100 degrees in the shade

100 degrees in the shade, originally uploaded by john m flores.

Via Flickr:
Hot hot day today. One-hundred. Even the cows sought shade today. I think I was the only fool in leather sitting astride a heat machine. Things usually cool off once you are on the move, but on a day like today it feels like standing in front of the public bathroom hand dryer all day - and not the cool Dyson style either!

In the heat of the day I took a break in the only shady spot for miles - a bus shelter at the otherwise closed Quivira wildlife refuge. Nobody was a around, so i stripped off my leather jacket and mesh pants and took a nap. When I awoke, I set about securing my tripod to the rear parcel shelf with all manner of duct tape, bungee cords and straps that I had. Once reasonably assured of its stability - I went to school for Structural Engineering so I know a thing or three - I mounted the less expensive GH1 on top with the widest lens I had - the 14-140 kit zoom. A cheap wired intervalometer from Amazon provided the shutter control and off I went.

It didn't last long, as the weight of the 14-140 taxed my little Vanguard ballhead, and just a mile down the road the camera was pointing downward taking photos of my back. Get off the bike. Melt in the heat. Adjust. Get back on. Try again. And again. Swelter. Adjust. Repeat.

Eventually got some good shots, but now I'm wishing for the diminutive 14/2.5 or the Olympus 9-18 Lilliputian zoom...