UVF Boating with a Billionaire- 6 Aug 2008

So, pretty sweet day. I’m doing an internship with a venture capital fund called University Venture Fund (UVF) and Jim Sorenson (the richest family in the state of Utah) is one of the Board members of our fund. As an office retreat he took us out boating at Echo Lake for the whole day.

Pretty sweet experience, you don’t get many chances to just go chill with a billionaire in your lifetime! Anyway, this was my second time wake boarding and it was fun, we had some good guys and not so good guys at wake boarding, but overall it was a sweet experience.

Jake doing his thing
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Jim Sorenson and Jake in the background
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Brennen doing his thing
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Me, trying to do my think!! LOL
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Us, chilling on the boat

More Pictures from Bryce & Zions Camping Trip

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Bryce & Zions Camping Trip (24-17 July 2008)

Just returned from an amazing camping trip to Bryce Canyon and Zions National Park. There were three of us at the trip, Jason DeMann, Colby Butchereit and myself. We spent the frist night at Bryce Canyon's Ruby's Inn, which turned out to be an amazing place to camp. Ruby's Inn had great fascilities, including showers, pools, and even hot tub!!! So it was nice having that after a long hike.

Second and third night was spend at Zion's National Park. We were able to do some amazing hikes and a great time. Here are the summary of hikes we've done

Day 1
Fairyland Loop @ Bryce Canyon total 8 miles rount trip

Day 2
Navajo and Peekaboo Loop @ Bryce Canyon total 5 miles round trip
Anglels Landing @ Zions Nat Park total 5 miles round trip

Day 3
Narrows @ Zions National Park total 9 miles round trip

Here are some pictures for ya!!!
(click on the pics for larger view)

Panorama Shot @ Bryce with Jason
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Sunset @ Bryce after a rainstorm
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Sunset @ Bryce after a rainstorm
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Narrows @ Zions
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Rainbow at Zions
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Review: Bogen-Manfrotto BO 190XDB with 484R Ball Head

I just returned from an awesome camping trip to Southern Utah, Bryce Canyons and Zions National Park and just to make sure I can get some awesome shots, I bought a tripod to use when I get there. My best friend recommended that I get the Manfrotto BO 190XDB with 484R ball head. I paid approximately $130 from B&H photo and I'm very satisfied with is overall.

The legs are very sturdy and lightweight (3.5 lbs) at the same time and also the legs are independently adjustable so they are great for leveling on uneven surfaces. This is the first time I've ever used a ball head and it took time to get used to. I didn't think about this when I bought is but it is much harder to do landscape photos with a ball head since you cannot independently make horizontal rotation without affecting the vertical shift. I would say that was the only down side with the head.

For the legs, the only downside I can think of is the locks for the legs. Instead of the common quick release lock, BO 190XDB uses screw lock, which means you have to screw and unscrew every time you want to release the legs. Although this is disadvantageous, it was very easy to release the legs and worked very smoothly .

Overall, I would definitely recommend this tripod to anyone who is looking for a solid tripod for a good price value. I'm hoping to do a video review on this tripod so check back again sometime soon!

Pictures from Bryce and Zions

Taking panoramic shots at Bryce Canyon's Fairyland Loop (left and below right)

On top of Angels Landing in Zions. Because it was soo windy up there I had to weigh down the tripod with my backpack. (left and below right)