I felt like an explorer with my new discovery
I went train watching early yesterday morning, specifically trying to get a picture of Amtrak on a long bridge over the San Diego River.
Amtrak usually has trains going north to Los Angeles every hour, and trains coming south from Los Angeles every hour, too. Because some of the tracks through San Diego canyons are single instead of double, the north and south trains meet at the halfway point where there is double tracking, allowing them to pass each other at full speed.
The Coaster, a commuter train between downtown San Diego and Oceanside, about 30 miles, also uses the tracks, so watching trains can be a lot of fun during the day.
During the three hours I was at the bridge, not a single Amtrak train came by. Maybe the Republicans have already cut its funding? (That’s an editorial comment.) However, there were lots of Coasters. Here’s one:
Only in San Diego does a river have trees and bushes growing in it……..lol
While I was waiting for trains to show up, I also did a little exploring since this was an area that I was not familiar with. I found a newly constructed bike path along the river, and at one entrance to the bike path I found some beautiful murals. Click on the following images for larger sizes.
Each mural here was compiled from three or four pictures and stitched together using the Photomerge function in Photoshop CS6.
Here is where the murals are located:
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Posted on October 27, 2012, in Adobe, Digital photo editing, Manmade, Out & About, Photos, Public art, Railroads & trains and tagged amtrak, ocean beach bike path, public murals, san diego coaster train. Bookmark the permalink. 13 Comments.
CS6? Wow… I am behind the times.. All joking aside, cool murals
I can highly recommend CS6. I can’t afford it and the upgrades that occur every 15-18 months, so I lease it, which is only $19.99 a month and ensures that I always have the latest and the greatest, and much less expensively than buying it and the constant upgrades.
I get Photoshop for free at work, at home I use (amongst other) Gimp, Photoscape, Fusion, whatever I can lay my hands on really, (freeloader comes to mind). There is some awesome free software available, each with its own quirks and benefits, I make the most of it before it has a price tag
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I’m been playing around with GIMP 2.8. Photoscope I don’t like but I can’t really put my finger on why I don’t like it. Unfamiliar with Fusion.
It used to be free, quite good for HDR, I think you have to pay for it now though. I go to download.com for freeware and also sourceforge
Russel, Great Photoshop work; illustrative art! I had to comment before the East Coast power goes out for another week. Will resurface next weekend! Cheers ~Todd
Good luck with Sandy. Don’t forget to take pictures!
The murals must have been quite the find when all you expected were shots of trains! It looks like a nice area to spend the day: great scenery, biking, maybe a picnic! California is such a wonderful place, and San Diego my fave urban area there!
Great murals Russel.
We’re going to a party/bbq in San Diego this afternoon; sorry not to be able to spy on you both in La Costa. Good luck to the music maker!
They’ll be other times!
Train spotting was a favorite pastime for us kids in post WW2 England – the glorious age of steam trains. I had a neighbor who was a ‘fireman’ on the trains – in charge of keeping the engine going by feeding it coal, oiling the mechanisms and ensuring that all things mechanical were operating smoothly. He often took the neighborhood kids, including myself, on short runs along local tracks on the weekends. I still remember the smell of the steam and oil and burning coal. Operating systems have changed but the romance of the railroad remains…
Discovering cool public art unexpectedly while waiting to make and making art, all in that gorgeous area-sounds like a glorious day! Cheers.