Lightning Storm - September 23, 2011

All photos taken in Shafter, CA.

Union Pacific Coast Line

My favorite rail line is the Union Pacific Coast Line.  It runs from LA to San Franscisco and is divided into two subdivisions.  The Santa Barbara Subdivision extends south from San Luis Obispo to LA and the Coast Subdivision extends north from San Luis Obispo to San Francisco.  The scenery along the Coast Line is amazing.  In 1996 I began to photograph the Coast Line as much as possible.  Below are some of my favorite Coast Line pictures from 1996.



E-9's in San Luis Obispo, CA.




E-9's in San Luis Obispo, CA.




Santa Margarita, CA.




San Luis Obispo, CA.



San Luis Obispo, CA.

San Luis Obispo, CA.

View of Amtrak from the cab of Southern Pacific 9815.  San Luis Obispo, CA.

Grover Beach, CA.

Guadalupe, CA.

Thunderstorm!

Last Saturday, September 10, severe thunderstorms rolled across most of Kern County.  I haven't seen storms like this in over a decade.  Below are some of my favorites.  All photos were taken from within my garage.

Wind Turbines and Trains

Today we went for a drive.  After church and lunch with friends we took off for the mountain community of Tehachapi.  Our first stop was the famous Tehachapi Loop.  We got there in time to see a train make the journey around the loop.  Next, we headed for the wind turbines east of Tehachapi.  Finally, we made our last stop at Tunnel 2 near Caliente to see one more train.  It was a fun day for all and we look forward to more weekend road trips.

Sunrise

My favorite time of day is early morning, just before the sun comes up.  It is so peaceful and everything seems right in the world.  I had to leave early for work this morning and I got to start my day off right by watching the sunrise.

Sunflowers

A sunflower field near Zamora, CA. 

Photo Of The Day - Amtrak 2010 West

Today's photo was taken January 25, 2010 in Wasco, Ca.  This westbound Amtrak California train was slowing as it approached the station in Wasco but you wouldn't be able to tell with the motion blur.  With a combination of panning, zooming the lens in, and a slow shutter speed I was able to keep the locomotive in focus and everything else blurry giving the impression of great speed.