Chris Neuhahn's Mcsteed.com

Alicia in Joshua Tree

2010-02-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

Camp Fire

2009-12-29T18:48:00.000-08:00

Painted Gorge

Randy survived 30 miles

2009-12-29T15:35:00.000-08:00

Of dirt! On his touring bike!

Salvation Mountain

2009-12-29T10:52:00.000-08:00

Morning at the Salton Sea

2009-12-29T07:59:00.000-08:00

Salton Sea

2009-12-28T17:03:00.001-08:00

Gas in Indian Wells.

2009-12-28T15:22:00.000-08:00

Heading for the Salton Sea!

2009-12-28T09:39:00.000-08:00

Hot and Cold Running Holy Water

2009-09-23T20:03:00.001-07:00

Tea Party T-Shirts

2009-04-13T11:40:00.000-07:00

http://www.cafepress.com/mcsteedteaparty

Haynes Canyon on My Mule

2009-01-13T18:01:00.000-08:00

I rode Haynes Canyon/Grizzly Flats from Big Tujunga to the 2 on sunday.

From Haynes Canyon Ride

Google's directions gave me a bum steer by telling me to take Camp 15 Rd. That turned out to be a Youth Probation Camp. Appearently there used to be access to the fire road. I found another route through a private horse ranch. One of the ranch hands let me cross the 200 yards from where I was to the road. He said not to do it again though.

There were a lot of hikers and mountain bikers so I rode slow. Above the Haynes Debris Basis I came across a barrier. There was a burm on the hill that mountain bikers were using to get over the gate so I followed them. After that view started getting really nice. You could see all the way to Long Beach.

From Haynes Canyon Ride

Surprisingly, most of the hikers waved at me. I expected some hateful stares.

At the top where all the raido towers where I ran into three 50 year plus women who had hiked from La Canada. Pretty impressive.

From Haynes Canyon Ride

Anyone know what these things are? They have names; Sister Elsie and Hoyt.

From Haynes Canyon Ride

Then it was down Grizly Flats. This is where I came across two Forest Ranges on Mountain Bikes, one dude, one dame. They didn't wave me down or anything but I stopped to talk to them anyway. The dude was cool. He asked me to take it easy because of the hikers. I told him that I was riding slower than I would on my mountain bike. Then the dame said in a somewhat terse voice "Do you have a Green Sticker?" I told her that I had just bought my mule and the Sticker was in the mail, but I had the receipt. That was settled so I started chatting again. "You're lucky" Ranger Dame interupts, "Its a $10,000 fine if you don't have it." She didn't seem to want to drop it.

I rode on.

I Bought a DRZ 400 S

2008-12-30T09:56:00.000-08:00

Renting an Adventure (a KTM 950 Adventure)

2008-12-30T09:34:00.000-08:00

I tend to chase my whims – I’m a slave to them really – so after a 22 year absence from motorcycling I’m back. With the ink still wet on my temporary M1 I headed down to Eagle Rider in Santa Monica, CA. Back then it was an ’84 Honda CR 80, this weekend it was a KTM 950 Adventure. I wanted to test ride the bike for real not just get a 20 mph cruise around the block. In a couple of weeks I’ll rent a 1200 GS Adventure. By Summer I hope to erase some of the boundaries to my wanderlust.

From KTM_ADV

With the big orange beast packed up I headed out at 0700. I stopped for my now traditional travel breakfast; a Breakfast Jack and a Sausage, Egg and Cheese Biscuit. My old tradition was Burger King (the folly of youth, what can I say).

From KTM_ADV

My first stop was to be Stage Coach Trails in Shelter Valley. Stage Coach Trails is an RV park that my mom runs so I was stopping by just to tell her that I’d be stopping by tomorrow (there’s no cell service down there).

From KTM_ADV

That my mom leaning against the rail.

From KTM_ADV

From Shelter Valley I headed for Blu-Inn along Highway 78 to battle all the kids on dirt bikes and Rhino’s for fuel. Then it was back 15 miles to find the trailhead. I went up Mine Wash, the wrong trail, for about 3 miles (Although later research showed it would have got me to my trail). Pinyon Wash was my planned route but it sucked. The sand was deep. I took an exhausting 60+ minutes to go three or four miles. I feel over once but forgot to take a picture.

From KTM_ADV

I didn’t have a tent, the shadows were getting long and people were expecting me in Plaster City so I was forced to turn back. I got back on the 78 and headed for Split Mountain Road also known as the easy way out. Ah well, it was a rental/test ride.

The Split Mountain Road route was still fun and challenging. There was a mix of hard pack, silt and sand, with a few patches of mud and long stretched of whoops just to keep it interesting. The trail from the end of Split Mountain Road to Plaster City runs along a narrow gauge train track used to haul gypsum from the mountains down to the Drywall plant.

From KTM_ADV

It was pretty spooky at times when I’d be cruising along at about 50mph on the hard pack and it turned to sand. That big bike would start getting squirrelly and I could only get my weight so far back because my ass would hit my bed roll. The Pirelli tires were definitely on the street side of dual purpose.

Nine hours after leaving home I finally made it to Plaster City at Evan Hewes Highway and headed west to Painted Gorge to meet up with my brothers. The house was full so we camped between a couple of shipping containers. When we got ready to cook dinner I discovered the only casualty of the trip. Somewhere along the train tracks my rations made a break for it. I had packed a small cooler with some Hebrew Nationals, Balance Bars, and Enjoy Beef Jerky that are now a king’s feast for some scrawny coyote.

The KTM got secure parking.

From KTM_ADV

The next day we got up early, had a breakfast burrito, and went back to the trail, my brother Scott in his Blazer and me on the KTM. I talked my brother into plowing through a bit of muddy water. Only a little water got into his carburetor. We headed back so he could dry it out and replace the plugs.

From KTM_ADV

After a peanut butter and jelly sandwich I said so long to my brothers and headed west to Sweeny Pass Rd and the Great Overland Stage Route. What a great road. I used to drive on this road when I was younger. There are many Washes and side roads to explore (another day).

From KTM_ADV

After stopping back by my mom’s in Shelter Valley for some Quattro Fromaggi Ravioli I headed back home. I didn’t enjoy my first night freeway ride until I got the carpool lane on the 210. My girlfriend was sick so I may or may not have broken the speed limit on the way home.

From KTM_ADV

In the morning I had to give the bike back. I got up early and pressure washed that crusty Plaster City mud off the bike. With plenty of time to spare I decided to ride Mulholland Dr. That’s when the clutch started going wonky. Pulled all the way in the clutch barely cut power to the wheel. I fiddled with the adjustment and made it work for trip back to Santa Monica. All told I rode 562 miles for the trip plus about another 150-200 of other running around. Fun!

My 950 Adventure Thoughts
Great fun, plenty of power though not as much low RPM grunt as I would have thought. It all really happened above 4000 RPM’s. It’s heavy and in the sand and mud it was a handful. However I suspect that with enough riding and you get conditioned to it. I can’t really compare the long range comfort since this is the first time I’ve ever ridden that long. My caboose got sore but compared to a 100 mile bicycle ride it felt like an easy chair. I’ll tell you after the BMW Adventure. It’s on my short list definitely. My choices are limited because even in my slimmest form I’m a 220 lbs 6 foot 3 inch chunk of dude.

http://picasaweb.google.com/McSteeds/KTM_ADV
http://picasaweb.google.com/SNewhan/DesertTripNov2008

Perpetual Mid-Life Crisis

2008-11-22T13:42:00.000-08:00

I've always said I try to live in a state of perpetual mid-life crisis. This means that I try to stay young; always see life as an exploration. I like to re-experience things. When I fly my Grumman AA5-B Tiger I often have a moment where I think, "Holy Shit, I'm flying an airplane!" The newness returns instantly.

I'm adding a new re-experience this weekend. Motorcycling. When I was a teenager I had a Honda CT70. Even though it was a non-exciting bike that newness was there. My CR80 was more fun but the CT70 memories are just as strong.

I'm getting my motorcycle license this week. Let the exploration begin.

Boot Camp Challenge at San Diego MCRD

2008-10-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

With only a week and a half of half-assed training I ran the 3 mile obstacle course at Boot Camp Challenge at San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot. Ran isn't exactly accurate; I probably only ran 1/3 of it. I felt like puking much of time but it was fun.

Opeth!

2008-10-07T22:08:00.000-07:00

Statues

2008-10-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

From This and That

the ABC of Handshakes

2008-09-29T08:42:00.000-07:00

The ABC of handshakes is an hilarious article on etiquette from Jetwings, the in flight magazine of India's Jet Airways. It describes how to shake hands in various parts of the world using terminology which sounds like masturbation.

5 Hours 45 Minutes

2008-09-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

62.3 Mile, 2697 feet of climbing, 7103 max elevation.

From Tahoe Sierra Century

Tahoe Sierra 60 Mile Loop
Find more Bike Rides in Los Angeles, California

Donner Lake

2008-09-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

Mile 42.3 The Summit

2008-09-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

Mile 31.8

2008-09-20T11:23:00.000-07:00

Mile 31.2: Turn Around Point

2008-09-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

Mile 19.5

2008-09-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

Mile 18.9

2008-09-20T09:52:00.001-07:00

Mile 18.2

2008-09-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

Mile 17.5 Near Donner Lake

2008-09-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

Some folks ate some other folks near hear awhile back.

Mile 15.7

2008-09-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

Mile 6.7

2008-09-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

60 mile Tahoe-Sierra Ride

2008-09-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

Off to a bad start. I fell before registration.

Binder Clip Infestation

2008-09-18T08:09:00.000-07:00

Prabhakar

2008-09-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

From India 2007

Panoramio on Google Maps

2008-09-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

Fucking cool.

Yesterday's Ride

2008-09-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

Big Tujunga 102 Mile
Find more Bike Rides in Los Angeles, California

101 miles, 4350 ft of climbing, 7500 calories burned.

2008-09-06T21:05:00.001-07:00

This is the view from my bed. I will be seeing it for the next 18
hours or so. I'm f-ing beat.

James lived!

2008-09-06T16:03:00.000-07:00

My god.

2008-09-06T14:49:00.000-07:00

3 fire trucks and an ambulence for James

2008-09-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

Bee Sting at 40mph

2008-09-06T14:37:00.000-07:00

55.2 miles out James got hit by a bee in the face. We were doing 35+
mph at the time.

Mile 49.0 @ 3400 feet of climbing.

2008-09-06T14:27:00.000-07:00

Bambi Interupted @ mile 45.4

2008-09-06T13:13:00.000-07:00

Mile 45.1 & 3000 ft of climbing!

2008-09-06T13:05:00.000-07:00

Almost to the top.

Stop for lunch at 42 miles

2008-09-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

My legs are going to slit my throat tonight.

Mile 41.5 of 100

2008-09-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

Dying dog at mile 22.1

2008-09-06T08:51:00.000-07:00

We called animal control but I don't think the little guy will make it.

Start of the 100 mile ride.

2008-09-06T06:22:00.000-07:00

Macaroni Grill

2008-09-05T20:57:00.000-07:00

Marginal as always but filling as fuck. You get do draw on the table.

54.7 Miles Today

2008-09-01T16:22:00.000-07:00

Century Training 4a
Find more Bike Rides in Los Angeles, California

Alicia in the 20's

2008-08-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

Training Time!

2008-08-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

I'm back from two weeks overseas for Nickelodeon and now its time to get training. I will be pedaling my bike on the 60 mile loop of Tahoe Sierra Century on September 20th.

And Again . . . India

2008-08-19T02:59:00.000-07:00

Hong Kong Sunday

2008-08-17T02:12:00.000-07:00

Giant Buddha in Hong Kong

2008-08-16T04:42:00.000-07:00

Well, my passport is almost filled to the brim with stamps and visas. I added Hong Kong to my list of visited countries (or city state or territory or whatever it officially is). We braved excruciating lines for the Cable Car to get to Gnong Ping to see the Big Buddha on Lantau Island.

I became infatuated with the Deva statues. Each of the six is kneeling and presenting gifts to the seated Tian Tan Buddha. Maybe I was light headed from jogging up the 268 steps in the humid 90+ heat with all my camera equipment on my back.

Other than the spiritual business of re-incarnation and that stuff I like Buddhism. I could never call myself a Buddhist because I'm missing that chunk of the pie.

Swimming in Taiwan

2008-08-14T04:12:00.000-07:00

I visited Taroko near Hua-Lien in Tawian (太魯閣國家公園) during a trip to CGCG for Nickelodeon. It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. The cliffs are marble and jade, the bright turquoise was the perfect temprature to escape the painful muggy weather. Andy Tsao and Lucy from CGCG generously took us (Blanca and James) out there for an 18 hour day.

We went farther up the river but I didn't take my camera. I want to swim (I knew I should have bought a water housing for my point-and-shoot). We ran on the rocks barefoot, dove from the bigger rocks, and swam around. I got a blister and bruised feet but it was worth it. It was amazing.

Getting Silly Trying to Save Gas

2008-08-12T02:12:00.000-07:00

Taiwan 2008

2008-08-11T17:33:00.000-07:00

Land of Cutsie Art.

Toilet Controls

Passport Control in Taipei, Taiwan

2008-08-11T14:48:00.000-07:00

Flag of my Father

2008-08-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

Dangerous Motorcycle Gang

2008-08-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

Poker Night

2008-08-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

Code Name: Hair

2008-08-05T14:05:00.001-07:00

Alicia were having some chow at Granvile in Glendale before going to see the Dark Knight. First we had pepper or coffee grounds in our waters. Then there was a long black hair growing out of our burger. We got a replacement burger and they gave it to us free. The receipt was amusing.

Bearded Picnic Says Hi

2008-08-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

Climbing La Tuna Canyon

2008-08-05T00:26:00.000-07:00

I rode 31 miles today. It was the usual 6.8 to work through Griffith Park plus the 1130 ft climb up La Tuna Canyon to Tujunga and then down through Glendale back to Los Feliz. With a stop at Rubio's to refuel.

James

Exhausted from the 1000' climb.

Sunset

Uhh?

2008-08-04T15:04:00.001-07:00

Ivy that Can Read

2008-08-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

Not only can the ivy read, but it reads broken English.

DMV in the News

2008-08-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

News crews lurk all around the DMV for dirt on the possible strike.

Zermatt, Fiji

2008-07-31T08:52:00.000-07:00

Nothing to do with eachother right? Well so what.

Somewhere out in the fog the Matterhorn lies hidden.

After a day of Diving at Namotu Wall, our guide is exhausted by the rough waters. The guy in back with short hair and sunglasses: unsafe asshole.

Alicia

2008-07-30T09:07:00.000-07:00

Awesome!

2008-07-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html?playerId=videolandingpage&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=2741216&referralPlaylistId=e059f7416cd3e6a978256d927c7bb152d9988581

Huntington Gardens

2008-07-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

It's expensive but really nice. If you want to take a stroll and not
feel like you're in LA check it out.

Iron Maiden

2008-07-27T11:38:00.001-07:00

Iron Maiden's prints (with Eddie) at Guitar Center Hollywood.

Cool

2008-07-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

Cast Out

2008-07-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

Dead dog in a bag and a toilet @ 38.2 Miles along my ride. There was another dog in a bag on the other side of the wall.

Dead Cat

2008-07-26T08:56:00.000-07:00

Pancat. On 56.3 mile bike ride. Saw dead cat.

WTF

2008-07-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

My Desk @ Nickelodeon

2008-07-25T17:22:00.001-07:00

Padlocks

2008-07-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

A few too many padlocks at the trailhead of West Fork.

Sunset Flying

2008-07-24T17:26:00.000-07:00

Photo by Peter Hixon. (more photos)

Fellow Pilot

2008-07-22T16:44:00.000-07:00

A co-worker sent me this because I'm a pilot.

Baby Wants Pie

2008-07-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

Paris 2004

2008-07-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

Not a great photo bit it was cool to see a band cutting loose by the Seine.

West Fork Bike Ride

2008-07-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I rode with James and Peter on the West Fork Bike Path in the Angeles National Forest. It was 18 Miles

Old Los Angeles Zoo

2008-07-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

New Addition to the Family

2008-07-17T14:29:00.001-07:00

Ibanez ARX 320. I needed a guitar that I could easily do alternate tunings on. I'll be playing with Open D minor Tuning soon.

Flying the Grumman

2008-07-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

Last December I flew my Grumman Tiger to Half Moon Bay. I flew low and fast: 200ft off the water and about 130 MPH. It was awesome. The way back was pretty much just straight home.

It was my longest trip since flying the plane home last year.

View Larger Map

Guitar Playing

2008-07-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

I currently working on some songs. I will post them soon.

I'm also learning Powerslave by Iron Maiden.

Iron Maiden!

2008-07-03T11:31:00.000-07:00

On May 30th I saw Iron Maiden at Irvine Meadows (I refuse to say Verison Wireless Amphitheater).

It was like it was back in the 80's. They only played the old songs.
http://www.ironmaiden.com/

India Trips

2008-06-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

I went to India again in February. Going back in a month.

http://picasaweb.google.com/McSteeds/Singapore2008I

http://picasaweb.google.com/McSteeds/India2008I

Shit! Where have I been?

2008-06-13T16:11:00.001-07:00

I've not update anything in forever. My work on Vacantplanet has sort of died for the moment. I've been playing guitar for 20 years and decided that its time to get good at it. For the past 8 months I've been practicing for 2-3 hours a day. I recently bought these two new guitars. The top one is the f-amazing Ibanez S5470 Prestige. The other is a 7-String Ibanez RG.

I will post some of my music soon!

New Years in Paris

2007-12-31T17:56:00.000-08:00

I expected the french to cut loose a little more. But Paris was awesome.

Christmas in Paris

2007-12-25T18:33:00.000-08:00

Alicia and I are in Paris for Christmas. Yesterday we bought an X-mas tree and ornaments near Notre Dame and hauled them on foot back to the hotel near the Arc D'Triumph. For Christmas Day we slept until 1pm. After eating and exchanging gifts we saw Woody Allen's Dixieland Jazz Band in an old fashion music hall.

On X-mas Eve we had the classic French waiter. He was a impatient prick. Even the French patrons at Cafe Pont Neuf took notice. Today we had two great waiters who were patient with my limited french.

View Larger Map

London

2007-12-22T18:54:00.000-08:00

Alicia and I are in London for a few days before heading to Paris for the Holidays. I got a head shave and beard trim at Truefitt and Hill. Established in 1805, Truefitt and Hill have had Winston Churchill and members of the Royal Family as clients.

Read Me in Russian

2007-12-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/5893922115/sr=1-3/qid=1197056497/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1197056497&sr=1-3&seller=

X-mas @ Nickelodeon CG Dept

2007-12-06T15:23:00.000-08:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/McSteeds/NickChristmas

James Bond Suit

2007-11-29T14:32:00.000-08:00

While in India last year I took a bunch of photos of Sean Connery's suit from Gold Finger into a Taylor and said "make this."

More Pictures

2007-11-19T16:54:00.000-08:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/McSteeds

Adopt a Platoon

2007-11-19T16:35:00.000-08:00

Let someone know what it is they are serving for. Whether you agree with the war or not is irrelevant. Do what you can for the people who are away from home while we get upset because traffic was bad or McDonald's had slow service. I've spent a month at a time overseas for work and it got lonely and hard. That was only a month and no one shot at me.

http://adoptaplatoon.org

More Pictures - London 2006

2007-11-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/McSteeds/London2006

Lots of Pictures

2007-11-05T14:12:00.000-08:00

I'm in the process of posting all my photos on Google's Picasa. Check back often.

http://picasaweb.google.com/McSteeds

Hot Lips wasn't so Hot

2007-10-26T23:05:00.000-07:00

Sally Kellerman was a much better Hot Lips. This one has far too many teeth. Surely there are more than the standard issue 32 in that grusome set of choppers.