Riding the Million Dollar Highway - Time Lapse Photography

One of the finest Motorcycle Roads in the United States is better known as "The Million Dollar Highway". It is a breathtakingly beautiful and mostly a "soul settling" ride in both directions. Going north, is more relaxing than going south as the section described below keeps you on your toes at the edge of an abyss.

Excerpt from Wikipedia:

Though the entire stretch has been called the Million Dollar Highway, it is really the twelve miles (19 km) south of Ouray through the Uncompahgre Gorge to the summit of Red Mountain Pass which gains the highway its name. This stretch through the gorge is challenging and potentially hazardous to drive; it is characterized by steep cliffs, narrow lanes, and a lack of guardrails; the ascent of Red Mountain Pass is marked with a number of hairpin curves used to gain elevation, and again, narrow lanes for traffic—many cut directly into the sides of mountains.

To render this ride into a format easily viewed, I used a GoPro camera to shoot 2 photos per second. I then combined and edited the photos into a movie using CineForm Studio and Apple IVideo. I am very happy with the final product.

Some have asked how I kept the little GoPro camera running so long. My setup is a GoPro Hero3 Black edition with extra battery backpack as well as a large, external LiPo battery that connects to the GoPro USB port.The USB connection is a bit finicky and sometimes does not power the camera when the cameras batteries are depleted. It's king of hit and miss. I sure wish that GoPro would come up with a bulletproof external power supply... HINT!!  To control the camera, I enable Wifi on the camera and connect via the GoPro app on my Iphone. The later is powered all the time as I use the Iphone on my bike to play music while I ride.

Here are the videos for your viewing. There are Standard and High Definition formats. Enjoy.


Timelapse - Riding The Million Dollar Highway - US 550 - July 2013 (SD) from PJC on Vimeo.


Timelapse - Riding The Million Dollar Highway - US 550 - July 2013 (HD) from PJC on Vimeo.