Spider Guys

I thought this might be fitting since the newest installment of the Spiderman series just came out to theaters.

Last Tuesday I parked in the Actors Theater parking garage on 3rd Street, Louisville, Kentucky and had to wind myself all the way up to the sixth level as the garage was almost full. I was on my way to the Kentucky Derby Festival's Run for the Rose' that you saw earlier on this site. After getting out of my truck I happened to look across the street and happened to see this window washer. Now I know you're going to look at this picture and say, 'What's the big deal about him?' Well....it's the next picture I took that will show you why.

When you zoom out, which I've done here, it gives you a whole different perspectice of where he is sitting at. This is looking up at the sixteenth floor. (I counted to be sure.) Taking this picture actually became a task for me because as I was looking up I was overcome with a case of vertigo and actually had to grab the concrete wall I was up against to keep myself upright. Now I've flown on airplanes (even an open cockpit bi-plane) and even in helicopters with their doors wide open but was never overcome as I was watching not only this guy but the other guy just to his left. I don't know how they were doing it. They weren't using the big mechanical platforms like is seen on most skyscrapers now. These two guys were simply using ropes with a little seat as they made their way down the side of the building and they didn't seem to be phased by the height of their situation at all. I know Spiderman would have been proud. Oh....... I sure hope they got paid a lot of money for that job.

The Big Parade

The last of the big Festival events came on Thursday with the Kentucky Derby Festival's Pegasus Parade. Now I parked about a mile and a half away from the area where I would be doing a lot of my shooting at. That was down at Floyd and Broadway where WAVE 3 had all their live television cameras set up. During my walk to my spot it rained the entire way and even after I got there. There wasn't the the number of people that are usually lining the street with only an hour ago before parade time. A lot of those people I'm sure decided not to get wet in the process. The theme for this year's parade was 'Wonders, Wizards, and Wands'. There must have been a little magic going on because just before the parade was to begin the rain suddenly stopped and pretty much stayed away the entire time. I heard a report that Harry Potter and Dumbledore were spotted going into a 3rd Street parking garage just before parade time. Hmm...maybe I should take a trip to Hogwarts myself.

Parades are pretty much all about visuals so what I leave you with here is a series of pictures from Thursday's event. As for sound, just let your imagination run away with you.

The Great Race

Wednesday afternoon of Derby Week brings out one of the more popular events of the festival...The Great Steamboat Race. Now I know I'm a little off with this opening picture of the Belle of Cincinnati but I'm just showing off the boat I was on. Now this boat is a good one to ride too. It's a first class party ride and I must admit they have some pretty good food on board too (you have to get the pulled pork barbecue if you get the chance). There was a chance of rain and even a few boomers moving in and a little shower did make its way through before the race started but it really didn't look to be a bad kind of day. One heavy shower that went just to the north of us did make the air a little cooler and really that was better than having to deal with a heat stroke.

But now....let's introduce the contenders to this big battle. First we have the visiting boat....The Delta Queen....originally from Cincinnati and makes regular visits down river all the way to the Mississippi and New Orleans. It's longer and wider than the Belle and has a single smokestack to the Belle's two. Has a much larger paddlewheel than the Belle that can really give it a big push if needed. Has sleeprooms for its passengers during the longer trips up and down the river. Won the 2006 race and boy did those people know how to throw a party afterwards. I think they danced all the way down to New Orleans.....or was it back to Cincinnati.....a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then. Has a reputation of belching out lots of black smoke under full power to show that she's really working her guts out to get a win for her crew.

On it's home court the Belle of Louisville. When it comes to Derby time and their steamboat racing these people take it very seriously. They don't like to lose and they'll look for anything they can do to get the edge. The boat nearly sunk a few years ago when a man intentionally left one of the plugs out allowing thousands of gallons of water to race inside the grand lady. Had it not been for some quick thinking of a nearby tugboat captain she would have surely gone all the way to the bottom of the Ohio River. Repairs took several months but the gallant crew and workers from nearby Jeff Boat got the lady back on her feet and ready to race once again. This year she was looking for some payback too after losing to the Queen in 2006. Yes....her, the crew, and the sellout crowd on board were ready to make some noise.

The Belle of Louisville actually off to the better start. The Belle of Cincinnati was the official start boat and blew it's loud whistle to get things underway. As the Belle of Louisville began pushing under the Second Street Bridge (the starting line) the Delta Queen was still moving backwards into position. Off the Belle of Louisville went, it's lead getting wider and wider. It seemed like there would be no chance at all for the Queen to catch up at this point but that would not be the case.

As I said earlier the Queen had a much bigger paddle than the Belle. Proportionally the Queen was more of a shotgun shape with it's long and relatively narrow body. To look at it from the side it was a much sleeker body to move through the water. It wasn't long before the Queen was gaining ground and moving into position to catch the Belle. Both boats hit 6-Mile Island, the turnaround point at about the same time and began their trip back to the bridges.

It was here where things got more interesting. When the boats made their turnaround the Belle found itself on the Kentucky side of the river and the Queen was on the Indiana side. After moving a few hundred yards downriver the Belle suddenly made a move across the bow of the Queen (at a safe distance of course). The Queen picked up its pace and began gaining on the Belle while dozens on the Belle of Cincinnati watched in awe. For once this was turning into a real boat race.

After passing the Belle the Queen moved into position in front of the Belle and charged toward the finish line at the Second Street Bridge. The Belle was forced closer to the Indiana side of the river as it tried to gain ground. When it was said and done though the Queen reached the bridge first and blew its whistle to declare itself the winner. But it doesn't end there. After the race the judges (all from Louisville) said the Queen had committed a foul by blocking the Belle and the hometown boat was declared the winner. What I found out later was the captain of the Queen was a rookie steamboat racer. His big lesson learned? Don't make the hometown people mad at you. Makes for an interesting race next year doesn't it.

Winefest

On Wednesday after the boat race (which will be coming up a little later on this site) I decided to take a little visit over to Winefest where hundreds of wine lovers got a chance to do a little sipping of delights from vineyards and wineries across the area. There were something for just about everybody and of every color you could imagine. Different shaped bottles of varying colors with each containing its own delectible taste wetted the palates of the heartiest of tasters. I was taking pictures and another photographer friend of mine took me over to one of the tables so we could do our own little bit of tasting and what a good one we found. It was from the Talon Winery out of Lexington, Kentucky.

Now I'm not one for the very dry wines or the very sweet ones. Most of the reds, for me, have got too much fruity taste to them and even though I've had lots of Chardonnays they've become a little too dry for my liking. My favorites are the good semi-sweet ones like the Reislings and the Gewurztraminers. I found one here, though, called Sweet Evening Breeze that fit my taste. It was very similar to the Reislings and Gewurztraminers and I recently found out it's one of favorite wines purchased at the Talon winery. Because I was working I didn't get to get a taste of any of the others but being able to get just a little taste of that one made me glad I had come to check it out and I've already located a distributor in Louisville that carries this particular wine that I got to wet my pallate with. And yes I plan on going there very soon to grab a bottle.

And out of all the people that were roaming through the tents and doing all the tasting I bumped into a friend of mine, Dana, who is pretty much of a wine taster like myself. I found out that we both like the same kinds of Reislings and even occasionally get one of the big blue Reisling bottles at Walmart. (I know what you're going to say but that blue bottle at Walmart really is pretty good.) I pointed her toward the one I had tasted and she later told me that one was going to be one on her list too the next time she went shopping. You know....I'm making myself a little thirsty sitting here talking about all this good tasting stuff. Sounds to me like I need to make a road trip.

WINE WITH WHEELS

There is an even on Tuesday of the Kentucky Derby Festival that is all about bragging rights among the restaurant set. That is the Run for the Rose' that puts waiters and waitresses going after each other as they race through a course while holding a tray with wine glasses on it.

The big thing is the six wine glasses are full and you have to have that wine still in the glass at the finish.

The course is between 150 meters and 200 meters long. There are obstacles along the way and the racers must finish the course as quickly as possible with as much wine as possible. When the scores are combined then the winner is determined

FIRST THE UNCORKING

The first part of the race involves the uncorking of the bottles, which can be an art in itself. There are various methods used to get the cork out of the bottle. Some are very gentle with their corkscrew and gingerly work the cork out of the top of the bottle. Others, however, are more vigorous and aggressive, screwing in the corkscrew and simply giving a big yank which is usually followed by a loud pop. The male waiters were especially good at the latter technique but there were a few ladies as well that really knew how to get that cork out of the bottle in a hurry. Those were the ones who usually got out of the gate first and onto the course.

I did find one chap that seemed to have some problems in the uncorking part. For some reason he just didn't seem to be able to get the grasp of what he was supposed to be doing. It took this fellow several attempts at getting the corkscrew into the top of the bottle then there was another problem with extracting the cork. Personally I think he got mixed up thinking he was supposed to be at the banana races a couple of blocks down the road. Although I do recall that the Planet of the Apes was in close proximity with the Earth last week. But then again it could have been just a little trouble with tribbles that was causing the problem in this case.

THE COURSE

After the racers have filled their glasses on the tray, they then head on to the course. As I said earlier there are obstacles along the way, like these scarves pictured here. Another obstacle involved stuffing a rabbit into a hat and later you have to avoid a group of magical wands. It is needless to say that the obstacles cause many of the spillage problems seen in a race. The good news is everybody was being invited to a wine party at the ant hill by the top hat.

I found some that seemed to be facing identity crisises along the course. I must say, however, that this fellow, or lassie, picked a lovely shade of orange for his run through the course. Another fellow I saw must have slept as he was wearing he bright red long handles during his run. By the way the gorilla is still trying to get the cork out of the bottle. It is said that Tarzan was seen swinging through the air down around Third Street on his way to rescue the primate out of his predicament.

And they do have a race just for the corporation bigwigs, the managers, CEO's, the media stars, yes they all get the show their stuff in the corporation relays. I would have to say the relays are probably the most hazardous as far as spillage is concerned. One false step and bad movement with the hand can cause disaster although the ongoing party underground doesn't mind much. If you look at the picture here you can see two different techniques used in handling the tray. The man on the right is using a more aggressive approach in his one-handed technique while the other two runners are being more conservative in their approach to the race. The jury has yet to determine which technique works best, however.

THE BIG FINISH
Then comes the race down the home stretch. After weaving their way through the wand obstacles the racers know they have only a few meters to go to the end. It is here that most accidents occur and glasses have been known to go flying into the throngs hoping to see the big accident of the race. The turn for the finish is tight and racers have to be careful with their footing otherwise they find themselves in a heap on the ground.

What it comes down to at the end, though, is after the race is over and you see how you fared for the day. Not only was the racing exciting but it was also a very pretty day to sit in the sun and catch some rays, watch the races, and see the wondrous views up and down the river. Yes...I shall have to come back to this place.

EXTREME BEDLAM

Here's where we get down to the brass tacks of it all. With souped up beds in hand and sprinters behind the push bars and a very skilled driver (hopefully) behind the wheel....the mayhem begins. The start is most important because you want to get that momentum going as soon as possible. You want all of your pushers in rhythm with each other. You want everybody thinking along the same lines. It helps if you can get some practice rounds in first so everybody knows what the other is doing.

Another important reason for a good start is because you have a cross over at about the 50 meter mark. Just like in a NASCAR race you have two beds going for the same piece of real estate at the same time. Needless to say things can get bent way out of shape at this point. The right lane is trying to get the the left lane and and left lane is trying to get to the right lane. It's definitely an accident ready top happen when both beds hit the 'X' at the same time. The bright orange cones usually take a beating when that happens.

Bed racers love to go fast...the faster the better. It doesn't matter if the driver seems to be in a bit of a precarious position as he's flying around a turn so fast he could thrown off the bed and into the wall. It's just like any other racing rush. The whole point of the matter is beating the bed next to you and putting the fastest time of the night up on the board. The guys pushing are the engines behind the bed. They want to get to the finish line first as well and will use up everything in their bodies to get there first.

Like you saw at the crossover, sometimes beds get together and a few parts sometimes get broken up. The bed with the bent right wheel in the earlier picture ended up having the be carried when it bent a few more parts after it got into the cones. But some beds do find themselves into the wall as well like this one here. I think maybe the steering design may have had something to do with this crash and maybe the bed makers might go with more of a steering wheel design next time. There was, however, one major crash that I didn't get in the camera. One bed going at full speed missed turn four and hit the concrete wall head on. The impact was hard enough it shook the entire building. The good thing to come out of it was despite being shaken up a little bit but not one got hurt. Both beds however, ended up wearing the dreaded Broadbent Stripe.

One thing is for certain. These guys definitely know how to put on a show. Oh...and if you don't think the ladies go in for this it was mostly the women doing the driving...and they can scream through the turns with the best of them. These are the Danica Patricks of bed racing and feel the need for speed just like the guys do. And if you're in the way......well....we know the rest of that story.

PURE BEDLAM

I decided to break this up a little so things wouldn't look so cluttered...so please me jumping ahead here to the next part.

If you've never been to a bed race or seen one then here's how it goes. The beds are built for racing, complete with wheels (of all sizes) steering mechanisms, crash helmets, the works. You have a driver that sits or lays on a mattress and four people who push from the rear of the bed. They then have to go through a course of about 200 meters, usually racing against another bed but also the clock.

This year there were 24 races. And these people definitely mean business when it comes down to bragging rights. Some beds have specialty built chassis just like a race car. Others have a few stranger designs like one that looked more like a big wooden box. Some use small wheels as small as about 6 inches across while others use different size bicycle wheels. Probably the best wheels used are wheelchair wheels which are a little stronger. When the green flag drops though, that's when it's all business....that comes next.

Bedlam at Broadbent

What do you get when you mix speed and mattresses?

You get a scaled down version of NASCAR racing only this racing is in the form of beds.

Yes.....you heard right.......beds.

Now...these aren't just regular kinds of beds. They do have the railings and the mattresses and the head and foot boards but after that things change completely. What I'm going to show you first are the beds. Just like a NASCAR race car these beds are dressed up with all different kinds of schemes to them....and the people with them??? Well....you'll see....

The Mini and the Mara

In my last post I had pictures from last week's Thunder Over Louisville, the beginning of the Kentucky Derby Festival. Well now that we're really into things here comes one of the first big events of Derby Week....the Mini-Marathon and Marathon.
Now, as you all know from reading these posts I'm a hiker person. I've never been any kind of a runner and never will be but I'm a pretty good walker. But I know what doing 26+ miles is like and you have to be impressed with anybody who does it. The pictures at the top are the two winners. I don't know their names but that doesn't really matter. It's the fact that they're finishing a 26 mile run and pretty much smiling about it. The male winner, as usual, was from Kenya. The Kenyans have always done it right when it comes to distance running. You're really got to be impressed with them.

Now....you can't have a big event like this unless you've got lots of pretty girls around so I decided the added the Festival's royal court here. Their boots, however, seem to gather more talk than what they were getting though. These boots, however, could have been a good thing if the weather had gone bad. While most of us had our regular shoes on that would have got completely water soaked, their toes would have been completely waterproof. I do wonder, though, if their toes maybe got a little warm. By the time the race was winding down the temperatures were in the 80's.

Now...back to the runners.....

This may be the closest finish of all the Mini-Marathons in Festival history. These two guys came around the final turn together then battled for bragging rights. This photo shows the final result. Now just remember. These two guys had just run 13 miles and still had energy to burn for a sprint finish like this. If you talk to most distance racers these are the kinds of finishes they dream of. And it doesn't really matter who finishes first or second...well maybe a little bit....but just to have a close finish is what makes it fun for the racers. I can guarantee you neither one of these will ever forget that finish and will be telling it to the grandkids later. It also made for a good picture. Photographers eat that stuff up too. What can I say....we like having great things to shoot.

These next two pictures show the female and wheelchair winners. One thing about the wheelchair racers. You really have to be watching as they're coming in to the finish line. They don't slow down much as they're crossing the tape. You really have to be impressed at how gutsy these people are. Some of the hills they go down can be rather steep and those race chairs can reach some pretty good speeds. Crash one of those into a tree and I can tell you for sure it's gonna hurt.

Now...how about the rest. What you are going to see next are the people who just run for fun. And there's no telling how they might be dressed for the occasion.

Now....I know somebody is going to ask why in the world would I put a picture of this man on here. The reason is simple. This is really what distance running is all about. This man had a goal of finish the 13 miles. It may have been his first big distance race ever and his body just couldn't take any more. But the goal was to finish. I've been to dozens of other distance races and seen this very same thing before. I've seen runners with no legs left to stand them up and watched the crawl across the finish line just to meet that goal. It's all about finishing. There is no doubt this man is in distress but even as ill as he looks he wants to make it to the end. He got a little help in the last six feet but the main thing was he made it to the end. And one thing I know for sure. He'll be running more races and finishing those as well, no matter what it takes.
I know you wouldn't want me to end on such a note like that so I thought I'd show some more happy faces at the end. This is the other part of what it's all about...just having fun. For a lot of these people the times they covered the distance doesn't matter. It's just about getting out there, getting that important exercise, and having a good time. With my next post you'll see something a little more adrenaline rushing. As a hint just think of NASCAR and Sertas. Until then.......ado.