So here we are, another year later. 2023 wasn’t much in terms of riding, but I’ll get to that in a bit. 2023 was quite the adventure from a family perspective. Both my parents were in memory care most of the year, fortunately in apartments side by side. In early summer my father really started struggling, had a couple of falls and spent time in the ER and hospital recovering. By the end of summer he had another couple of falls and ultimately a stroke took him from us.

Overall the family held up well during this time, but it was not without stress and struggle to get through most of the year.

I haven’t actually ridden my bike since September 17th. At that point I still had plans to ride Big Sugar Gravel in Bentonville Arkansas a month later. That didn’t happen, along with Unbound Gravel, I managed to not make either of the scheduled rides I had for the year.

So what did get accomplished on the bike this year? Almost 50% less riding than 2022, and only 1/4 of the riding from 2020! Here’s a simple breakdown.

2023 Bike Riding Stats

37 Rides
507.5 Miles
8,790’ of elevation
42 hours

So overall, a pretty down year! But 2024 will be different! I hope.

I’ve only got one scheduled ride so far this year, but it’s another big one, 100 miles at Unbound Gravel in June.

How am I going to ensure I get to participate this year? Well, hopefully my riding buddies will help me be accountable! Wigs and Wags are both planning on being there, though Wags will be there as our support crew.

Hope to see you out on the bike!

So Unbound Gravel 2024 is coming up, with registrations opening already (depending on your status and distance).

Are you gearing up for the Unbound Gravel 2024? Here’s everything you need to know about registration:

Random Selection Process (Lotto)

Due to overwhelming demand, a random selection process determines participants for the 350-mile, 200-mile, 100-mile, 50-mile, and 25-mile events. Registration is free, but credit card details are required upon application. Charges apply only upon acceptance. More info

Lottery Registration Dates

• UNBOUND Gravel XL Lottery: December 1-15, 2023.
• UNBOUND Gravel 200, 100, 50, and 25 Lotteries: January 5-20, 2024.

Life Time Members Early Access

Life Time members, with a minimum of six months’ membership, get early access to event registrations and guaranteed spots in lotteries.

Notification and Fees

Selected participants will be notified by email. Event fees, processing fees, and taxes will be charged upon selection. Entry fees for various distances are yet to be determined.

Registration Rules

Only one application per person is allowed. Special consideration is given to multi-time finishers nearing the 1,000 Mile Club status. Life Time members with a qualifying membership duration can bypass the lottery.

Deferral Policy

Participants can defer their entry to the following year, with varying fees based on how far in advance the deferral is requested. No refunds or transfers are allowed. (deferred registration was November 2023, and is closed now)

Alternative Entry Options

Apart from the lottery, you can gain entry by collaborating with charity partners, signing up for UNBOUND Gravel Training Camp, or opting for a coaching package. Volunteering at the event also offers future participation benefits.

Stay tuned for more updates and start planning your journey to one of the most challenging and rewarding gravel events in the world!

The 2023 Special Release from Jack Daniel’s brings us another heritage barrel selection, and another twice barreled offering (like 2022) at the same time.

This year’s edition is a Rye, first barreled in new oak barrels, then followed up with a second maturing session in some extra toasty heritage barrels.

Coming into 2024, we’re making some changes! We’ve reduced our pricing for physical items (prints, frames, metal, acrylic, canvas, mugs, etc.) by up to 30%! We plan to keep these prices for the foreseeable future!

Get Ordering!

You can find all our photos from the last couple of years available for purchase in our Galleries.

New Digital Pricing and Offering

We’re offering a lower-resolution digital download that you can use on social media for $10. At this time, we will no longer be offering high-resolution digital downloads of our work except for special occasions and prepaid events.

We hope you enjoy our work, and we look forward to seeing you at an event soon!

Planning an event in 2024?

We’re booking now for 2024! Contact us today! Reach out early and get discounted event pricing!

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Coming into 2024, we’re making some changes! We’ve reduced our pricing for physical items (prints, frames, metal, acrylic, canvas, mugs, etc.) by up to 30%! We plan to keep these prices for the foreseeable future!

Get Ordering!

You can find all our photos from the last couple of years available for purchase in our Galleries.

New Digital Pricing and Offering

We’re offering a lower-resolution digital download that you can use on social media for $10. At this time, we will no longer be offering high-resolution digital downloads of our work except for special occasions and prepaid events.

We hope you enjoy our work, and we look forward to seeing you at an event soon!

Planning an event in 2024?

We’re booking now for 2024! Contact us today! Reach out early and get discounted event pricing!

As 2023 draws to a close, RainbowMarks Photography invites you to revisit the year’s most unforgettable events through our exclusive collection of photographs. This Black Friday and Cyber Monday, decorate your space or gift a piece of history with our special discounts on physical prints and digital downloads.

Jack Daniel’s ventured into Rye over 10 years ago and has regularly been adding to their line since.

In 2023 Jack Daniel’s started bottling and releasing their Single Barrel Barrel Proof Rye, to go along with their Single Barrel Barrel Proof Tennessee Whiskey. This will be regular release going forward.

Celebrating Five Years of CollectorOfJack.com

Today, November 18, 2023, marks a special milestone for us at CollectorOfJack.com. It’s been exactly five years since we launched our website in its first iteration back on November 18, 2018. We’ve come a long way since then, and we’re excited to continue sharing our passion for Jack Daniel’s with you. While posts have been infrequent lately, our founder Chris Hammond is committed to ramping up the content. Expect to see more frequent updates, with the aim of bringing you new and exciting content at least once a week!

Photos from Olympia Ellisville Excel Silver competing at the MO Judges Cup 2023 Gymnastics Competition at the Olympia Manchester facilities.

Click here to Purchase Photos

The Chesterfield Falcons 10U-A1 team showcased their talent and determination at the prestigious Leprechaun Lashout tournament held at the iconic Notre Dame University. Here’s a recap of their journey game by game:

Game 1: Chesterfield Falcons vs. Chicago Flames

In the tournament’s opening game held at the Ice Box, the Falcons asserted their dominance early on. Daniel Hammond spearheaded the charge with the opening goal, setting the tone for the rest of the game. Although the official scoreboard showcased an impressive 8-0 win, sources say the Falcons had notched up at least 12 goals! Braxton Vatterott was particularly scintillating, with a hattrick under his belt. Adding another feather to their cap, Miles McCarthy recorded his first shutout of the season.

Game Summary: Affton Americans vs. Chesterfield Falcons (10U A1 Squirt Hockey Match on 10/8/2023)

Game Summary: St. Peters Hockey vs Chesterfield Falcons (10U A1 Squirt Hockey Match)

In an electrifying matchup between St. Peters Hockey and Chesterfield Falcons, fans were treated to a display of talent, grit, and determination from both squads.

Last month I came to the conclusion (finally accepted it, I already knew) that Twitter was being run by the devil and I should go ahead and remove as much of the content I've posted there over the past 15 years. Twitter doesn't make it easy to delete your content, unless you choose to deactive your account, so I looked for a way to delete tweets via the API using a third party tool.

With the rise of Musk (and the fall of Twitter) an individual might be interested in removing all of their old Tweets, without simply deactivating their account permanently on the platform. In my case I had over 30 thousand tweets in the past 15 years that I felt like I wanted to remove, but I don’t want to give up the account itself.

Friday night August 18th I had the pleasure of shooting a buddy’s band, The Side Hustle at The Sky Music Lounge. Here are some of those shots:

This is one of the cleanest looking projects I’ve ever seen. A MK7 powered mid-engine VW Beetle. I can’t wait to see this thing in action.

From Doyle Motorworks

A few weeks before the 2023 MR340 I posted in the Facebook group asking if people wanted the MR340 logo overlaid on the photos from the event. The response was mixed, probably around 50/50, with some people wanting it, and others preferring not to have it.

I err’d on the side of not including the logo on the photos that were made available for purchase from the event, but had every intention of figuring out a way to allow the people who wanted the logo, to add the logo, post purchase.

Well, I am proud to announce I’ve come up with a way for you to do that!

Introducing PHOTOMARK.CO, a simple way for you to add the MR340 logo to your photos from the event. The basics are:

1. Visit the website.
2. Upload your photo.
3. Choose your Logo option (black and gray).
4. Download the newly generated photo!

It’s that simple! Though you will need to do this one at a time for each photo you want to add the logo to.

If you haven’t purchased any MR340 photos yet, you can do so here.

Currently the website is pretty simple, allowing you to choose only from the 2023 MR340 logo options, in the future I might make it a little more customizable to support future, and past, events!

This is 100% brand new, custom code, so if you run into any problems, please don’t hesitate to reach out with feedback!

The 2023 Missouri River Relief MR340 Event Photos are now available!

What a week, what should have been 5 solid days of shooting turned into 2.5 as the weather ended the Missouri River 340 river race on Wednesday afternoon. I made it home that evening and began processing the 10k+ photos I took for the event.

Year three of shooting the Miner Tough weekend down in St. Joe State Park here in Missouri kicked off with Run The Leadbelt on Saturday July 15th, 2023.

Click for more

Our first full paddle race, The Freedom 100 from Boonville Missouri to Jefferson City, Missouri held on Saturday July 8th, 2023.

Click for the full post

We recently spent the weekend at a TCS Hockey tournament, the Music City Cup, with the Chesterfield Ice Dragons 10u Squirt squad.

The team went 1-0-2 in the round robin bracket, but took a loss in the championship game against a tough Above & Beyond Hockey squad from Chicago.

Photos Available to View and Purchase

Once upon a time in St. Louis, Missouri, a man named Chris Hammond embarked on a voyage through the tech industry. This journey would lead him through various roles, from software development to product management, until he reached a realm he would call home: open-source content management platforms, particularly the DotNetNuke (DNN) ecosystem. This journey would become the basis for his personal blog, ChrisHammond.com.

As a photographer, there are few things more exhilarating than the opportunity to capture the power and grace of military aircraft in flight. And what better place to witness this spectacle than at the Scott Air Force Base Air Show? From roaring jets to precise aerobatic maneuvers, this event offers a visual feast for any aviation enthusiast. As I recently experienced this incredible event firsthand, I couldn’t resist the urge to share my experiences and the breathtaking moments I captured through my lens.

My first NASCAR race was pretty darn fun. Normally I would be out of town the first weekend of June, but due to lack of bike training I wasn’t at Unbound Gravel and had the opportunity to attend the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois.

As a seasoned photographer specializing in dynamic sports coverage in the bustling city of St. Louis, there’s a particular subject that never ceases to spark excitement in my camera lens and my creative soul: bicycle race photography. For over 20 years I have had the honor of immersing myself in the whir of wheels and the spirited determination of racers, capturing these intense moments and converting them into breathtaking bike racing photos.