to fear losing this very expensive camera.

As with any popular product, there are loads of tips out on the internet and one that I found was to not discard the mount that the camera is attached to in the packaging.  It's a perfectly normal mount, but it's part of a large piece of plastic.  The first thing I realized I would also need is a mount for my little tripod.  For me this is literally a no-cost fix.  I simply took some epoxy and glued a 1/4 inch nut to the bottom of the packing mount and now I have a tripod mount.  I'll cut the excess plastic off the mount for more compactness, but free is always great.

I can't wait to get out there and start taking some shots and editing together with some still pictures to create some nice videos of my travels.