Grödner Joch
After following an instinct and sticking to the high road, we took the asphalt all the way up to Grödner Joch (also known as Paso Gardena) high above Wolkenstein in Gröden. It gets a little confusing around here in the South Tyrol — both Italian and German are recognized languages, with German being quite dominant in my perception. So, depending on where you are coming from the spoken word may change mid-sentence. It may be easier to just say it’s one of many high mountain passes in an area that is 100% alpine — lifts dot the landscape, a deep history of Alpen tradition informs the local vernacular, and the winter snow still holds strong here in May.
Yet the wildflowers were making their presence known, poking up from below the snow flattened grasses of these broad meadows. Once you adjust your eyes, you see them everywhere. Same with mountain huts and crosses atop peaks — it seems each mountain has a hike up to the top, and a variety of small wooden huts scattered along the slopes below. Signs indicate trails in every direction, some taking you deeper into these Dolomite Mountains for week-long walks in the embrace of the coral-esque rock features of these “Pale Mountains”.
It was impossibly beautiful and a brilliant juxtaposition to the day before near the base of this range. The sky was deep, dark blue, the sunlight piercing and the mountain glaciers and snowfields bounced the light right back up into that azure dome above. We spent as much time as we could simply soaking up the clean, thin air; the change toward warmer months was palatable. With rejuvenated minds it was onto our next destination. From an alpine high at 2100m, down through valleys into Austria and finally back into Bavaria a few short hours later, a great day for a road trip.
Südtirol, Italy, 2014.
Click the first image below to view large – recommended!
A Fantastical Palette for Pushing Pedals
A fantastical palette of stone, snow and sky greets a lone cyclist on the approach to Grödner Joch (Passo Gardena) in the Italian Dolomites.
Südtirol, Italy, 2014.
Disappearing Main Street Photo Exhibition Closing Weekend
There are still few more days left in the Disappearing Main Street photography exhibition! Once this show is down, we’re regrouping, checking inventory on remaining prints and moving forward with the next phase. Stay tuned for more by visiting the project blog or following us on twitter. Pictured here are two pieces from the show, both from the lower Kingsway / Main area, an area under rapid redevelopment here in Vancouver, BC. These images are professionally printed and framed in white, wooden gallery frames for a modern classic look.
Above:
Main Street / 6th – 7th Ave / East
‘Top Cars’, 2012.
18×24” digital archival print, $185.00
Below:
Main Street / 7th – 8th Ave / West
‘Fox’, 2012.
16×20” digital archival print, $140.00
Thanks again for your support on this project!
Earlier, In the Südtirol
Before checking into the Kamaunhof, we had our first look at the Dolomite Mountains of Northern Italy via a twisting side road coming up from the autobahn between Innsbruck and Bozen/Bozano. Cattle range gave way to orchard and vineyard, before reverting again at altitude to working hay fields near Kastelruth. Out for a morning walk with child, with the omnipresent ‘onion top’ church and the soaring peaks of these mountains, this lady above provides a jolt of unnatural colour in this green-hued environment. Here are a few more images from this day – the start of our Dolomite dreaming – before we go deeper into the mountain passes and snow covered fields in the next few posts from this dramatic landscape.
Südtirol, Italy, 2014.
(Click this first image to view large – recommended!)
Cycling on Campus: Delft
Getting around campus the easy, and typically Dutch, way at the Delft University of Technology. Easily facilitated with separated cycle tracks leading you to the front door of any building you’d need to visit. Riding here, there, and all ’round…it’s a breeze.
Delft, The Netherlands, 2014.
Overnight at Kamaunhof in the Italian Dolomites
During my brief road trip though the Alps, we ventured away from Bavaria and the Austrian Tyrol to chase the sun. Mid-May in these mountains means mist and moisture! A short drive south brought us into the glorious Dolomite Mountains of the Südtirol in Italy. A UNESCO World Heritage site, these are some impressive mountains, steeply pitched and impossibly sharp! As we were there just as the season was tipping towards the latter half of spring, the valleys were alive with flowers, plants and herbs, hay-making and cattle-grazing. The deep winter and heavy snowfall satiates with ample moisture for this rich landscape, the greens lush and emerald deep.
After a quick walk around on the massive Seiser Alm plateau, we stayed at a beautiful property called Kamaunhof near the town of Kastelruth. A working hay and cattle farm, the accommodations were modern yet traditional, keeping what I liked to call the “Bavarian Hug” – a feeling of coziness, comfort and warmth. This from the people, but also from the architecture, textiles and cuisine. We weren’t all that far from the culture of Bavaria or Tyrolia further to the north. In fact, this area resembles Italy less than any other in the country. It’s a semi-autonomous region, governed with a sensitivity to the Alpen culture. These are mostly mountain people, speaking the German dialect and working the land as they do elsewhere in these Alps.
Staying on the farm we were witness to the family event of haycutting. All hands on deck for this operation, and after a full day’s work the stube is the place to relax, have some beer amongst company and enjoy some schnitzel or, in my case, veggie knödel. The Hug is strong in this room. We went for an evening drive to the neighbouring town of San Michele and saw the spectacular sunset just as the Kaiserschmarrn was brought to our table. This is an amazing dish, one my tastebuds recall from my mom’s and grandma’s recipes growing up. Sweet, shredded pancake — outstanding! A place I could have stayed for a week, alas it’s now one to return to again one day.
Here are some images taken around the Kamaunhof and towards San Michele. Click the first image to view large – recommended!
Kastelruth, Südtirol, Italy, 2014.
Disappearing Main Street Photo Exhibit
File Under // Exhibition News
There are still a few weeks left to view the Disappearing Main Street photo exhibition at Bean Around the World café on Main Street (@20th) in Vancouver, BC. I truly hope you can make it down to see the ten selections from our massive Main Street photography project. The show runs until Sunday, November 30, 2014.
All framed prints are available for purchase and they are priced to sell at a very reasonable $140 and $185 (16×20″ and 18×24″ frames respectively). If an image from the project website catches your eye, drop us a line and we can make that happen, too. Makes a great gift for the heritage/architecture buff or a nostalgic look back at the neighbourhood you have some roots in. Or maybe you are friends in spirit with Bill or Lucky pictured here!? Main Street is a universal concept after all!
| Disappearing Main Street: What Would You Do Without Me?
| Bean Around the World on Main Street @ 20th Ave
| Vancouver, BC
| Now showing through to November 30, 2014.
Contact disappearingmainstreet@gmail.com or @MainStVan or via this blog.
Thanks for your continued support.
A Visit to the ABUS Factory in Germany
Late last spring, I hopped a flight to Germany on assignment for Momentum Mag. I was to tour the ABUS Mobile Security factories and manufacturing facilities near Dortmund, Germany and report on everything that goes into creating the very best bicycle locks around. It was an illuminating experience. The fine people at ABUS – Nick, Axel and Joan, among many others – were gracious hosts allowing deep access to their design, engineering, and product development departments. Over two full days, I toured the many facilities this 90-year-old company has in the region.
I was surprised to see how much of what ABUS does is by hand. From lock cylinder assembly, to testing, designing and even building all of their own tools (and the tools to build these tools, where does it all begin!?) the handmade method often takes precedent. I learned how a longer shackle idea on a padlock gave way to the modern U-lock, debuted by ABUS back in 1971. From there, the company refined and redesigned mobile security, striking gold once again with a unique folding lock debut in 2004 – the Bordo, their most successful bicycle product to date. ABUS has a strong reputation not only for top-quality product, but as an excellent employer. Their child-care, maternity and family-oriented wellness policies seem to benefit everyone. Employees are often in it for the long-run, many on for decades, some celebrating 40+ years with the company. I was impressed with the working conditions, too – for a factory space there was ample natural light, greenspace outside most windows, and these windows open to allow fresh air and birdsong to infiltrate the sometimes clang of steel stamping and oil scent in the air. It was clean and tidy like you might expect from a German enterprise, something my inner Virgo loves about this culture!
You can read my piece in the Sept/Oct M67 issue of Momentum, or online right here. Below is an expanded slideshow, so click the first to view large – recommended!
This, too, was my first time in Germany, so that was an added exciting element. As you may have seen, I stuck around for a few days after the factory tours to explore Bavaria, making it further south than anticipated into Austria, then on a whim, the Dolomites in Sud Tirol, Italy. More posts coming up from these adventures as well. Enjoy!
Wetter/Hege & Rehe, Germany, 2014.
Photo Exhibition at Bean on 20th – Oct/Nov 2014
The time has come, the photos are hung! Here are the details on my current photography exhibit in collaboration with Jennifer Okrusko for our Disappearing Main Street photo project. We have 10 framed images on display through November at the Bean Around The World on Main Street, Vancouver. Please have a look at our project blog and I hope to see you at the show!
Thank you for visiting the Disappearing Main Street photography project.
We’re having our first public exhibition of photos from this project right in the heart of the Main Street community at Bean Around the World Coffee at Main & 20th. We have 10 prints on display and the space is open to the public during café hours. If you are in the area, we are having a gathering on Saturday, October 25th from 6-8pm at the Bean on 20th. Hope to see you there!
As always we welcome your feedback! Please share your Main Street stories by commenting on a relevant block on this blog or on our Share Your Main page.
Prints are available for purchase by contacting disappearingmainstreet@gmail.com or @MainStVan
Pictured above:
‘Last House’
Main Street / 20th – 21st Ave / East
18×24″ digital archival print.
City Bike City Life: Craig Rides a Biria
“Downtown Rider” — Photo set number three from the Momentum Mag City Bike City Life Look Book 2014. Earlier, we saw Sean and the Vanmoof, followed by Frederique & Patrice with Mozie and here we are with our friend Craig in Vancouver’s Chinatown. He rides a Biria CitiClassic Sport i3, equipped with Racktime, WALD, Light & Motion and Trelock accessories and wearing United By Blue and Bern.
Throughout August, I shot ten different looks for this project — a collection of urban cycling images, curated products and ideas on how to incorporate cycling into your daily life. Have a look at the complete digital Look Book here and stay tuned for more looks and outtakes on this blog.
Vancouver, 2014.
(click the first image to view large – recommended!)
Meeting Fires Creative 