Waffle House (Bowling Green, KY)

Bike:  Buell XB9R

Route:  Google Maps

This probably isn't what the fine folks at GoPro had in mind for their cameras and it's not what I planned on doing for Christmas lunch, but my lovely wife got me a HD Hero2 for Christmas and I have to test it out. Immediately. It's warm enough to ride and the only place I know to be open for lunch on Christmas day is Waffle House. So, I'm going to Waffle House.

We're quite fortunate to have two Waffle Houses within a half mile of each other here -- one on each side of I-65 Exit 22. And with absolutely no traffic on the city streets, it was kinda cool to ride around town for a few minutes making noise with the Buell. I threw the original HD Hero in my pocket so I could compare pics of food...

[NOTE:  If you plan on going to Waffle House on Christmas Day for some weird reason, plan on waiting for a seat! Business is good when you're the only business open.]

Christmas Traffic I.

Christmas Traffic II.

I-65.
'Crossing The Bridge' = 'Going To Town'

Christmas Traffic IV.
If every day was Christmas, I'd come to town a lot more often.

Christmas Traffic V.

Po-po.

Christmas Traffic VI.

Christmas Traffic VII.

Here's a Waffle House, but it's not my Waffle House.

Here's my Waffle House on the other side of the bridge.

America... **** yeah!

Steak & Eggs + Scattered, Smothered, & Covered.
[GoPro HD Hero2]

Steak & Eggs + Scattered, Smothered, & Covered.
[GoPro HD Hero]

VERDICT:  No matter where you are, Waffle House is Waffle House!

I'm more interested in the camera than the food. After looking at these pictures I'm not sure what to think. My initial impressions are that the new camera produces a higher quality picture, but the field of view seems narrower and the colors less vibrant. I'm gonna have to play with it some more...

Old Scottsville Road features the best six miles of twists, turns, hills, and fence rows in Warren County.
This the end of The Esses.

Christmas Traffic VIII.

The Mid-Ohio Complex.

The Double Dipper.

Rolling hills of Kentucky.

Real Christmas Traffic!!!

Headin' home...

Route.

UPDATE (12/26/11):  I played with the cameras some more to better compare the shots from the GoPro HD Hero and the HD Hero2. There are three sets of unedited pictures below. The camera housing was set on a mini-tripod and I just swapped the cameras out, so the location and angle is exactly the same for each set. The Hero2 images were all taken in the 11MP Wide setting -- 5MP Wide offered the exact same field of view, while the 8MP Medium & 5MP Medium settings provided a progressively smaller field of view.

Three things occur to me:

1. The field of view is wider on the Original Hero images. ***I don't know why, but it seems like more is cut off the right side of each Hero2 image than the left?
2. The colors are more vibrant on the Original Hero images.
3. As expected, the 11 megapixel Hero2 images are more detailed than the Original Hero's 5MP photos.

For those who understand photography (I don't -- that's why I love the GoPro), I did notice some differences in the image details between the two cameras. These things might explain the differences I noted above. If so, feel free to explain it to me!

• F-stop:  f/3.6 (Hero) vs. f/2.8 (Hero2)
• Max Aperture:  3.7 vs. 2.8
• Focal Length:  5mm vs. 2mm

I don't really care about the difference in colors, as I like to pump color into the images later anyway. But I'm disappointed in the narrower picture. There were plenty of pictures from this Buell ride that didn't even show the sky. It might be OK for the KTM since the riding position is more upright, so I guess that'll be the next test.

I know most people use these cameras for video, and I haven't tested that so I have no opinion. I can say the Hero2 is a lot easier to use -- the menu settings are much easier to navigate and understand. I'm looking forward to seeing how the battery life compares, but it might be a few months before I have a long enough ride to figure that out.

Hero on the left.
Hero2 on the right.

Hero on the left.
Hero2 on the right.

Original Hero on the left.
Hero2 on the right.

UPDATE (1/27/12):  It's been acting like Winter lately, so no riding lately. Meanwhile... GoPro says the Hero2 handles low light conditions better and I've seen some videos that seem to support that assertion, so I thought I'd do a few more comparison photos from the same tripod in various environments. Once again, the Original Hero image is on the left and the Hero2 is on the right. Obviously, the Hero2 does not handle the low light conditions very well in photo mode...

Home Cafe's Fried Gator Po' Boy.

Home Cafe's Kung Pao Pizza (to go).

In good light the differences aren't so pronounced.

UPDATE (1/30/12):  It warmed up and I finally got a chance to test both cameras while riding in the same conditions. While I remain disappointed with the reduced field of view, the Hero2 definitely produces a clearer image while on the move...

GoPro HD Hero vs. HD Hero2.

GoPro HD Hero vs. HD Hero2.

Corvette Cafe (Bowling Green, KY)

Bike:  Buell XB9R

Route:  Google Maps

This quick lunch trip to Corvette Cafe at The National Corvette Museum almost goes against the spirit of my rules, since it sits right off I-65 @ Exit 28. But I went well out of my way to avoid the Interstate, so it counts. And I felt it was only appropriate to take the American bike to the Corvette Museum...

Block Party I.

Block Party II.

Corvette Cafe.
They have tables outside if you're into that kind of thing.

The Cafe is a real simple affair. Just order at the counter...

...and have a seat.

Or, while waiting for your food, you might want to check out the Museum lobby where they display new Vettes waiting for those buyers who selected option R8C (National Corvette Museum Delivery). And you might see a raffle car or two, such as the Camaro on the left. They have huge restrooms and a well-stocked gift shop attached to the lobby, also.

Chicken Philly Sandwich & Potato Salad.

VERDICT:  Let's be honest, nobody really comes here just to eat. And that's a shame because the food is good. If you ever find yourself at or near the Museum for another reason, grab some lunch here. It's simple, it's quick, and the atmosphere is unbeatable. Every sandwich I've had was cooked to order, and the potato salad is excellent.

BONUS:  They might have the nicest restrooms in town. If you ever need to make a pitstop while running between Louisville and Nashville, this is worth remembering since the nearest I-65 rest area has been demolished.

This picture could have been a lot better if I had the GoPro LCD BacPac.

The city just ain't quite as pretty...

Self portrait.

Wildlife.

Headin' uphill. Headin home...

Route.

UPDATE (12/12/11):  I stopped in for a Reuben while on that side of town today. Good sandwich!

Reuben & Hawaiian Fruit Salad.

UPDATE II (12/27/11):  We went looking for a BBQ lunch, but found three BBQ joints closed for the day (or week), so here we are. We browsed the museum lobby while our food was being prepared. I love this place...

What could be better than picking up your Centennial Edition ZR1 at the National Corvette Museum?  Not nothin'.

2012 Centennial Edition ZR1.

BLT, Potato Salad, Grilled Cheese, & Chips.

Root Beer Float.

I like this place better every time I drop by...



UPDATE III (1/13/14):  Here's a new post with pictures of the museum itself, including a ton of C7 Stingray photos.

National Corvette Museum

Sinkhole Central.

C7 Heaven

UPDATE IV (4/25/14):  Of course the sinkhole has been a huge story and we've spent a lot of time at the museum since February 12th. With a new family membership in hand, we've been visiting the museum every day a car is pulled out of the hole and plenty of days in between. Lots of Corvette Cafe food, and lots of pictures. I'll probably post them sometime around the 20th Anniversary later this year. In the meantime, it's been cool to see some of them on the wall that was built to restrict Skydome access.

Sinkhole Saga.

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