Tag Archives: crossing

Is Crossing the Runway Now a Good Idea?

At the fly in at Concrete last year, I was looking up the runway at approaching planes.  There are designated crossing points for the runway but people are able to cross elsewhere if they like.  I saw a guy with canes heading towards the runway.  He was not moving fast so I figured he would wait for the landing aircraft.  He kept moving but I was sure he would check whether it was safe to go.  Nope, he just kept on going while a plane was on short final.  At some point he must have realized that crossing a runway can come with some peril and he suddenly started moving a bit faster – not fast, but at least faster.  Meanwhile, the pilot on approach either didn’t see him or decided he would miss him so didn’t go around.  The whole thing was one of those that you witness with a little incredulity.

Look Both Ways When Crossing the Road

While parked up at East 90 and watching the birds hunt, I glanced behind me – always a wise plan – and saw a northern harrier coming in my general direction.  It flew low across the field and over the road before finding a perch.  As I looked through the images afterwards, I found it funny to see the bird crossing what seemed to be not far behind a vehicle.  I hope it had been taught how to cross the road.

A little while later, the same process was followed by a bald eagle.  The shot makes it look like it was actually coming along the road but I think that is just compression of perspective.  It was probably this side of the road.  It also safely made its way across without having any conflict with passing vehicles.  Maybe the local birds have copies of the Green Cross Code (for those of you of a certain age that grew up in the UK).

Tokul Trestle Bridge

The thing that attracted me to a stroll along the Snoqualmie Valley Trail was the presence of an old railway trestle bridge.  Known as the Tokul Trestle, it seemed to be on a curve over a deep valley based on what I could see on Google Maps.  What I didn’t know was how much you could see of it from either side.  Only one way to find out I guess.

It wasn’t a terribly long walk from where I had parked the car to get to the trestle.  When you don’t know a route, it always feels a bit longer but walking back seems a far shorter journey.  Since the trestle was on a curve and the route was very tree lined, it was pretty much out of sight until I was nearly upon it.  The majority of the trestle seems pretty old but there is a center section that seems to be more modern.  Of course, that could have been there for ages and the whole bridge was maybe restored when the trail was being created.  If I had done some research, I might have been able to tell you!

The curve of the bridge is quite gradual and, as I had wondered, the approaches are tree lined which makes getting too much of an angle on the bridge tricky.  A drone would be a very handy thing for getting a broader view of the bridge or being down on the river bed below.  Not sure who owns that but there is a firing range down there somewhere which I could hear along part of the walk.  You can get down on the sides of the bridge at each end to get a bit more of a view of the structure and I did check that out.  Since I was alone in an area without much cellphone reception, though, I didn’t get too adventurous.

There is something about trestle bridges that really fascinates me.  They seem quintessentially American to me.  In the UK, rail bridges of old are either iron or brick.  They look impressive too and make for great photo subjects.  However, the trestle is something that evokes images of old steam locos crossing the country with wide flared smokestacks.  The idea that they are still around and in good working order continues to surprise me.

Waiting for the Ferry at Kingston

On our way home from Port Townsend, we took the ferry from Kingston to Edmonds.  We got there just as one ferry was leaving so we were safely guaranteed a space on the next one.  Rather than sit in the car, I walked down to the overlook of the water so I could see what was moving out on the water.  In the end, it was mainly watching the ferry that had just left as it headed away and then looking out for our ferry as it made the crossing and approached.  I was quite surprised how few people came to have a look given that it was a lovely day and there were loads of cars waiting to board!

Virgin Atlantic Multiple Crosses at SFO

My last time shooting at SFO, I got shots of a Virgin Atlantic 787 arriving.  Crossing shots are not unusual at SFO as the jets on approach will often have departing jets in the background.  The Virgin jet had this.  It also had a second crossing shot a little earlier on the approach.  A jet heading over the bay to pick up the approach further down was directly behind the 787 just after it passed Coyote Point.

Does Cold Water Help Tired Muscles?

Two of the later obstacles in the Spartan Race involved water.  The first was crossing a small river.  It wasn’t too deep but the cold water on tired leg muscles was not nice.  The banks were also getting very muddy and slippery given the number of contestants that had been before.  Then there was a second water crossing.  This was across and back the river with bank climbs on both sides.  The water was also a lot deeper and the bottom of the river was uneven.  Here people really struggled and the tiredness was really showing.

Level Crossings in the City

The number of train routes in Tokyo is substantial and the lines run through many of the neighborhoods.  Having been there for a long time, the towns have grown up around them.  Roads cross them on back streets and there are footpaths that cross the tracks too.  As I walked up to Shinjuku, I cross the tracks at one of these crossings.

Making the crossing was not a problem but you did need to pay attention.  The track was double and the trains came every couple of minutes.  When the alert sounded, a sign accompanied it with an arrow showing the direction the train was going.  This was very helpful in ensuring you didn’t think the train had gone and you could start to cross only to find a train coming the other way.  I actually had to wait for three trains as, by the time the second train had passed, a third was coming from the original direction.  They really do come that often.  Looking up to the station, I could see a train in the platform with another one slowing as it approached the station.  Trains really are the dominant form of transportation in Tokyo from what I saw.

Dangerous Ways to Cross a River

The trail along the Alameda Creek takes you under a couple of bridges.  One is a road bridge and the other is a rail bridge.  I walked under the rail bridge and, as I came out of the other side, a guy walked past me and up to the bridge deck.  He was carrying a couple of containers as if he had just done some shopping.  He then turned and walked on to the tracks.  I stepped over the rail and headed along the track on the ties (sleepers for those of you in the U.K.)

I was rather surprised by this.  The bridge was only a single track width and it did not appear to have any spare space at the edges.  He also didn’t seem to be in too much of a hurry.  I had to watch what was going to happen.  I had no idea how busy the line was but this did not look like a good plan.  He strolled across the river.  As he was getting towards the other side, I thought I could hear a train horn.  Sure enough, an Amtrak train appeared ahead.  The engineer obviously saw him and was sounding the horn.  The guy kept strolling but was clearly going to get across in time.  He eventually stepped over the rail and down the slope on the opposite bank as the train came closer.  I don’t know whether he knew the schedule but, if he had been in the middle rather than where he was, this could have ended very badly.

Rochelle Rail Park

AU0E8340.jpgRochelle IL is about half way between Chicago and the Mississippi River. For those with an interest in railroading, it is known as a location where the Union Pacific and the BNSF railroads cross. The town has taken this crossing to heart and created a park where the two lines intersect. There is a place to sit under cover and watch the trains come through while there are areas for kids to play. There is even a gift shop that stocks railroad related gifts.

AU0E8337.jpgI was in Rochelle for work and my colleagues were interested in seeing where the crossing was located so, during a lunch break, we headed to see it. It was a rather hot day so hanging around in the sun did not seem like a good idea to me. I went straight to the covered area to stay in the shade while they took a look around. Of course, I wasn’t going to go somewhere without taking my camera along.

AU0E8346.jpgWe weren’t there terribly long but we did have a few trains come through. If I had thought about things, I might have come better prepared and had some hearing protection. The two tracks cross on the flat and then there are grade crossings for the local streets so they sound their horns as they come through. In such close proximity, this is a touch loud!

AU0E8329.jpg

First Crossing Shot of the Season

wpid5346-AU0E3025.jpgJust a quick joke.  I was out shooting wildlife when there were a couple of airliners overhead.  It is a bit early in the year for airshows but I guess this might count as my first crossing shot of two jets for the year.  Hopefully there will be a few more!