#djiphantom
Spent a day in the dirt yesterday, spent this morning in Mr Clean mode!. All the gear all squeeky and ready for the next go-round.
#gopro #dji #djiphantom #canon60d #24to70 #100to400 #rodemic #canoncamera #drone #lens #canonlens #kit #videoproduction #canonlens #camera #dslr #allaccess #telephoto #ocd got ya twitchy?.
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Houston, Texas by Daemaine Hines.
Website|Instagram|Twitter|Tumblr |Stock Photography Portfolio
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Driving down these lonesome dirt track roads, icy waters below us, empty mountains all around.
Miles and miles and nothing but silence, nameless peaks stretching toward the sky dusted with patches of white. Those sunset clouds splashed unusual shades of deep purple and dusty rose pink casting a colour haze across the landscape that’s hard to describe, the fleeting kind that comes only after rain and lasts just a few minutes before it’s gone again.
Our tyres ploughed through deep, sticky mud to reach the small ridge that would become home for the night. We wrapped our faces in scarves against the cold and scrambled down the bank to skim stones across the lake’s frozen surface; they bounced and echoed with a bullet ricochet sound that reverberated around the valley and clattered through our ears.
These were the only noises we would hear all night; no birds, no cars, no wind or rain, just us above this frozen lake as the colours slowly melted and the stars came into view.
So much of Albania was just wild land, beautiful places that would not appear on any hiking trail or in any guide book, free to explore, yours to enjoy. With no fences or barriers to hold us back we could pitch up and call anyplace home for the night, and that was just the kind of freedom we craved.
Oh how good it was to be back in this land again.
Ever wanted to camp up on your own private island for a few days?
Us too, and although this small patch of land that gradually disappears into a fine point and sinks into Lake Prespa isn’t technically an island it was as close as we would probably get to one in our van.
We were surprised to find a small village at the end of this long and bumpy track, emptied of all its inhabitants for the winter as an icy slush began to fall from the sky. Boats littered the shores of the lake, empty and lifeless without people to navigate them. We were the only forms of life for miles, basking in the peace and solitude we craved.
The really special thing about this place was that it sat on the corner of three countries; behind us was North Macedonia, to the side of us was Albania and in front of us was Greece. The Greek stretch of land was dotted with streetlights at night, the Albanian side had a few but the Macedonian side had none. Moody mountains wrapped in snow clouds dominated the skyline, islands and pelicans punctuated the lake’s glassy surface, and soft drops of ice gently pelted the roof as we sat cosied away inside our van cradling cups of mountain tea.
By morning the snow had cleared, replaced by brilliant sunshine and swirling vapour clouds. It was warm enough in fact for a dip in the lake, its cooling, shallow waters sought after by Macedonians in the summer but unsurprisingly empty during the winter. Still, it was good enough for us whose last shower was too long ago to bear thinking about.
A fishing boat sailed past as we were drying off, then we packed up and moved on in the direction of Lake Ohrid, Prespa’s neighbouring lake. Here we were to watch a hundred people dive into its icy waters for the chance to be the first to catch a cross blessed by a priest and thrown into the waters as part of the Orthodox Epiphany celebrations, with nothing to warm them up afterwards but rakija.
Perhaps we weren’t the only crazy ones after all.
Our van wheels crunched over unpaved road after unpaved road, kicking up mud and gravel as we bumbled along a series of winding dirt tracks which wove their way through endless pine forest.
This was the face of Bosnia & Herzegovina’s interior, a world away from the bustle and bullet-strewn concrete structures of its capital Sarajevo. Here, pretty little stone houses were strewn across scenic plateaus which seemed to appear mysteriously out of the dense thicket of trees that surrounded them and crept up to their doorsteps. Wild animals were known to roam these forests, and we wondered how humans could live so close to them without conflict.
We were still carving our route home out, ever Northbound, savouring these last few days in the Balkans before we would hotfoot across Europe back to England. We slept soundly that night, cradled by the forest, and coaxed our van into life with jackets bundled against the icy morning air. This was our pattern of travel these days; squeezing the most of every moment, battling with our van to get it home, the road our only constant as we went.⠀
As the forest dwindled and eventually gave way to civilisation we followed a winding little road partially covered by snow up to a ledge, where we spent the night sleeping underneath the remnants of Tito’s fist. Now a crumbling concrete structure, this bizarre object known as a spomenik had once been a monument to the Partisan soldiers who fought in the Battle of the Wounded in the valley below, but was nicknamed for its uncanny resemblance to Yugoslavia’s former leader ad the iron fist with which he ruled. However, shortly after the Bosnian War, a group of vandals planted dynamite inside and blew it to pieces, although its skeleton still dominates the skyline for miles around.
We were beginning to understand more of Bosnia’s chequered past, evident in every bullet-strewn building and every crumbling ruin we passed. Twenty years was not enough time to heal, but even after the visible reminders had long since been repaired, the memories would not fade for generations yet to come.⠀
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Driving through the snow-covered mountains which encircled Sarajevo, it was hard to imagine this beautiful area as a war zone, even less so one that had existed in our lifetimes. Yet the scars leftover from the war were omnipresent; they were in every bullet hole-strewn building, in every road surface struck by a mortar, in every man who hobbled past us on wooden crutches. We had arrived in Bosnia & Herzegovina with the intention of seeing beyond its past, but found it quite impossible to ignore.
Perhaps most poignant of all the lingering remnants of war were Sarajevo’s abandoned Olympic venues; the bobsleigh track once filled with spectators, now a crumbling relic; the angular lump of concrete that was Hotel Igman, whose rooms had not been filled since the siege began. Most chilling of all perhaps, were the former Olympic ski jumps, located on the buffer zone across Igman ridge, laced with mines and used as a site for executions.
As our boots crunched through deep snow only the eerie silence in the air betrayed the area’s dark history. We’d spent the night at Hotel Igman, although not as its designers had intended; we’d camped up in what would’ve been its car park, or so we had presumed as it was buried under a foot or so of snow. Having woken up to find the bobsleigh track and surrounding pine trees painted white the previous morning, it gave us an enormous sense of comfort that the mountains on the opposite side of Sarajevo were also covered. This would be the last snow we’d see for many months, dusting the communist concrete structures and turning them into things of beauty, the snow and infinite forest of pine trees muffling all sounds as we slept beneath a blanket of white.
But now the snow was melting, icicles dripping all around us and soaking into our boots as we explored the remnants of Sarajevo’s ski jumps. It seemed metaphorical almost of our time in the Balkans; simplistically beautiful, all too brief and now slowly coming to an end.
We had just a few more days in Bosnia before our compass would point us North, and we would make our reluctant return into Western civilisation.
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When it rains in the mountains, it really rains. Not a fine mizzle or the odd shower like we get in England, but a biblical, all-engrossing rain that pelts down from the sky and sends rivers running down the mountainsides in great waterfalls that flood the roads and make planning any sort of activity quite impossible.
Such is the unpredictability of the Accursed Mountains, a corner of Albania whose curious histories and unique way of life woven amongst its limestone peaks will forever keep us coming back for more.
This fascinating mountain range was so named for its wildly inhospitable conditions, and is one of the rare mountain ranges in Europe that is yet to be fully explored. But mountaineers with their compasses and maps will never truly conquer these mountains, for the only way to truly navigate them is with a lifetime of muscle memory, ingrained into mountain men from the age they learn to walk. There are few roads, no signposted trails, and no forgiveness; if you get lost and the weather doesn’t get you then the wolves surely will.
But while the mountains may ward you off with their inhospitality the people will surely not, as they are perhaps some of the warmest and most welcoming in all the Balkans. With no fear of strangers and no reason to lock their doors some three hours away from the nearest town, they will happily invite you into their home for a coffee and a rakia before you continue on your journey.
The Albanian Alps possess a deep sense of mystery that fascinates us and seems almost tangible as we pull off the craggy SH25 alongside the Drin river, unwilling to drive any further in the torrential downpour. The thunderstorm would not pass until tomorrow evening when we would be rewarded with another spectacular Albanian sunset, but before that we would endure a night of lightning strikes powerful enough to knock out the area’s only phone mast, and thunder that shook us violently inside our van; if you’ve never heard thunder in the mountains before, imagine someone dropping about thirty dustbins off the side of a cliff at once. It booms.
It felt all at once overwhelmingly exciting and familiar to be back in the North of Albania once again, parked up so close to an area we’d become so affiliated with that had played home to one of our favourite travel stories. But now we were about to make more, as we were set to be heading off the road and into the furthest reaches of these mountains on foot, a place where vehicles could only dream to go and mules were the primary mode of transport.
Soon we were going back into the heart of the Accursed Mountains.
Spot is now available for “only” $75,000 USD. You won’t be able to find it at your local @walmart though. Anyone need a new robot friend? | Our audience: #nasa #mavicair #adafruit #starlink #mavicmini #uav #spacex #mavic2 #quadcopter #spacecamp #drone #robotics #robot #aerialphotography #fpv #drones #skynet #octocopter #djiphantom #arduino #hobbyking #drone #multirotor #dronephotography #sparkfun #tesla #raspberrypi #mavicpro #blackmirror | Go here for today’s deals: http://www.tinyurl.com/BestDroneDeals (at Boston, Massachusetts)
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Hover bike test in Dubai goes horribly wrong, but could have been a lot worse. Failure is a part of success! | Our audience: #nasa #mavicair #adafruit #djiphantom4 #mavicmini #uav #yuneec #mavic2 #quadcopter #spacecamp #drone #robotics #robot #aerialphotography #fpv #drones #skynet #octocopter #djiphantom #arduino #hobbyking #drone #multirotor #dronephotography #sparkfun #tesla #raspberrypi #mavicpro #blackmirror | Go here for today’s best drone deals: http://www.tinyurl.com/BestDroneDeals
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Saw this plane flying around today. Can anyone guess what it’s called? | Our audience: #engineers #djiglobal #uav #pilotlife #robots #djiinspire1 #quadcopter #miniquad #pilotstuff #robotics #robot #aerialphotography #fpv #drones #hexacopter #octocopter #skynet #djiphantom #arduino #blackmirror #drone #multirotor #dronephotography #rcplane #spacex #sparkfun #flir #nasa #raspberrypi #mavicpro | Need an affordable drone to give as a gift? www.tinyurl.com/DroneDeals2020 (at Addison, Texas)
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Vintage East India Co. steam fan from 1845. You can get an exact replica here: https://tinyurl.com/TableFan2020 | Our audience: #engineers #djiglobal #uav #physicsfun #robots #djiinspire1 #quadcopter #harvarduniversity #antiquefurniture #robotics #robot #aerialphotography #fpv #antiques #hexacopter #antiquecollector #skynet #djiphantom #arduino #blackmirror #drone #antiquecollector #vintagedecor #vintagehome #spacex #sparkfun #flir #nasa #raspberrypi #mavicpro2 (at The East India Co.)
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Spot robots are now being equipped with iPads so doctors can treat patients remotely, indoors and outdoors. They may soon be outfitted with UV lights as a mobile disinfectant unit. | Our audience: #engineers #bostondynamics #uav #pilotlife #robots #djiinspire1 #quadcopter #miniquad #blindinglightschallenge #robotics #robot #aerialphotography #twerk #drones #hexacopter #octocopter #spacetravel #djiphantom #arduino #blackmirror #drone #roboticsengineering #dronephotography #rcplane #spacex #roboticsclub #teslamodel3 #nasa #raspberrypi #mavicpro | Check out the newest drone deals here: www.tinyurl.com/DroneDeals2020 (at Boston, Massachusetts)
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Love springtime storms! ⛈ | Our audience: #djiphantom4 #djiglobal #uav #pilotlife #texasstorms #djiinspire1 #quadcopter #tornado #tesla #robotics #robot #aerialphotography #thunderstorm #drones #hexacopter #octocopter #spacetravel #djiphantom #arduino #elonmusk #drone #multirotor #dronephotography #rcplane #spacex #sparkfun #weatherchannel #nasa #raspberrypi #mavicpro | Need a new drone? Check out the latest and greatest: http://tinyurl.com/MavicAir2 (at Farmers Branch, Texas)
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DJI just released it’s newest drone: the Mavic Air 2. It has 34 minutes of flight time, 8K Hyperlapse capability, and a refreshed remote controller. More information can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/MavicAir2 | Our audience: #djiphantom4 #djiglobal #uav #pilotlife #robots #djiinspire1 #quadcopter #miniquad #tesla #robotics #robot #aerialphotography #fpv #drones #hexacopter #octocopter #spacetravel #djiphantom #arduino #elonmusk #drone #multirotor #dronephotography #rcplane #spacex #sparkfun #flir #nasa #raspberrypi #mavicpro | Buy here: http://tinyurl.com/MavicAir2 (at West Hollywood, California)
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Robot twerk | Our audience: #engineers #djiglobal #uav #pilotlife #robots #djiinspire1 #quadcopter #miniquad #blindinglightschallenge #robotics #robot #aerialphotography #twerk #drones #hexacopter #octocopter #spacetravel #djiphantom #arduino #blackmirror #drone #multirotor #dronephotography #rcplane #spacex #sparkfun #flir #nasa #raspberrypi #mavicpro | Video: The Aigency | Audio: RajaThat! | Drone deals: www.tinyurl.com/DroneDeals2020 (at Boston Dynamics)
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Dug up some 3D printed (and reinforced) drone frames from our shop. Have about 18 of them for sale. DM or email us if you’re looking to purchase. | Our audience: #engineers #djiglobal #uav #pilotlife #robots #djiinspire1 #quadcopter #miniquad #vtol #robotics #robot #aerialphotography #fpv #drones #hexacopter #octocopter #skynet #djiphantom #arduino #blackmirror #drone #multirotor #dronephotography #rcplane #spacex #sparkfun #flir #nasa #raspberrypi #mavicpro2 | New drone deals here: www.tinyurl.com/DroneDeals2020 (at Dragon Drones)
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RoboSimian aka “Clyde” makes an appearance again. It was built by NASA for a DARPA robotics competition in 2013. Anyone need a robot friend?
www.tinyurl.com/bestdronedeals
Our audience: #engineers #goprohero8 #uav #pilotlife #robots #djiinspire1 #quadcopter #miniquad #robotech #robotics #robot #harvarduniversity #fpv #drones #hexacopter #stanforduniversity #spacetravel #djiphantom #arduino #blackmirror #drone #multirotor #mechanicalengineering #rcplane #spacex #sparkfun #flir #nasa #raspberrypi #mavicpro2 (at NASA Centennial Challenges)
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Anyone need a heavy lift drone?
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(at Stanford University)
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Star Wars Lambda-class T4a shuttle. Drone version. Taketh my money!
Wanna check out some Star Wars style drones? Go here: https://tinyurl.com/StarWarsDrones
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Need some *real* help around the house? Hello Robot is a company founded by an ex-Google employee to help create simple, yet useful robots for everyday use.
Price: $17,950.
| Our audience: #nasa #mavicair #adafruit #starlink #mavicmini #uav #spacex #mavic2 #quadcopter #spacecamp #drone #robotics #robot #aerialphotography #fpv #drones #skynet #octocopter #djiphantom #arduino #hobbyking #drone #multirotor #dronephotography #sparkfun #tesla #raspberrypi #mavicpro #blackmirror | Video: Hello Robot | Go here for today’s deals: http://www.tinyurl.com/BestDroneDeals (at Atlanta, Georgia)
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