Railroad, Photography, Road Trip
Joe Perry
PROMONTORY: The Hallowed Ground of America's ...

Despite the start to our morning, today was going to be a great day because we were headed to one of my favorite locations — the Golden Spike National Historic Site at Promontory, Utah. We got cleaned up and broke camp. We planned on spending the night on public land somewhere near the Golden Spike National Historic Site so we made certain to empty our waste tanks and fill the fresh water tank...

PROMONTORY: The Hallowed Ground of America's Western Railroad History
Road Trip, Photography
Joe Perry
A Night's Rest and Then Northbound

Once the sun had set on our eclipse viewing adventure, we high-tailed it east to Cedar City, Utah for a much-needed night’s rest. There was no need, nor desire at this point, to return to Beaver Dam State Park back in the mountains. It had been a long and adventure-filled day filled with driving and taking photos. Nearly 13 hours after we left North Las Vegas, we tucked in at the Cedar City Walmart around 9:00 PM…

A Night's Rest and Then Northbound
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PROMONTORY: The Hallowed Ground of America's Western Railroad History

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PROMONTORY: The Hallowed Ground of America's Western Railroad History

Despite the start to our morning, today was going to be a great day because we were headed to one of my favorite locations — the Golden Spike National Historic Site at Promontory, Utah. We got cleaned up and broke camp. We planned on spending the night on public land somewhere near the Golden Spike National Historic Site so we made certain to empty our waste tanks and fill the fresh water tank...

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A Night's Rest and Then Northbound

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A Night's Rest and Then Northbound

Once the sun had set on our eclipse viewing adventure, we high-tailed it east to Cedar City, Utah for a much-needed night’s rest. There was no need, nor desire at this point, to return to Beaver Dam State Park back in the mountains. It had been a long and adventure-filled day filled with driving and taking photos. Nearly 13 hours after we left North Las Vegas, we tucked in at the Cedar City Walmart around 9:00 PM…

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Playing Hide and Seek

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Playing Hide and Seek

On Saturday, May 19, 2012, with high levels of anticipation and excitement Deb and I pulled out of our driveway — our “big trip” had begun. As I headed towards the freeway I ran through the several checklists of items we needed to bring and tasks we needed to perform. Green light, all items packed and our rig and ourselves were ready. I mashed the accelerator as I turned onto the freeway on-ramp. Next stop Las Vegas, Nevada…

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The Big Trip: Overview

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Burned Out Having worked on a major project at the office for nearly a year — and, to a lesser extent, needing to take a break from my studies in order to create my commercial for the Union Pacific’s “Great Big Rollin’ Railroad” video remake contest — Deb and I planned a rather ambitious two-week road trip across the Midwest. As planned, the trip contained several key elements that made this trip one of our most anticipated journeys and it did not disappoint…

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My Submission to Union Pacific's "Great Big Rollin' Railroad" Video Remake Contest

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…or The Last Six Months of My Life At the beginning of the year I came across this press release disclosing the fact that the Union Pacific Railroad would be holding a contest to launch the celebrations for their 150th year. It sounded like a perfect opportunity for me to expand my foray into railroad graphic arts so I eargerly set about to create a submission for the contest…

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Unique Track Side Photo and Viewing Opportunity

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Now I am not an astromoner, nor a scienist, at any level so keep that in mind as read this post. I do, as does Deb, enjoy amatuer astronomy though and we try to follow or view most astronomical events as time permits. As such, there is an upcoming event that we are excited about along with the photgraphic possiblities that come along with it…

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Cajon Pass Chase Map

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I have always had a huge interest in maps for as far back as I can remember. In all of my pursuits over the years, maps were either a necessary tool to accomplish the task at hand or an adjunct to augment the experience. As a child I had a massive aeronautical chart of Los Angeles hanging on my wall and I would study it for hours. Through that exercise I garnered an appreciation for distance and topography, as well as infrastructure and the historical aspects of the places listed before me. Soon maps became part of me and I would seek out and go to map stores like some kids would go to record stores or arcades…

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A Short Seasonal Sojourn to Siberia

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Despite being on vacation for nearly two weeks during the Christmas holiday, I had yet to venture trackside at any capacity. My time was filled shopping for Christmas gifts, preparing the house for the holidays and entertaining our guests. Eventually Christmas came and went, followed closely by New Years, and, at last, my time had come. It was time to chase some steel before I had to return to work and I began to consider possible destinations…

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Holiday Leftovers from LAUPT

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As the lack of recents posts atest to, I have been crazy busy lately. Not only have I been working a ton to finish a large project by year’s end at the office, but the holidays are upon us and we are entertaining out-of-state guests for a few weeks. As if that wasn’t enough, I have also spent all of my spare time learning a unique subject that has always interested me. Soon I will prepare a post on the topic and the byproduct of all my research and learning…

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UP 844, a Mountain, a Mob, and Me

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As I described in in my previous post, “”UP” for a Chase? 844 Comes to California,” Union Pacific’s famous steam engine, the UP No. 844, is in California and garnering quite the attention in the process. On Saturday, November 19, 2011, the UP 844 lead the Centennial Tour train eastbound from West Colton, California to Yermo, California. The route the train was scheduled to take was over BNSF rails up and over the scenic and challenging Cajon Pass. It was the making of a perfect photo opportunity and I headed out early Saturday morning, almost dutifully, to get in position…

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"UP" for a Chase? 844 Comes to California

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Today marks the beginning of the “return-trip” for Union Pacific’s “Living Legend,” No. 844, after participating in what Union Pacific dubbed the Centennial Tour to help New Mexico and Arizona celebrate their one-hundred years of statehood. Union Pacific’s No. 844 is the last steam locomotive built for Union Pacific, delivered in 1944, and will travel more than 2,900 miles from its base in Cheyenne, Wyoming during the 32-day, nine-state tour that will honor the rich railroad heritage of the scenic Southwest…

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Union Pacific Leads the Way

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Last night I settled in to my usual haunt, the easy chair in the front room, and perched upon my lap was my trusty Apple MacBook Pro. I had plans to research and craft a blog post that was long overdue. You see, the Union Pacific Railroad is embarking on a grand tour of the Southwest with one of their treasured and glorious steam engines replete with appropriate carriages of old in tow. The purpose of the event is best left described by a few passages from their press release…

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Union Pacific's ICTF Family Days 2011

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On Saturday, October 22, 2011, Union Pacific’s ICTF (Intermodal Container Transfer Facility) threw a party to honor the facility’s employees and their family members. It was also an opportunity to take off the hard hats and safety gear and just relax and enjoy good food and activities with other team members. The event was “ICTF Family Days 2011” and I was graciously extended and invitation to join in the fun and frivolity. So I cleared a couple of hours off of my busy schedule and headed towards the heart of the Los Angeles/Long Beach harbor region…

Changing the World

I was stunned and shocked. I was seated on the floor of the trains “quiet car”, I boarded too late to get a seat, and I took a look around to see if other’s had received a similar message. Most of my fellow passengers were reading a book or already fast asleep, although there were a few others busily burying their faces in their mobile devices. I surfed the web for confirmation and quickly received it. I was devastated. I sent a text to my closest friends and a “tweet” as tears filled my eyes…

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BNSF Unveils a New Site for "Friends"

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A few days ago BNSF unveiled a new web offering called “Friends of BNSF.” According to John Ambler, BNSF vice president, Corporate Relations, “Friends of BNSF will allow us to keep the community informed about issues that are important to freight rail transportation and its role in the U.S. economy. Rail fans, freight rail advocates, members of communities in which BNSF operates, and of course our employees and retirees are all welcome at Friends of BNSF.”

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Our Best Trip Ever - Part 14 - Heading Home

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After leaving Pica we headed towards Yampai. In an eastbound context, Yampai marks the end of the Yampai Canyon and from here BNSF’s trackage descend towards Pica and into Aubrey Valley for the run to Seligman. Yampai is rather remote yet offers some compelling opportunities, depending on local road and lighting conditions, so I wanted to try my luck there…

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Our Best Trip Ever - Part 13 - West Out of Seligman

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After a nice and chilled evening at the Seligman/Route 66 KOA, we packed up the next morning and “prepared the cabin for departure.” After dumping our waste water and filling our propane tanks we headed out westbound on Route 66 through Seligman, Arizona. At this point we didn’t have any particular destination in mind. Rather, we knew the route we wanted to travel though. We wanted to stay on Route 66, which follows the BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision, as it meanders through some of the most beautiful scenery in northern Arizona. Interstate 40 takes a more direct and southernly route from Seligman directly to Kingman, Arizona. We were taking the road less traveled…

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Our Best Trip Ever - Part 12 - Seligman, Stackers, Sunset

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Having had a great time exploring the “back country” of BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision, and truthfully a little dogged out from the rough roads, I was content to head towards Selgiman for the night. We had spent some time there on previous trips but we only used Seligman as a base for operations and we never really spent time photographing the area. I knew there were some nice spots with a lot of potential so we left Crookton and drove the few miles west to Seligman to get a spot for the night…

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Our Best Trip Ever - Part 11 - On the Cut-Off

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Despite my fears of a big cat looking for dinner, we slept well, deep in the heart of Kaibab National Forest. After I awoke and as I made a quick walk around the area where we camped, surveying for animal tracks as much as looking for a good shot, I thought of the today’s plan. We are now fairly far removed from all the trappings of a modern society. “No billboards, no buildings, no graffiti, no power lines — nothing to spoil a scene,” I pondered…