- Joined
- Feb 28, 2003
- Messages
- 51,144
- Reaction score
- 8,054
- Location
- Huntsville
- First Name
- Scott
- Last Name
- Friday
Beth and the girls are gone. Daniel is next door hanging out with the neighbors for the evening. There's scarcely a cloud in the sky and it is in the mid seventies. My GS sits in the garage... feeling lonely and neglected. It's time to ride :ride:
I only have 3-4 hours to wander around. I load up the Nikon D750 and head West out of town looking for dirt roads and flowers. North of town is Rosenall Rd. It runs through the woods up to Pinedale Rd. The first few miles are a rough and broken pavement, then it turns to dirt before dead ending into Pinedale right near the Blue Lagoon diving park. There's not many flowers in the pastures along the road, just a few clumps scattered here and there. The same is true for the run West on Pinedale to FM 1696. Right at I-45, there are some areas of Blue Bonnets near the on/off ramps that look like the result of seeding, but they are not very thick yet. They look like they will need another week or two and maybe a bit of rain.
I run on down US 75 to Wire Rd. This is a long gravel road and it has recently had some deep layers of new gravel added to it. It is a large coarse gravel, most pieces being 1" or better in diameter. It makes a few of the really tight corners kind of interesting, but otherwise it is not an issue. I spot a few sections of flowering vines growing along fence rows and a few small clumps of Wisteria, but not much else. At FM 2550 I head North a few miles to Roberts Rd. There are a few homes along this stretch with some nice patches of Indian Paintbrushes, but nothing really worth stopping for pictures.
Roberts Rd., is a narrow and bumpy road. It has been paved at one time or another, but is now mostly a collection of patched and unpatched potholes. Even where there is pavement, loose dirt and gravel is scattered about. There are a few really large and nice pastures out here and I'm hoping they might have some flowers... but no. They are primarily hay pastures so I guess the regular cutting might have something to do with that? Anyway, I soon reach FM 1696 and turn West again. My plan is to make a little loop on the North side of 1696.
A few miles down the road I turn North on Guerrant Rd. This is another gravel road. It is a very white and dusty gravel, ranging in size from the big chunks to the small grit. In many places it is pretty deep, but running through it at about 45-50mph makes the bike track nicely and run very smooth. If you look on a map, you will see that it makes a left/right jog about two thirds of the way up from 1696 and then there is a little side road on the left. This is where I see my first decent flowers.
Hard to get the yellow to really show up, but there was a LOT of this along the fence row
A BIG chunk of this pasture was covered wit these short white flowers
I stash the camera and run up to Bishop Rd. I head West to make the loop back down to FM 1696. Right about at the Northernmost part of Bishop Rd., there is a really nice pasture covered in Paintbrushes.
I run Bishop Rd., back to FM 1696 and turn East. One of my favorite local dirt roads is just on the South side of 1696, Scales Ranch Rd. The first couple miles of it often has a lot of deep loose sand. I enjoy sand. However, after that it becomes a hard pack base with lot of loose gravel and winds through the woods. It eventually tees into Hopewell Rd., which I like to run from end to end. This time I head West toward FM 2620 and just a short way from the tee it becomes CR 146. CR 146 is a nice road through some very scenic properties. At 2620, I head on into Bedias.
From Bedias I head West out of town on FM 1696. CR 125 makes a little loop on the South side of 1696 and I usually turn off onto the first leg of the loop before heading South on CR 123, but today decide to check out the far side of the loop just to see what's over there. Pastures. Pastures. A few trees. More pastures. Not many flowers... So I head South on 123, 126, 129 and 167 to Hwy 39. A quick shot down 39 puts me on CR 157, a fun road just because it has a lot of corners and doesn't appear to be real heavily traveled like some of these other roads. It is pretty rough in a few places from mud holes, truck ruts, dumped gravel, wash outs, etc,... And it has one of those little wooden bridges that are so common.
This stretch is better maintained than other parts
This bridge is also in better condition than many others
CR 157 eventually hits CR 164. 164 is LONG, STRAIGHT, and WIDE. It parallels the train tracks used to deliver coal to the power plant at Gibbons Creek Reservoir. The surface often has that big chunky gravel on it. I usually run this road around 50-60mph just because that is where the bike feels best. Visibility is good and the shoulders wide. However, I once took a turkey vulture head on because he came up out of the deep grass on the shoulder. He didn't survive the impact. My ABS saved my bacon... Anyway, like that day, I make my way on over to Yankee's Tavern on FM 244 to a short break and some ice tea. This late in the day, 6pm-ish, there aren't many folk about.
Refreshed, I head West on Hwy 30 a short bit and pick up CR 192. This is right by the big facility where they used to maintain the ore trucks that worked the nearby lignite mines that used to feed the power plant. The trucks and the long conveyor belt that hauled the ore are all long gone. The mine is closed and the land is being restored with lots of tree planting and numerous lakes. CR 192 runs into 190, which turns South and runs through the old mining area. I'd love to have some property out here, but I bet there were some folks from the mining company that got to the head of that line. I like running out here just because there is no much out here. There are also usually several BIG hawks sitting on top of the power poles that run along the road. I had hoped to maybe get a picture or two, but they ALL took to wing long before I got in range. The South end of 190 is nice just because it wiggles around a bit before it drops out onto FM 3090.
At FM 3090, I turn back North toward FM 244. There are a series of fun curves in this section that I like to run before getting back on the dirt at CR 186. This is right at that SHARP 90 corner on 3090. 186 heads back South and is fun.
A pasture along 186 that usually has some BIG Longhorn cattle in it. They were there today, but as I was unloading my camera, the owner started calling them and they HAULED to the other side of the pasture, behind another fence and out of site. I guess their feed was more important to them than posing for me
The sun is starting to get low on the horizon and it won't be long before it is down behind the trees. There are still a few spots not far from here that are typically pretty good for flowers. I load up and head down to CR 185 in an attempt to beat the light. By the time I reach the corner of 185 at 187, the flowers are there but they are already in the shade. So I head on down 185 toward FM 149. From that corner, 185 is paved to 149. There are some bumpy broken sections, but it is still a fun road to zip along. As I come around a corner, I spot a last chance for decent flower shots and stop.
The low sun plays with the colors
The sun is dropping fast and I'm shooting away....
CLICK... CLICK...
NOTHING!?
What the!?
My batteries are dead. I've taken very few pictures since the last charge AND I have two batteries in the camera because I use the extended grip with another battery inside it. I am supposed to be able to get hundreds and hundreds of shots on a single charge! It's no good though. The camera is DEAD. So I pack everything up and start thinking about getting on back to the house. It will be getting dark and the deer will be coming out soon. There's also the fact that in just the few minutes since the sun has dropped below the trees, it has already started getting noticeably cooler!
I run on down to FM 149 and into Anderson. From there I run 149 back through Richards to FM 1791 and head North back to Huntsville. The battery thing is nagging at me though... It's not like I was going to get many more shots with the sun fading so fast, but I SHOULD have been able to shoot for hours!? Once home I stick the batteries into the chargers and forget about it for now.
Shoot forward a few days and I realize that I have been seeing the little green "memory card access" light on the back of the camera body going on and off even when the camera is just sitting on my desk and turned off. If I touched or moved the camera in any fashion, the light would come on for a few seconds. That's odd... However, I didn't have time to mess with it.
So last night, I am sitting at my desk and I notice the little green light coming on a LOT. It was coming on after just a few seconds passing from the last time it came on. Clearly something is amiss... So I Googled a bit and quickly found references to the "Green light of death"!! That did not make me feel real good... However, those were all references to different bodies. I did finally find some discussions about this that revolved around the use of third party battery/grip extenders. Mine is a Neewer. Sure enough, I find comments on Amazon talking about a battery drain issue, but no one knows why it happens. Then I stumbled on a post talking about how to FIX the grip and solve the issue.
Apparently, when the battery holding tray slides into the end of the grip and the latch is locked, the locking tab pushes up on a metal tab and causes it to contact another tab to complete a circuit. When this happens, the little green light comes on. This is normal and it has always done this, even with the Nikon grip on my D7000. It seems that for some reason, these contacts are not making real good contact and the camera thinks the battery tray is constantly being removed and reinserted. The solution is to open up the grip, insert something to prevent ANY contact, and button it all up again. I look at the screws and quickly realize it is time for me to go to bed... They are TINY and I have nothing that will fit them.
Today, at work I got the grip opened up so I could check the contacts. Dad had a jewelers screwdriver that fit. Nothing looked amiss, but I went ahead and slipped a folded piece of paper over the top contact so that the lower one could not touch it. Then I put it back together. The green light no longer comes on randomly. It only comes on when the tray is removed or inserted. The grip appears to still work as it should. I guess now I will just wait and see if the batteries still get drained.
I only have 3-4 hours to wander around. I load up the Nikon D750 and head West out of town looking for dirt roads and flowers. North of town is Rosenall Rd. It runs through the woods up to Pinedale Rd. The first few miles are a rough and broken pavement, then it turns to dirt before dead ending into Pinedale right near the Blue Lagoon diving park. There's not many flowers in the pastures along the road, just a few clumps scattered here and there. The same is true for the run West on Pinedale to FM 1696. Right at I-45, there are some areas of Blue Bonnets near the on/off ramps that look like the result of seeding, but they are not very thick yet. They look like they will need another week or two and maybe a bit of rain.
I run on down US 75 to Wire Rd. This is a long gravel road and it has recently had some deep layers of new gravel added to it. It is a large coarse gravel, most pieces being 1" or better in diameter. It makes a few of the really tight corners kind of interesting, but otherwise it is not an issue. I spot a few sections of flowering vines growing along fence rows and a few small clumps of Wisteria, but not much else. At FM 2550 I head North a few miles to Roberts Rd. There are a few homes along this stretch with some nice patches of Indian Paintbrushes, but nothing really worth stopping for pictures.
Roberts Rd., is a narrow and bumpy road. It has been paved at one time or another, but is now mostly a collection of patched and unpatched potholes. Even where there is pavement, loose dirt and gravel is scattered about. There are a few really large and nice pastures out here and I'm hoping they might have some flowers... but no. They are primarily hay pastures so I guess the regular cutting might have something to do with that? Anyway, I soon reach FM 1696 and turn West again. My plan is to make a little loop on the North side of 1696.
A few miles down the road I turn North on Guerrant Rd. This is another gravel road. It is a very white and dusty gravel, ranging in size from the big chunks to the small grit. In many places it is pretty deep, but running through it at about 45-50mph makes the bike track nicely and run very smooth. If you look on a map, you will see that it makes a left/right jog about two thirds of the way up from 1696 and then there is a little side road on the left. This is where I see my first decent flowers.
Hard to get the yellow to really show up, but there was a LOT of this along the fence row
A BIG chunk of this pasture was covered wit these short white flowers
I stash the camera and run up to Bishop Rd. I head West to make the loop back down to FM 1696. Right about at the Northernmost part of Bishop Rd., there is a really nice pasture covered in Paintbrushes.
I run Bishop Rd., back to FM 1696 and turn East. One of my favorite local dirt roads is just on the South side of 1696, Scales Ranch Rd. The first couple miles of it often has a lot of deep loose sand. I enjoy sand. However, after that it becomes a hard pack base with lot of loose gravel and winds through the woods. It eventually tees into Hopewell Rd., which I like to run from end to end. This time I head West toward FM 2620 and just a short way from the tee it becomes CR 146. CR 146 is a nice road through some very scenic properties. At 2620, I head on into Bedias.
From Bedias I head West out of town on FM 1696. CR 125 makes a little loop on the South side of 1696 and I usually turn off onto the first leg of the loop before heading South on CR 123, but today decide to check out the far side of the loop just to see what's over there. Pastures. Pastures. A few trees. More pastures. Not many flowers... So I head South on 123, 126, 129 and 167 to Hwy 39. A quick shot down 39 puts me on CR 157, a fun road just because it has a lot of corners and doesn't appear to be real heavily traveled like some of these other roads. It is pretty rough in a few places from mud holes, truck ruts, dumped gravel, wash outs, etc,... And it has one of those little wooden bridges that are so common.
This stretch is better maintained than other parts
This bridge is also in better condition than many others
CR 157 eventually hits CR 164. 164 is LONG, STRAIGHT, and WIDE. It parallels the train tracks used to deliver coal to the power plant at Gibbons Creek Reservoir. The surface often has that big chunky gravel on it. I usually run this road around 50-60mph just because that is where the bike feels best. Visibility is good and the shoulders wide. However, I once took a turkey vulture head on because he came up out of the deep grass on the shoulder. He didn't survive the impact. My ABS saved my bacon... Anyway, like that day, I make my way on over to Yankee's Tavern on FM 244 to a short break and some ice tea. This late in the day, 6pm-ish, there aren't many folk about.
Refreshed, I head West on Hwy 30 a short bit and pick up CR 192. This is right by the big facility where they used to maintain the ore trucks that worked the nearby lignite mines that used to feed the power plant. The trucks and the long conveyor belt that hauled the ore are all long gone. The mine is closed and the land is being restored with lots of tree planting and numerous lakes. CR 192 runs into 190, which turns South and runs through the old mining area. I'd love to have some property out here, but I bet there were some folks from the mining company that got to the head of that line. I like running out here just because there is no much out here. There are also usually several BIG hawks sitting on top of the power poles that run along the road. I had hoped to maybe get a picture or two, but they ALL took to wing long before I got in range. The South end of 190 is nice just because it wiggles around a bit before it drops out onto FM 3090.
At FM 3090, I turn back North toward FM 244. There are a series of fun curves in this section that I like to run before getting back on the dirt at CR 186. This is right at that SHARP 90 corner on 3090. 186 heads back South and is fun.
A pasture along 186 that usually has some BIG Longhorn cattle in it. They were there today, but as I was unloading my camera, the owner started calling them and they HAULED to the other side of the pasture, behind another fence and out of site. I guess their feed was more important to them than posing for me
The sun is starting to get low on the horizon and it won't be long before it is down behind the trees. There are still a few spots not far from here that are typically pretty good for flowers. I load up and head down to CR 185 in an attempt to beat the light. By the time I reach the corner of 185 at 187, the flowers are there but they are already in the shade. So I head on down 185 toward FM 149. From that corner, 185 is paved to 149. There are some bumpy broken sections, but it is still a fun road to zip along. As I come around a corner, I spot a last chance for decent flower shots and stop.
The low sun plays with the colors
The sun is dropping fast and I'm shooting away....
CLICK... CLICK...
NOTHING!?
What the!?
My batteries are dead. I've taken very few pictures since the last charge AND I have two batteries in the camera because I use the extended grip with another battery inside it. I am supposed to be able to get hundreds and hundreds of shots on a single charge! It's no good though. The camera is DEAD. So I pack everything up and start thinking about getting on back to the house. It will be getting dark and the deer will be coming out soon. There's also the fact that in just the few minutes since the sun has dropped below the trees, it has already started getting noticeably cooler!
I run on down to FM 149 and into Anderson. From there I run 149 back through Richards to FM 1791 and head North back to Huntsville. The battery thing is nagging at me though... It's not like I was going to get many more shots with the sun fading so fast, but I SHOULD have been able to shoot for hours!? Once home I stick the batteries into the chargers and forget about it for now.
Shoot forward a few days and I realize that I have been seeing the little green "memory card access" light on the back of the camera body going on and off even when the camera is just sitting on my desk and turned off. If I touched or moved the camera in any fashion, the light would come on for a few seconds. That's odd... However, I didn't have time to mess with it.
So last night, I am sitting at my desk and I notice the little green light coming on a LOT. It was coming on after just a few seconds passing from the last time it came on. Clearly something is amiss... So I Googled a bit and quickly found references to the "Green light of death"!! That did not make me feel real good... However, those were all references to different bodies. I did finally find some discussions about this that revolved around the use of third party battery/grip extenders. Mine is a Neewer. Sure enough, I find comments on Amazon talking about a battery drain issue, but no one knows why it happens. Then I stumbled on a post talking about how to FIX the grip and solve the issue.
Apparently, when the battery holding tray slides into the end of the grip and the latch is locked, the locking tab pushes up on a metal tab and causes it to contact another tab to complete a circuit. When this happens, the little green light comes on. This is normal and it has always done this, even with the Nikon grip on my D7000. It seems that for some reason, these contacts are not making real good contact and the camera thinks the battery tray is constantly being removed and reinserted. The solution is to open up the grip, insert something to prevent ANY contact, and button it all up again. I look at the screws and quickly realize it is time for me to go to bed... They are TINY and I have nothing that will fit them.
Today, at work I got the grip opened up so I could check the contacts. Dad had a jewelers screwdriver that fit. Nothing looked amiss, but I went ahead and slipped a folded piece of paper over the top contact so that the lower one could not touch it. Then I put it back together. The green light no longer comes on randomly. It only comes on when the tray is removed or inserted. The grip appears to still work as it should. I guess now I will just wait and see if the batteries still get drained.