I arrived in Denver by train and immediately got hit with altitude issues. I don’t get altitude sickness exactly, but I do get winded when I have no time to adjust. Along my way north, I stopped at Rocky Mountain National Park. Unfortunately, because it was even higher, I could not do any hiking as I was just getting hit too hard by the altitude. Instead, I spent an enjoyable afternoon driving around and looking from the outlooks. One part of the park that I thought was special was how evident the tree line was. As the road approaches the highest part of the park, there are signs noting that you are entering an alpine environment, which is a sensitive ecosystem. The views are lovely.
Tag Archives: Travel
California Zephyr
I’m traveling to the west, and I decided to take the train. I took the California Zephyr from Chicago to Denver. I have heard if you take this train past Denver through the Rocky Mountains, it is one of the most beautiful train rides in the US. However that is a ride for another day. There is something very relaxing about taking the train and just staring out at the countryside. A few photos of the view are below. Not my greatest photos, but you try taking good photos through the dirty window of a fast moving train.
Somewhere in Illinois
Somewhere in Illinois: I think that is soy crops, but I was amused by corn that was popping up in the soy field.
Somewhere in Illinois
Traveling over the mighty Mississippi
Somewhere in Colorado
Chicago Architecture River Cruise
I’m traveling to the west for the solar eclipse and vacation, and I decided to take the train. I had to change trains in Chicago, so I decided to spend the night and have some time to explore Chicago. I decided to start with a river cruise focusing on the architecture. Like most old and big cities, Chicago has a lovely mix of old and new buildings. It has classic old stone buildings, modern buildings (as in the modern architecture era), post-modern buildings, and whatever era we are in now. I am also curious about the engineering that must have gone into many of the buildings as they were built right on the river’s banks. A cruise on its rivers is a great way to see some of them. A few photos I took are below.
Potomac Eagle
About a month ago, I went for a ride on the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad. The train follows a gorgeous path through the West Virginia country side, the highlight of which is through a gorge of the South Branch of the Potomac River known as the Trough. The train is called the Potomac Eagle because you are almost guaranteed to see bald eagles while in the Trough. I think we saw almost ten. I got photographs of about five. Truthfully even if I hadn’t seen the eagles, the scenery was worth the trip.
West Virginia countryside
Farmland
Entering the Trough
The Trough
The Trough
The Trough
The Trough
The Trough
The Trough
The Trough
The Trough
Bald eagles
Bald eagle and its nest
St. Michaels, Maryland
Last week I went to historic St. Michaels, where I walked around town and also visited the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. St. Michaels is a cute little town with many shops selling interesting items, especially items with a crab theme. The museum is nice and informative. It focuses on the Chesapeake Bay’s history, economy, and people. I also got a chance to cruise aboard the Schooner Sultana. The Sultana is a reproduction of a merchant vessel that served in the British Royal Navy from 1768 to 1772.
Downtown St. Michaels
Downtown St. Michaels
Christ Church
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
The lighthouse at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
View of the Miles River while aboard the Sultana
The Schooner Sultana sailing on the Miles River
View of the Schooner Sultana sails
Duquesne Incline
This is the Duquesne Incline in Pittsburgh. It is considered part of the public transportation system of Pittsburgh.
It is also a wonderful place to view Pittsburgh, especially downtown, and many of its bridges. If you are ever in Pittsburgh, go there. The ride is fun, and the view from the viewing platform at the top is amazing. As a side note, Pittsburgh has a lot of bridges, and they are all lovely.
PPG Place
It is probably a photographer thing, but sometimes I see something, and I just have to take a thousand photographs of it to capture how interesting it is or the cool way it looks. This is particularly true when I see really interesting architecture with interesting lines or reflections or curves or whatever. The Comcast Center in Philadelphia was one such building because of the way it almost disappeared into the sky. PPG Place in Pittsburgh is another such piece of architecture. It is not so much the shape of the buildings, but it is the way they reflect the buildings around them that I find so interesting. I love reflections. I love photographing reflections. I also love how somewhat similar to Comcast Center, it almost blends into the sky by reflecting the blue. So while in Pittsburgh, I took a huge number of photographs of PPG Place because I was just so intrigued and captivated by the way it reflected its surroundings. 
Pittsburgh
I wanted to get away for a short vacation, so I went to Pittsburgh for a day. Why Pittsburgh? Well, why not? Also, getting to and from Pittsburgh involved two very pretty, long train rides, which was half the reason for the trip. Anyway, Pittsburgh is an amazingly walkable city, especially downtown. You can walk across all (I think) the bridges, and there are pedestrian and bike paths everywhere. Downtown has a lovely mix of old and new buildings. Basically I could wander around for a day taking photos, which was exactly what I wanted and what I did.
Building reflections downtown
Old tiled building juxtaposed with PPG glass building
Rather unique old building tower
Art deco (?) building
Fort Pitt Bridge over Monongahela River
Point State Park
Heinz Field
Fort Pitt Bridge over Monongahela River with downtown in background
North Shore Riverwalk with Fort Duquesne Bridge in background
Downtown viewed from across the Allegheny River
Robert Clemente Bridge and downtown
The white in the background is the convention center roof, which I assume was designed to have the same catenary curve as the suspension bridges seen in foreground
Lichen on Granite
While in Stage Fort Park in Gloucester in Massachusetts’s northern shore, there were several huge granite boulders that were covered with lichen. It was thus therefore required for me to bring out my macro lens and take photos of it. I love lichen. I love granite. I love lichen on granite.
Northern Massachusetts Shore
While in Boston for a few days, my friend Kristen said I need to get out the city and see Massachusetts’s northern shore. I think she was hunting lighthouses, but I was just looking for pretty views and classic New England. We found all of that visiting Gloucester and Rockport.
Stage Fort Park
Stage Fort Park
Gloucester Fisherman’s Memorial
Lobster pots
“Motif Number 1” on Bradley Wharf in Rockport
Rockport
Thacher Island Twin Lights