Getting to the Back of Ammonite Falls (West Upper Side)

This was intended to be an addendum to my last post where I tried out a few iPod apps that I'm using to create time lapse videos of rides.  I thought I'd begin a new post because the directions to Ammonite Falls' west side might be useful for some visitors.  In addition, I get to plaster a new blog right on top of Paul's obviously superior time lapse creation below, crushing it and rendering it completely ineffective and impotent!

Many people hike in to see Ammonite Falls from it's east side, coming from the Jameson Rd. entrance where you can park at the road's end and hoof it along the foot trails.  Another way in begins off Weigles road, through a yellow gate very close to the Wastelands MX track.  This entrance will take you to what most consider to be the back of the falls on the west side.  You arrive at the top of the falls, rather than the bottom, where the Jameson Rd. trails take you.  After a short ride from the Weigles yellow gate, you need to park and hike the last few hundred yards to the falls.  If it's wet, be warned, the top of the falls are very slippery and there's nothing but nasty pointed rocks to catch you at the bottom!

Here's the GPS track and a quick overview "flyover" movie of the route:

Now, for the time lapse video using the app "Timelapse Camera HD"

I'm not sure I'm going to find the speed and clarity I'm after at this rate.  I'm waiting for Apple to update the iOS for my iPod, (ver 7.0), in the hope that I can go back to using my original app, although it was no real winner to begin with.  Just want to get the speed down.

[Edit, Aug 20th]  I managed to get an older version of Time Lapse running on my iPod.  (That's the original app I was using that I had more success with).  This is the only one of these apps that doesn't mind running close to real-time speeds.  It will allow you to choose the playback speed as low as 1x (normal playback), 2x, 3x etc, up to the usual supersonic, flower blooming speeds that the rest of them do so well.  The results are far better when played back at 4x or 5x because you can actually follow along and see where you're going!  My "auto white balance" was playing games with me on this next video.... Some dark patches.

So, here's the vid:  Almost the same footage as before, just a bit more footage at the end.

Still a bit clunky, but not bad for an app running on iPod.

Mapping Galloway Gulch Rd. to Jameson Rd. (& Spur Trails)

I went out today for a short ride and mapped the trail form Galloway Gulch to Jameson Rd.  The previous post contained little detail and I figured if local riders want to try it they need a little more info.  (I can just imagine hoards of bikers heading there now.  Okay, one or maybe two).

I took my GPS out today and marked waypoints along the trail so I could show a more accurate path on Google Earth.  Google has some really great features:  If you right click a saved path in the lower left pane, it allows you to display an "elevation profile."  I thought I'd post some pictures of the trails with elevations shown today.  These images show up full size when you click them.  The large red arrows on the elevation pictures are showing the high point for that particular trail.

Galloway Gulch Rd. to Jameson Rd. with both Spur Trails Shown

Galloway Gulch Rd. to Jameson Rd. Trail with Elevation Profile

Spur Trail from Main Trail to Wooden Bivouac with Elevation Profile

Spur Trail Off the Bivouac Trail Leading to Big Rock Viewpoint with Elevation Profile

I did solve a small mystery out there.  When I explored these trails with Paul we left one of the spur trails unexplored.  I zipped up it today and stopped at a rapidly narrowing footpath that was clearly going to give me trouble if I went further.  Ahead was a wooden sign attached to a tree:  "This Way to Ammonite Falls."  Paul and I had both walked to the falls before, but neither of us could remember the entrance.  This wasn't the way I went in on foot before, but it's a great way in if you're parked on Jameson.  Must try that!

Spur Trail Leading West Into Ammonite Falls.  (West is left... Those little green people are leaving).   :) 

I've got to find a way to create these recorded paths easier.  I know any Garmin's GPS will handshake well with Google Earth and make the practice of creating paths very easy.  The iphone can do it too with apps like Breadcrumbs, although I think you're faced with entering waypoints into Google manually with that too.  My eXplorist (Megellan) makes it a long process of manually marking waypoints and then manually typing them into Google one by one.  It works, but it's a real pain in the butt.

I think that's it for this trail for now.  There are a few offshoots that look interesting, but there are other places that are calling a bit louder.  I'm needing a fish from Boomerang Lake!  Any lake'll do though....