Watch A Mountain Biker Take An 80-Foot Tumble

by Kraig Becker on

The Red Bull Rampage is an annual downhill mountain bike race that pits some of the best riders in the world against one another on a course that mere mortals should never even think about attempting. The competition features massive jumps, flips and other aerobatics that are definitely not for the inexperienced or faint of heart.

The scariest moment from the 2012 edition of the race, which was held this past weekend in Virgin, Utah, comes our way courtesy of rider Cam Zink, who took an 80-foot tumble after overshooting one of the jumps. Fortunately, Zink wasn’t seriously hurt, but his trusty helmet cam caught all of the action, which is pretty much guaranteed to make your stomach drop. Check out Cam’s ride from the perspective of his helmet cam in the first video below, then watch the second video to see how it looked to spectators on hand. Either way, it wasn’t pretty.

Thanks to our friends over at the Adventure Journal for sharing these great videos.





Paris Versus New York In Animation

by Grant Martin on

I’ve fussed about the differences between Paris and New York several times in my writing career (hint, nobody is rude) but few things make the comparison better than a side-by-side video. Tony Miotto did a great job with this one on Vimeo. Its beauties, I think, are in the subtleties of the comparisons, the way the design at the Parisian Louvre parallels that of the Apple Store in Manhattan or the ways that Kennedy and Charles de Gaulle are circuitously drawn by wandering airplanes.

There’s so much happening that I had to watch the video several times to pick up on all of the quick comparisons. You should too. It’s a great video.

Hiker Finds 40-Year-Old Note Left On California Mountain Top

by Kraig Becker on

This past September, 69-year-old Larry Wright spent 11 days backpacking through Sequoia National Park with his son and grandson. While trekking up a remote backcountry peak, the trio discovered a small metal canister that had been carefully stashed against a rock near the summit. Curiosity got the better of Wright and he decided to open the rusted canister to see what was inside. What he found was a handwritten note that had been waiting four decades to be discovered.

The note, which was surprisingly well preserved, simply said: “Tim Taylor climbed to this peak, Thursday, August 17, 1972. Age 13 yrs. Anyone finding this note please write.” At the bottom of the page, Taylor included his home address, which was located in Flintridge, California.

Wright told the Los Angles Times that he isn’t surprised that no one had found the note until now. The hike to the mountain takes several days and few people have probably even been to the summit. He also said that the metal can was so rusted that it was hard to even notice it all. But inside, the note was nearly perfectly preserved, still waiting for someone – anyone – to find it.Once he got back to civilization, Wright attempted to contact Tim Taylor but found few clues as to his current whereabouts. A visit to Taylor’s address from the note found new residents who had never heard of the teenager that had left the note 40 years earlier. Furthermore, a search of the city voter registration records showed no one by the name of Tim Taylor still living there.

The story could have ended there, leaving us with an interesting little mystery and very few answers. But the Adventure Journal reports that not long after the Times ran the article, Tim Taylor showed up with his side of the story. Taylor, who is now a Superior Court Judge in San Diego, was a boy scout back in 1972. In August of that year, he and his troop were on a 50-mile hike through the same region as Larry Wright and his family. On one of their rest days, Taylor decided to hike to the top of a nearby peak, which may have been unclimbed at that time. While at the top, he left his note, not knowing if or when anyone would ever find it.

Taylor’s note was sort of a message in a bottle, although instead of being carried by the tides to some far off place, it sat in one location as the years rolled by. I think it is simply amazing that it was discovered at all and even more surprising that it could be still be read. It must have been quite a surprise for the now 53-year-old judge to learn that someone had found his hidden canister at last.

Exploring The Abstract Murals Of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

by Jessica Festa on




“Art should not be segregated in museums; it needs to live free among us”- Isaiah Zagar

While most travelers to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, spend time exploring rich history, colonial architecture and delicious cheese steaks, there’s another facet to the city worth getting to know: its detailed murals.

Walking down the streets of the city, it will immediately become clear Philly has a creative side. One major reason for this is the existence of the Mural Arts Program, which “unites artists and communities through a collaborative process, rooted in the traditions of mural-making, to create art that transforms public spaces and individual lives.” One of their most successful projects is the “Mural Mile,” which showcases Philadelphia’s most iconic murals along a walking route in the downtown area. Additionally, they put on a “Restorative Justice Program,” which incorporates the concept of justice into the art process and gives inmates, juvenile delinquents and ex-offenders a chance to do something good in the community. My favorite way to explore mural work in Philly, however, is through the work of local artist Isaiah Zagar.

%Gallery-167758%Isaiah Zagar’s work can be found on more than 120 public walls in Philadelphia. At 19, he discovered the world of art in outdoor environments, and was inspired. After receiving a B.A. in Painting & Graphics from Pratt Institute in New York City and completing the Peace Corps in Peru, he went back to his home city and settled down on South Street. From here, he turned the area into his own outdoor mural museum, and opened one of the most creative spaces in Philly, Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens (PMG).

Open seven days a week, this creative and colorful space features gallery-style rooms as well as an outdoor mural mosaic labyrinth. It’s a place where the community can access and interpret the artist’s mosaic art and public murals. The works are bizarre creations from Zagar’s fantasies, with poems, bottles, cycle tires, paintings, glass and more. Along with putting on creative programming, like mosaic workshops and music and mosaic concerts, PMG incorporates the work of other locals artists into their exhibits and murals for a collaborative experience. The labyrinth is the most exciting part, as you walk through narrow tiled halls, down shiny steps and abstract twists and turns to immerse yourself in a world of avant-garde mosaic art.

For a more visual idea of Isaiah Zagar’s mosaic murals at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, check out the gallery above. Click here to see a map of where else you can find Zagar’s work on the streets of Philly.

[All images via Jessie on a Journey]

New Art Exhibition Features ‘Banned Booty’ Confiscated From Airport Security Checkpoints

by Jessica Marati on

Ever wonder what happens to the tweezers, sewing scissors and Swiss Army Knives abandoned by hapless travelers at airport security? While most probably ended up in the landfill, some contraband nail clippers have received a second life through a new contemporary art exhibit from California artist Steve Maloney.

The exhibit, called “Banned Booty – Palm Springs Checkpoint,” opens October 18 at the Palm Springs Air Museum in Palm Springs, California. It will feature mixed-media installation pieces created from items, mostly sharp-ended, that were confiscated from carry-on luggage by the Travel Security Administration at the Palm Springs International Airport. The exhibit’s intention is “to ‘continue the conversation’ about present-day air travel,” particularly its relation to everyday lives and the city of Palm Springs, says a press release. According to Maloney:

American travel changed radically after September 11, 2001. The Banned Booty series captures a small aspect of this change. What used to be routine – checking into a flight and passing through the final security check point with no concern for the nail files or scissors stuffed in your bag – was transformed into a drawn-out endeavor.

The exhibit’s opening day will feature guests like Mayor Steve Pougnet, Palm Springs City Councilman Paul Lewin and Shannon Garcia-Hamilton, Federal Security Director for the TSA in Palm Springs, who will gather to participate in that conversation first-hand. For more information, visit BannedBooty.com.