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Quote
“To love what you do and feel that it matters - how could anything be more fun?” —Katharine Graham
Wheels
I have a 1997 Honda Magna in yellow and black. The Magna is nimble and quick–too quick for the roads around Charlottesville. I find that I don't have very much time for riding nowadays, but I'm too emotionally attached to get rid of it.
Not often enough, I'm afraid, I also ride a mountain bike. There are a few well-maintained trails around Charlottesville, notably Panorama Trails, now closed, and Walnut Creek [review]. There's also Observatory Hill [review] at the University of Virginia. For a leisurely pace, you can ride on the Rivanna Trail.
In the Rough
When I can justify the cost I also golf locally. Meadowcreek Golf Course at Pen Park is close and enjoyable, if a little short. Golf is a cruel game (the way I play it). Just when you become disgusted with all the shanks, cuts, and duffs, and are ready to quit the sport altogether, you hit a truly inspiring shot. This serves as "proof" that you're not as bad as you thought you were. Then the cycle repeats.
Roughing It
Hiking is a great way to clear one's head, take in the beautiful outdoors, and exercise at the same time. The Rivanna Trail (nearly) encircles Charlottesville and is close enough that it requires very little planning. Another local possibility is the Ragged Mountain Natural Area. For a strenuous hike with great views, check out Old Rag Mountain in Madison.
Have knee pain? Watch your tempo, especially on downhills. Also, try ditching the heavy hiking boots. I wear trail-running shoes now and can tell a big difference.
I've also started using some Leki trekking poles to get some use out of my arms while I hike. Shifting some load off of the knees helps, too.
The most enjoyable hike I've ever taken was to the first peak of Olomana, on Oahu. A view from the top is on my photo page.
Photography
I'm not sure if photography counts as recreation, but I did enjoy using my Nikon Coolpix 4500. It took wonderful macro shots.
The swivel-body design is rather unique. It is shown at right on a little mini-pod I found at a local electronics store. It's only problems: shutter-lag, poor low-light and extreme-macro focus, manual focus control, limited-range flash, and high-ISO noise. Other than that, it was perfect. Now it's been replaced by a D50 and a Canon SD1200 for portability.
I find panoramic photography to be addictive, both for unconventional presentation and for high-resolution prints. The software that I use for stitching and manipulation: PT Assembler, Panorama Tools, enblend, Autopano, GIMP, jhead, and several custom scripts and programs.
You can read online about how to find the nodal point of the lens (also here).
