Looking back on 2016

I started out the 2016 New Year still recovering from a fractured left ankle due to a motorcycle accident in 2015, the ankle bone healed in late 2015 but I still had major swelling of the left leg that has plagued me all through 2016.

But on the positive side, I also started out the 2016 New Year with a brand new Hans Olson wall calendar, a calendar I make each year based on going to Hans Olson gigs. I’ve been doing this since 2008. Just something to do with some of the photographs I take throughout the year. The calendars are 13" x 10" in size.

2016 Hans Olson 13" x 10" wall calendar

I also started the 2016 New Year with a new camera (Panasonic Lumix ZS50) I purchased late in 2015 but hadn’t used that year except for a few test shots. Panasonic has pioneered this type of camera called a travel camera, it is small, has a fantastic 30x optical zoom and a viewfinder. In 2016 I used it on hiking trips, kayaking trips and motorcycle rides.  I love this camera, I just wish it had built-in GPS.

Panasonic Lumix ZS50 camera with 30X optical zoom and viewfinder

I also started the 2016 New Year with a new Intex K1 9-foot inflatable kayak that I purchased in 2015 but never took it out on any lakes or rivers that year. In 2016 I used it once on Tempe Town Lake and once on the Salt River. It’s always a thrill to see the wild horses on the Salt River. The only other kayaking I got to do in 2016 was an outing at Lake Pleasant, but I borrowed a regular kayak (14-foot Perception Carolinas) for that outing. Only 3 kayaking outings in 2016, hopefully I will have more kayak outings in 2017. In 2014 I was out kayaking 30 times. In 2015 I was out kayaking 15 times in the first 7 months, before I fractured my ankle.

Intex K1 inflatable kayak

Wild horses on the Lower Salt River

Kayaking on the Lower Salt River

In 2016 I went on four motorcycle rides. The first ride was a a solo one-day ride to Lake Pleasant. The second ride was a one-day ride to Roosevelt Lake with friends Bob and Sue Ray. I rented a Harley Davidson Sportster 1200T and since Bob had sold his 2013 Harley Davidson Street Glide, he rented a Polaris Slingshot for Sue and himself. The third ride was a 3-day ride to Laughlin, Nevada; I rode with long time friend Walter Cress, currently living in Calexico, California. Walter and I both grew up in Indiana on the same street. All three of these rides were on a 2016 rental Harley Davidson Sportster 1200T. The fourth motorcycle ride was a solo one-day ride to Bartlett lake on a 2017 Harley Davidson Sportster SuperLow 1200T. I enjoyed the 3-day motorcycle road to Laughlin, hopefully in 2017 I can make additional multiple-day road trips, ...maybe to Bisbee, Arizona?

End of Desert Tortoise Road on Lake Pleasant motorcycle ride.

Motorcycle ride to Saguaro Lake with Bob and Sue Ray, with Picketpost Mountain in background

Stopping in Superior, Arizona on motorcycle ride to Roosevelt Lake

Met Walter Cress in Quartzsite, Arizona for ride to Laughlin, Nevada

I made only one hike in 2016, on the Sunrise Trail which was a fairly short hike. My goal for 2016 was to hike to the top of Thompson Peak but that didn’t happen. Hopefully I will make the Thompson Peak hike in 2017 ...before I get too old. In 2014 and 2015 I made longer hikes like Papago Park in Phoenix (3 times), West Fork Trail in Sedona, Fat Man's Pass in South Mountain in Phoenix, etc.

Hiking on Sunrise Trail

As far as photography projects other than documenting my hiking, kayaking and motorcycle outings I photographed the 2015 Arizona Blues Hall of Fame (ABHOF) Induction Ceremony in January and the 2016 Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (AMEHOF) Induction Ceremony. Stan Devereaux, Sugaray Rayford and  R.D. Olson were inducted into the ABHOF in Phoenix. Andy Devine, Zane Grey and Bob Boze Bell were inducted in 2016 into the AMEHOF. I also photographed eight other AMEHOF musical concerts (Francine Reed CD Release Concert, Black Moods Tour Kickoff Concert, Paul Riopelle Benefit Concert, Dave Dodt/Union Rock Concert and four AMEHOF Fundraiser Concerts). All of the photos from these concerts had the photographs posted online at the AMEHOF web site. Plus I covered five other AMEHOF events (non-musical) during the year. I’ve been doing photos for the AMEHOF since 2004.

Screen shot of photos from Francine Reed CD Release Party Concert

Additionally in 2016 I continued as Web Master for the ABHOF web site, I’ve been doing this since 2010.

ABHOF web site screen shot

In February of 2016, long time friend Jerry Mosier and I made a short trip to see the new Tempe Town Lake dam being constructed. We also spent some time in the Tempe Center for the Arts. Our initial goal for the day was to view the Granite Reef Dam but they have it blocked off so you can’t get too close. So we spent some time checking out some sites on the Lower Salt River; the Granite Reef Recreational Area, the Phon D Sutton Recreational Area and the Water User Area #1 close to Saguaro Lake. We ended up at the Harley Davidson of Scottsdale and had a late lunch of hot dogs.

Lowell and Jerry Mosier at Phon D Sutton on the Lower Salt River, Mesa, Arizona

Lowell and Jerry Mosier at the Harley Davidson of Scottsdale

In March of 2016 I drove to Green Valley, Arizona to visit with an old high school chum by the name of Mike Calvert, Mike and his wife Kathryn visit Green Valley just about every year. Mike had purchased a cool looking straw hat in Tubac, Arizona, which I liked, so I purchased one also. I thought it was probably made in Mexico, but after purchasing it I noticed it was made in China.

Mike Calvert and Lowell in Tubac, Arizona

Also in March of 2016 I purchased a HUBSAN X4 Mini H107C+ Quadcopter with 720p Camera (1280x720 pixels).  I crashed it more than I flew it. Maybe I will learn to fly it in 2017?

HUBSAN X4 Mini H107C+ Quadcopter with 720p Camera, crashed in my front yard

I purchased a smart phone in May of 2016, the first one I’ve ever owned. Both Jean and I purchased iPhone SEs. Basically I use mine for making telephone calls when I’m on the road, plus taking photos when I’m out hiking, kayaking or motorcycling.

First smart phone, an Apple iPhone SE

In July of 2016 Walter Cress stopped by to visit with Jerry Mosier and me on his way to spend some time with his daughter in South Dakota. The three of us had dinner at the Tee Pee Mexican Food on Indian School Road in Phoenix, AZ; went to a Chuck E. Baby music jam at a local night club in Scottsdale called The Hall in Pranksters Too, had breakfast the next morning at the Ranch House Grille on Thomas Road in Phoenix, AZ and took a drive down to Tempe Town Lake. Walter’s trip from Calexico to South Dakota and back took him 2,860+ miles in his Toyota Tundra truck.

Lowell, Walter Cress and Jerry Mosier at Tempe Town Lake, Tempe, Arizona

In October of 2016, Dave Chaney from Jerry Mosier’s high school 1959 graduating class paid us a visit while he was in Arizona on vacation; the three of us had lunch at the Outrageous Homebrewer's Social Outpost ( O.H.S.O.) in Scottsdale.

Jerry Mosier and Dave Chaney at O.H.S.O. in Scottsdale, Arizona

I'm not much of a reader but one of the books I read in 2016 was The Longest Raid of the Civil War by Lester V. Horowitz, about Morgan's Raiders in Indiana (where I grew up) and Ohio, ...an excellent read in my humble opinion. And an interesting story behind why the book was written.

The Longest Raid of the Civil War by Lester V. Horowitz

A lot of other things happened in 2016, but the above things are a few that come to mind.

In 2017 I hope to accomplish more than I did in 2016; for the outdoor fun stuff I definitely would like to get in more hiking, kayaking and motorcycling. Other than that I haven’t made any New Years Resolutions for 2017 yet. But since I didn’t accomplish most of my 2016 New Years Resolutions, I’ll just recycle those.   :o)