Life of Brian

One new feature in the Moss Motoring Challenge this year is the whole social network thing. You can earn 5 bonus points by posting 5 photos using #MotoringChallenge on Instagram or Twitter. When you use the hashtag they will also get automatically added the Challenge’s Gallery Page.

Twitter I got (@MisterMiata), but Instagram I can’t have because you need a smarty pants phone. I do like the filters available on Instagram, so I set out to see if I could find their equivalents as plugins for PaintshopPro. PSP can use the same plugins as Photoshop, but all I did find were Photoshop Actions which I don’t think I can use.

Then I remembered my old friend BeFunky and ran one of my previously submitted Twitter photos through the HDR filter there to get the above image. I wonder how the folks at Moss would feel about me running all my submissions through some type of filter?

With almost three percent of the year already gone, we figured it was time to get out and start working on our 2015 Moss Motoring Challenge. It is the same format as 2014, but some of the goals have been changed. This year instead of 26 counties, one beginning each letter of the alphabet, there are points for 15 random counties and 12 for signs of a lake or river name. National Forests were replaced by Moss Motors Distributors and all 40 or so of the destinations are different.

Because it was supposed to rain in the afternoon we picked a semi short run to a place where we knew we could get multiple points, Columbia, SC. On the way into the big city we stopped in West Columbia to get a photo of a thrift store (2 pts.) Following the coords I had plugged into the GPS for a place called St. Paws, I pulled in front of the thrift store. It didn’t look any thing like the Google Street View and the name was different too, it was called Pickin’ Peddler. We were there, so we got out to take a photo anyway. That is when I noticed that St Paws was on the other side of the street. With the wide angle lens of the camera I took the above photo and could get both places in the frame. Somehow I doubt they’ll give us 4 points for the picture though, so I might submit it as a one of the first Sneak Peek photos.

Last year one of the destinations was an English Pub, well this year they want an Irish Pub and searching via Google we found that there were 2 of them in 5 Points, the University of South Carolina hang-out area, within spitting distance of one another. Turns out that one of the Irish Pubs, Delany’s, didn’t have the word Irish in its sign, we took a picture anyway, just in case we come up empty on the second one. And come up empty is what we did. Kildare’s Irish Pub is not there anymore, the building is, just it is called something entirely different. So now we think we should try and get a Pub with the work Irish actually in the sign.

Also in 5 Points was a Record Store called Papa Jazz that was worth a point. First time we drove by there was no place to park, so we went after the Pubs. By the time we were through with them and got back to Papa’s there was a spot open right in front. I think they have the points awarded for Thrift Shop and Record Store reversed. I can find 5 thrift stores within 6 miles of home, but I had to drive 60 miles to find a record store. 😉

On the way out of town we made a detour to over by the Dutch Square Mall area to get a picture of an Asian Market. When we pulled up there were several people already parked out front and several people milling about, including one woman with a suitcase. The sign on the door said open 7 days a week from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The clock in the car said 9:58, so we figured we’d wait until the place opened so all the people would go inside. By five after, there was no open door, so we pulled out saying we’d come back another day. As we left we stopped at a Micky D’s about a hundred yards down the street to use the restrooms. When we came back out the place still wasn’t open, but I had an idea if we parked across the street in the mall parking lot we could get our photo without being gawked at by about a dozen oriental folks. As we were lining up the shot a car pulled in and someone got out and unlocked the door and all those waiting outside went in and started shopping.

On the drive back we stopped at a couple other opportune spots and got the L city, Lexington, and a destination point for parking next to a tow truck.

This year there is a spot for approximate miles driven doing the challenge. I don’t know what they are going to do with information, but I figured we’ll try and keep track.