The Radavist

Road tripping in Southern Utah
Words and photos by Ryan Wilson

Utah has always been on a list with Colorado, the Alps, Pyrenees, and few other places that I’ve wanted to go to, but knew I’d never have enough time to do and see everything I wanted to do there. It always made me hesitant to commit to a shorter trip. However, a few weeks ago I saw a small window of opportunity, and finally decided I’d rather see a fraction of it than none, so I took the 6 hour haul from Los Angeles to the southwestern corner of Utah to hit a few big climbs and national parks. The plan was to try to squeeze a couple rides and hikes in through Zion, Bryce, and some of the surrounding mountains in 4 days.

As cyclists, we look at roads, paths and tracks a little differently. We notice the nuances of undulation, the tipping point of turns and with each climb, we relish the descent. Some individuals can evoke emotions with a single photograph.

Instagram is great for many reasons, but one of which is sharing your environments with users all over the world. I travel quite frequently, but one man’s photographs always give me road envy. Known on the app as @RMDUB, Ryan Wilson is, by all means, a roadscape photographer.

Ryan works in Hollywood as a sound designer. He’s lived in Los Angeles for over 6 years and only recently ventured into the surrounding mountains, upon buying a road bike. For the past 3 years, he’s been exploring all the various veins of asphalt that trickle down the faces and flow into the valleys.

In August 2012, Ryan loaded his road bike into his car while on assignment and drove north to the Sierras, from that point on, he always travels with his bike and has been to some of the most majestic roadways on the west coast.

So what kind of camera does Ryan use to capture these breathtaking vignettes? The pocket-sized Sony RX100M2 with Carl Zeiss optics. Or his iPhone.

Late last summer, a group of cyclists got together in Northern California with Giro to try out their New Road cycling line. While there, I was told to not worry about shooting photos but I still did. Some of which made it to their ad campaign, others made it into my hoard drive where they sat for months.

With the New Road line out now, I can post these and what better time than a Friday afternoon. I’m back in Cali on Monday and I can’t wait, especially after looking through these photos again.

Tools of the trade:
Yashica T4
Fuji Neopan 400 / Fuji 400 ProH

Over the past year, I’ve had the absolutely amazing experience of riding extensively in California but this last trip might have been my favorite. We rode on the 1, the 128 and in Geyserville. From the Redwoods, to the coast and dry, arid hills, the scenery kept me shooting my 35mm point and shoot, mid pedal stroke. Check it out below!