Zach Frailey

Photographer | Foodie | Collector Based back in Pittsburgh after seven years in Eastern NC. Here, you'll find a little bit of everything.

[zachfrailey]

Ho'okipa Beach | North Shore Maui

I've recently reminiscing on a trip to Hawaii a couple months ago and realized I had a ton of photography that hasn't yet seen the light of day from that adventure. I pondered over how to share all these images and settled on breaking them into regions/excursions/areas. For my first installment, we will focus on the Road to Hana. But not the entire journey on the famed road- just the first stop we made, Ho'okipa Beach.

Ho'okipa Beach Park is quintessential North Shore Maui. I was in awe the moment I stepped out of the van and saw the crashing waves filled with a lineup of surfers against a backdrop of clear water and lush mountains in the distance. It felt like being in a post card.

The waters here are renowned for windsurfing, surfing and the resting sea turtles on the beach. With limited time, I wasn't able to venture down below. After walking around, taking in the sights and getting the following photos, we hit the Hana Highway to explore deeper into Maui.

As almost always, all images shot on my trusty Fuji X100v, my favorite travel camera.

[zachfrailey]

Yeti Crossroads 27L Backpack Review | Maybe the Best Bag I Ever Owned

[updated May 5, 2024]

I'm a big Yeti fan. I use their drinkware daily, tote their coolers and Camino carry-all bags to the grocery store, beach and back, and even have a couple Loadout 5 gallon buckets that I use for all sorts of tasks around the house and yard. So when it came time for a new backpack for every day carry and travel, I had to throw the Crossroads into consideration. Eventually I pulled the trigger and ordered the Yeti Crossroads 27L in Camp Green.

As a longtime carrier of a super lightweight Patagonia Black Hole 25L backpack, I wanted something a little tougher and durable for my travels. Before pulling the trigger, I researched a lot of bags, and when the Yeti Crossroads became a finalist I was unable to find many good side by side comparisons of the pack next to the bags I already own. So hopefully this review from a Patagonia (and PeakDesign) carrier can help someone out who was in the same boat as I was.

Yeti Crossroads 27L vs. Patagonia Black Hole 25L

First up, we'll look at the side-by-side comparison of the Yeti Crossroads 27L and the Patagonia Black Hole 25L backpacks. It's tough to compare these two bags that are so different. The Patagonia Black Hole is designed to be as thin and light as possible- and I love it for that. However, I was finding my electronics (namely my Macbook) to be getting beat up inside the bag when traveling. Lightweight it is, built to take a beating it is not. This was my main reason for the bag change. The Yeti pack is built like a tank, but with that protection you sacrifice weight. But for me, it's a sacrifice I am willing to make.

Yeti Crossroads 27L vs. PeakDesign 30L

Next, we'll look at the side-by-side of the Yeti Crossroads 27L and the PeakDesign 30L backpack. The PeakDesign has a very specific use for me, and that is to haul around my photography gear. I don't load it out every day with my photo kit, and on those days I am just carry my Macbook, hard drives and work supplies around, it's just overkill. Even loaded for an everyday carry, the shape of the bag kills my shoulders. One of the big negatives of the Yeti pack I was seeing in reviews was the strap design, but I have had not near the shoulder fatigue as I have carrying the PeakDesign pack. Don't get me wrong, the PeakDesign bag is phenomenal for what it is built for- photography- and I will continue to use it as such. But it will no longer double as an everyday carry.

Everyday Carry

I have a fairly minimal every day carry, and like to keep it all contained to cubes. This all fits beautifully into my Yeti pack, with room to spare. In the main compartment of the bag, my Fuji X100V packs into the Patagonia cube with some batteries, a PeakDesign Tech Pouch holds cords, my mouse and other random computer accessories and a hard case carries my external hard drive. The bag's front pocket carries my Thule pouch (with meds, pens and Field Notes book, and the top zipper contains my Beats Studio Pro headphones in case. A well-padded and suspended laptop zipper area fits my Macbook Pro 16" with ease.

Interior

An almost clamshell opening makes loading and unloading the pack a breeze. And a quick access space in the top of the bag for air travel is something I can't live without. This Yeti 27L pack has some great volume up there, along with a tethered strap for keys.

Interior Bottle Pocket

With its own zipper opening in the side of the bag, there is an internal water bottle pouch. I was very skeptical of this at first, but after a couple days of carry I now love it. No more does my bottle get stuck on things of fall out of my bag if it tips over. This is a 16 oz Yeti bottle, which fits great when the bag is loaded up with my other gear.

Back Padding and Straps

The only big negative I saw again and again in reviews was the strap padding of this pack. After wearing this for a few weeks I can say it is a non issue for me. The straps are light and thin and do not cause any fatigue to my shoulders. I could see it maybe being an issue with the larger pack fully loaded out, but to me these are perfect. The back of the bag is comfortable as well, with the same lightweight padding as the straps. My favorite feature of the back is the luggage passthrough and I can't wait to put it to use on my next air travel.

As you can tell, I am a big fan of this bag after just a few weeks of EDC. At first I had a little sticker shock at the $230 price tag, but after viewing a lot of other bags with similar features, this bag is priced in line with the class.

I plan to continue to use my Patagonia Black Hole bag for things like hiking, biking and strenuous activity and the PeakDesign for photography assignments, but I have found my new Every Day Carry.

With the toughness of the material this bag is built with, I no longer worry about the security of my laptop and electronic inside. Built like a tank with a good looking profile, I can see the Yeti Crossroads 27L lasting a lifetime.

[5/4/2024 UPDATE]

I recently returned from an international trip and carried this bag on as a personal item and thought the experience of flight, foreign travel and customs deserved it's own little blurb in this review. Considering one of the main original reasons I purchased this bag was for travel, I am pleased to say it was an absolute breeze to tote through airports, shuttles and flights.

The 27L Crossroads bag provided plenty of space for all of my essentials that I didn't want to leave my side during the trip- medicine bag, sunglasses, Beats Studio Pro headphones, passports, water bottle, camera, chargers/batteries/etc. I actually found the internal water bottle pockets extremely user friendly on the plane and in TSA. Normall, I have a bottle bouncing around, getting caught on the seat or tray. Storing the bottle inside give this bag a sleek and comfortable profile that travels smoothly. The luggage passthrough on the back of the bag was tremendous. I loved throwing the bag over my luggage to roll through the airport (that may be normal for some readers, but I have never had a backpack with this feature before and it was a main selling point for me). A common concern about the Crossroads backpacks is the light padding on the straps, but I had zero issue with comfort when this bag was loaded down for the return trip. To help compress the load, I used the compression straps for this trip. For my every day carry, I remove them for ease of access on the sides. I used this backpack for everything while on the trip- it went to the pool, beach and excursions in the Mexican countryside, performing each task admirably and with room to spare. At the start of one day I even had a compliment on it in the elevator. I feel confident now saying that this is the best backpack I have ever owned.

Review stats:

Looks- 9.5/10

Toughness- 9.75/10

Price point- 7/10

Interior layout- 9/10

Laptop sleeve- 10/10

Everyday carriable- 9.25/10

[New update] Airline score- 9.5/10

Overall- 9.25/10

[zachfrailey]

Morris Island Lighthouse | Take II

A couple years after my initial visit to Folly Beach, South Carolina, to see the Morris Island Lighthouse, I returned for another go 'round. This time armed with just my trusty Fuji X100V, my friend Ben and I spent a little over an hour tramping around the edge of the island recording the sights. With limited focal length and color tones I find only the Fuji X100 brings out, I spent much time lining up natural frames with the interesting surroundings available.

'til next adventure... -Z

[zachfrailey]

Revisiting the Angel Oak

A couple years ago I had the opportunity to visit an East Coast bucket list location- the Angel Oak tree outside Charleston, SC, on John's Island. An unexpected trip back to Charleston gave my friend Ben and I a chance to revisit the sprawling tree once again. The Angel Oak is a southern live oak tree estimated to be 400-500 years old. Despite hurricane damage and danger of encroaching development, the tree has been able to thrive under the care of the City of Charleston.

The light and shade under the tree (and the crowd of people there at all times) makes for a challenging and rewarding photography study. The following were all shot on Fuji X100V.

[zachfrailey]

Monochrome NYC

On a recent visit to New York City, I visited two main tourist sites-- the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building-- armed with my trusty Fuji X100F and plans of black and white edits. Here are a selection of the fruits of my labor!

[zachfrailey]

Morris Island Lighthouse

There are a few things that have long been on my “must shoot bucket list,” one being the Morris Island Lighthouse. So on a recent visit to Charleston, SC, I was excited to realize I was in the right neighborhood. I’ve been drawn to this lighthouse standing in the ocean for years, and was finally lucky enough to visit it two days in a row, by land and by boat!

The Morris Island Lightnouse stands north of Folly Beach at the southern end of the entrance of the Port of Charleston. When construction was completed in 1876, the lighthouse stood well back from the shoreline. However construction of jetties to protect the shipping channels into Charleston were completed in the 1890s altered ocean currents and caused rapid erosion of Morris Island. By 1938, the shoreline reached the base of the lighthouse. In 1962 the lighthouse was decommissioned.

You may recognize it from the Netflix series, “Outer Banks,” despite it being a state away from NC in real life.

[zachfrailey]

Chincoteague Swing Bridge (1940-2011)

You ride in the car all day, cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, stop for dinner, hop back in the car and ride some more. Finally you reach T’s Corner and take a left. Several minutes later you pass the big satellite dishes of NASA, roll down the windows and smell the marsh as you leave the mainland. The tires of the minivan rumble on the steel girders of the drawbridge and at long last, you’re on Chincoteague Island.

That’s how I remember my childhood vacations. From the mid-80s until 2010, a great week in the summer started that same way. In 2011, the rumble of the bridge was replaced by a long, smooth span connecting to the island.

From 1940 until 2010 Chincoteague’s swing bridge was the last crossing for everyone visiting the island by car. The bridge was removed in 2011 with the base still standing as a pier.

Knowing it would be the last time I got to see the memorable old bridge, I shot a load of photos on August 4, 2010. These are those images. Hopefully they bring you the same memories I have.

[zachfrailey]

Minotaur IV Launch, July 2020 | NASA Wallops Island

I have been vacationing on Chincoteague Island at least once, sometimes twice, a year my whole life. It’s always an amazing time. But one thing has always eluded me- a rocket launch from neighboring Wallops Island, home of NASA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. When I arrived for vacation early in July, I picked up a newspaper and saw “Minotaur launch scheduled for July 15″ on the cover. The 15th was our travel day to return home, but I was not going to miss finally seeing a launch! Scheduled for 9:00, there was a delay due to boats in the launch radius, but at 9:46 am, liftoff occurred!

The Minotaur IV rocked had four classified payloads for the National Reconnaissance Office and the U.S. Space Force handled the launch. Enjoy some photos from a memorable day! These are presented in chronological order and were shot from along the causeway between Chincoteague and Assateague Island, a great place to view if you’re ever lucky enough to be on the island on launch day.

[zachfrailey]

Blue Ridge + Black and White

Hey everyone. Wow, been a while. Over a year since my last post? I say this all the time, but I want to update more often. We’ll see if I stick with it this time!

During an October visit to Western North Carolina and the Blue Ridge Parkway, I thought it would be fun to set up one of my cameras to shoot monochrome images for the entire trip. I ended up having a blast with the experiment! The following images were made with an old Fuji x100s set to monochrome with yellow filter. Of course I also shot full color images with my Canon, but these were the most fun ;-) Was having huge Hugh Morton vibes...

[zachfrailey]

Ferncliff Peninsula Fossils | Ohiopyle, PA

A hike along the Youghiogheny River on the Ferncliff Peninsula side of Ohiopyle Falls will take you over boulders and large rocks. If you look carefully, you’ll find many reminders of a more tropical time, 300 million years ago. One neat aspect of the Ferncliff area, in addition to the unusual climate and plant life there, is the long gone plant life left behind.

Calamites fossil along the Youghiogheny River. This grew to about 100 feet tall and went extinct 250 million years ago.

300 million years ago the area was a tropical swamp covered in a shallow sea. Ferns and trees grew 80-100 feet high in the standing water. The plants were trapped in sandstone. Over many, many years, the sandstone was worn away revealing the impressions of these long extinct plants.

Lepidodendron, aka “scale tree.” This went extinct 250M years ago.

Not sure how to identify this one, but it’s the most unique I found.

An interesting Cordaites that rises above the rock, after the erosion of the sandstone around it. This is similar to what grows in the everglades.

Another Calamite.

A Lepidodendron peeking out from under the moss.

Some random impressions on a large, well-worn boulder.

I’ve always had a fascination with prehistoric life and archeology, so it was really neat to see these all along my hike!

[zachfrailey]

The sun rises on a hazy summer morning on Assateague Island, on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

[zachfrailey]

“Tank Farm”

A field not far from the Ohio River northwest of Pittsburgh houses an interesting piece of WWII history. The Monaca Air Force Petroleum Oil and Lubricant Retail Distribution Facility (MAFPOL), referred to as the “tank farm,” was constructed in the early 1940s. Here, 10 million gallons of jet fuel was mixed and stored underground. To hide it from the potential peeping Nazi eyes and bombs, an ordinary looking farm was constructed on the top side of the top-secret site. 

(Above) A barn, which in the 1940′s covered a mixing tank facility, stands with most of its siding removed, showing its steel skeleton.

The Tank Farm is an interesting peek into Western Pennsylvania’s war effort and would make a very neat interpretive site, in my opinion.

(Above) The steel skeleton and concrete base of barn bare a remaining reminder that this was no ordinary farm.

Two of the original buildings remain- a dilapidated barn which covered a storage tank and blending station and a stone “farmhouse,” which served as the wash house and generating station.The tanks were removed in 2012.

(Above) The stone house remaining on site housed a wash house and generator (below). It’s a well-built building which was meant to resemble a farm house.

Originally, the farm consisted of two two gas-blending plants, two valve houses, two booster pump houses, a fire station, guard house, a wash house for workers, an electrical generating plant, storage sheds, a water pumping station, and a pistol and rifle range. An underground pipeline branched off to a barge unloading station by the Ohio River and to a truck and rail unloading station.

(Above) The stone ‘farm house’ stands in the middle of a field, with the remains of one of the property’s barns (below) standing a hundred yards or so away.

Info from: http://www.pottertwp-pa.gov/?page_id=700

[zachfrailey]

Low Iodine Diet: Venison Backstrap

I grew up eating deer meat every now and then, but was never really blown away by it. So when I began my LID, I didn’t give thought to venison. Until my boss gave me a pack of backstrap. Incredible. Simple. Delicious. Blow is the recipe I used.

What you need:

1 lb. venison backstrap (I diced mine)

Kosher, non-iodized salt

Pepper

Canola oil

Cast iron griddle

Step 1:

Heat grill on high heat. Apply about 2 tbsp oil on griddle. Place it on grill until hot. Cut skin from meat. Allow venison to warm to room temperature. I diced mine after.

Step 2:

Place meat on hot griddle. Season with salt and pepper. Cook without moving until blood begins to bubble to the top. Turn all pieces.

Step 3:

Season again and cook until juices bubble clear. Should take less than 5-7 minutes total for both sides. That’s it!

I served my venison with homemade potato chips, but I ate half the meat before the potatoes were done.

[zachfrailey]

Radiation Week: Part III

Today was a day that’s been on the radar for months now. Scan day. To say it’s a big day in this cancer journey would be an understatement. I’ve kept my nerves under wraps for the most part since that day in February that I was diagnosed, but in the past couple days, my worry has gotten the best of me. I was so anxious this morning I couldn’t sleep. Well, I’m happy to report that my scans came back clear.

The doctor is confident my thyroid cancer was caught at Stage I and didn’t spread. And I can’t stop smiling. It’s like a weight I didn’t know existed was lifted off of me. What’s more, is that my amazing surgeon at Allegheny General was able to remove 98.9% of the thyroid tissue in my neck, which apparently is an extremely impressive surgery. I was treated with radioactive iodine (which was my hope and prayer all along) and released. There will be a follow up scan in a week that will become my new baseline moving forward.

Now, after taking my radiation pills, I’m in isolation for a few days. It’ll be seven days until I’m able to hold my kids, which is tough. But I should get to see them in a couple of days at least for a hug. AND, 68 1/2 hours from the moment I’m writing this, I get to be off the low iodine diet. First meal: pizza and wings.

Thanks for all the well wishes, notes, prayers, vibes and thoughts lately and moving forward. I know this isn’t the end point, but I sure am glad to get some good news today. I’m going to beat this. This is an adventure.

[zachfrailey]

Radiation Week: Part II

Today I’m receiving I-123 capsules, basically six iodine pills that’ll be absorbed by remaining thyroid tissue and cancerous cells in the general area of my thyroid to prep for a scan tomorrow morning. The scan will determine my dosage of radiation, which will be administered tomorrow. If the scan turns up more tissue than thought, radiation gets scrapped and another surgery gets planned.

Quick visit today. Tomorrow will be more drawn out. Nothing much to report other than I swallowed my pills without a problem (I have problems with pills often). Nervous about the scan and hopeful that radiation is the route. Got to do something to take my mind off things today.

[zachfrailey]

Low Iodine Diet- Pineapple BBQ Chicken

Today I swung by the store to buy some organic chicken for our chicken salad dinner. Having not a stem lunch yet, I got an extra pack to toss on the grill. I had been craving a sweeter recipe lately, so I grabbed some presliced fresh pineapples as well. I got home without a recipe and got to work.

What I used:

3 thin sliced organic chicken breasts from Martin’s

About 1/2 cup homemade LID-friendly BBQ sauce

About 1/2 cup pineapple juice

6 thick slices fresh pineapple

Step 1: Mix BBQ sauce and pineapple juice. The LID BBQis pretty thick, so it took a little effort to get them mixed.

Step 2: Heat up the grill to high heat. Brush a cast iron griddle with oil to cook on (I’ve been using that griddle religiously lately). Place griddle on grill until hot.

Step 3: Place chicken and pineapples on griddle. I sprinkled them with brown sugar as well (no reason other than, why not?) Brush on the bbq/pineapple juice mixture.

Step 4: I cooked them, flipping multiple times, basting with the bbq/pineapple, until the juices in the skillet pretty much dried up. Seemed to be the perfect amount of time. The pineapples were delicious!

Served on a bed of Batsami rice.

[zachfrailey]

Radiation Week: Part I

This week is pretty much been in the making since I started this journey in February. First it was surgery, then the diet/stopping medication and eventually the radioactive iodine. In reality, it’s not the last step, but it has felt like it since I found out about the cancer. A definitive set of dates to look forward to.

Today, to start it all, was testing.

I had a blood test which will check my thyroid hormone levels and also a urine test to check iodine levels. I’m assuming both will be where they need to be because I’ve been obsessively strict with my diet. If all goes as planned, I’ll be eating a giant pizza on Friday ;-)

Of course, there’s a chance the whole plan blows up in my face. Wednesday morning I’ll have a low dose of radiation followed by a scan in the afternoon. That scan will show the extent of the radioactive iodine uptake. I already know the cancer spread to lymph nodes, but if it’s spread too far from the remaining thyroid tissue, the radioactive iodine won’t eliminate it. In that event, the radiation plan ends and surgery is scheduled. Let’s hope that’s not the case.

More on Wednesday! Thanks for the positive vibes.

This is an adventure.