A Little Closer....,

 

After a morning at Tehachapi Loop,watching the trains from afar,  we decided to spend the afternoon getting a closer look and moved to a spot to get a closer look at the train engines as they rolled by.

 

 

 I'm always amazed how train engines can pull so much weight behind them.

 

 

 

 

 For loud, clumsy and strong behemoths, trains can also be very photogenic!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RoadTrippin' on Route 66 thru Tucumcari , NM

"Highway 66 is the main migrant road. … 66 is the path of a people in flight. … 66 is the mother road, the road of flight." -John Steinbeck

 

 

Tucumcari is a small town in east New Mexico and a popular stop for those of us "who get our kicks on Route 66"

 

 

 

When traveling on Route 66 through Tucumcari you can see the remains of another era.

 

 

 

 A part of me was thrilled to be able to be able to photograph this historic part of Americana.

 

 

 

 The other part of me was sad to see so many buildings and businesses shut down and in disrepair.

 

 

 

 It was nice to see some businesses still up and running though

 

 

 

 

Tepee Curios is one of the last remaining curio shops in New Mexico.

 

One of the best known landmark's in Tucumcari is the Blue Swallow Motel. Open since 1939, the motel is still in operation!

 

 

 

 

 Let's hope the sun isn't setting in the world where people hit the open road in search of fun and adventure. In fact, with more people hitting the road after COVID-19, let's see if we can revive the Mom and Pop shops along Route 66!

 

 

 

Lighthouse Love

As mentioned earlier in our alphabet soup, I am a big fan of Covered Bridges...and it maybe said, I am a bit in love (aka obsessed?) with lighthouses.  If we are driving along any body of water(lake, ocean, river...big puddle),  my eyes will be scanning the water's edge for lighthouses.  Today, I have gathered a few of my favorites lighthouses to share.

 

 

 Needless to say, living on the Pacific Coastline makes it a bunch easier to find lighthouses close by. The Battery Point Lighthouse(above) located in Crescent City, is located about an hour north.

 

 

 

This makes it one of my most photographed lighthouses. First lit on December 10, 1856, the Battery Point Lighthouse has been through everything from Rogue waves, to the 1964 Tsunami which battered the area. Although it is now privately lit, Battery Point Lighthouse still aids navigation today.
 

 

 

 

 Haceta Head is located along the winding coastline of Oregon and is my favorite Pacific Coast Lighthouse to date. Nestled into the side of a cliff overlooking the water, it gives access to both wonderful views from the lighthouse and lovely views of the lighthouse from designated vistas.  Imagine the work that went into its construction.

 

 

 

 

 As you might expect, due to the remote area, construction of the Lighthouse was a challenge. Breaking ground in February 1892, lumber was procured from local mills while the white masonry and cement came from San Francisco, and the rock was brought in from a quarry in Oregon City. Throw in a landslide that halted work on the lighthouse and then a delay on the lens delivery from New York. The Haceta Head Lighthouse didn't see its first lighting until March 1894. All the delays aside, the wait was worth it as the Haceta Head Lighthouse is a beautiful sight to see.

 

 

 

 Further up the coast just north of Newport, Oregon is another of my favorites, the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. Yaquina Head was formerly known as Cape Foulweather because of the frequent storms in the area. How fitting that this stormy lighthouse also has a reputation for being haunted.

 

 

 There are a few different ghost stories associated with Yaquina Head Lighthouse. One tale has a workman falling in between the double brick wall (built for insulation) who could not be rescued. Another story has a lighthouse keeper dying after falling in the lighthouse tower. 

Although neither story can be proven, I bet that on a stormy night in the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, both stories would succeed in frightening me!

 

 

 

I could go on and on(and on and on) about the lighthouses I love and have visited or just seen from a distance(like the Cape Arago Lighthouse above). Thanks for stopping by and sharing these few favorites.

 

 Are you also a fan of these towers of beauty? If so, do you have a favorite?

 

Information Gathered from Lighthouse Friends

 

 

Wait Toto, We ARE in Kansas

 

Things typically heard when I mention that a road trip will take me through Kansas:

 

"Oh my, I hear it is totally flat, won't it be boring? "

 

"Seriously, I hear it is all cornfields?"

 

"Why don't you pick some other route? I hear there is nothing to see in Kansas"

 I say, if you want to see the true beauty of Kansas, exit the freeway and take the scenic country roads.

 

 

 

 Miles of stone fencing built by pioneers  stretch over the rolling hills.

 

 

 

 

 

 Wonderful farmland and lovely red barns dot the countryside.

 

 

 

 

 

A Giant Van Gogh "Sunflowers" painting in Goodland is definitely a fun sight to stop and see in Kansas.

 

The moral of the story?  One persons "boring" is another persons beauty

AND

If you ever get the chance to drive through Kansas, do it!!

The Covered Bridges of Indiana

 

Road trips aren't necessarily about the destination, they are also about finding something along the journey to make it interesting. In my case, I like to hunt for lighthouses when traveling shorelines and, when I cruising inland highways, it's covered bridges I seek.  

A few years ago I threw a couple of our pups in the back seat and headed out on an epic road trip to the Midwest. On the journey home I took a few roads less traveled to find some of Indiana's historical covered Bridges. 

 

In Indiana, because the bridges were made with timber, they needed to be covered. Plus, I suppose it is easier to see the red bridges in the snow and ice.

 

 

 

 

 This is the Dunbar Bridge, built during 1880 in Putnam County, Indiana. It crosses over Big Walnut Creek.

 

 

 

 There is something about seeing a covered bridge that takes you back in time, don't you think? I am curious, to my friends from across the big pond, are there bridges like this anywhere in Europe?

 

 

 

This is the Dick Huffman Bridge. Built in 1880, it is the longest covered bridge in  Putnam County(Indiana) at 265 feet long.

 

 

 

Finally we have the  Oakalla Bridge, built in 1898 and named after the Oakalla train station located nearby at the time.

 

 

 

Here's to taking the road less traveled and remembering, it isn't always about the destination.....It's also about enjoying the journey!