Blest be the Ties

[lindyannajones]

Returning to the Redwood forest and Santa Cruz: Do you like the smell of railroad ties? It's a smell that lies buried in my brain and reminds me of ambles down railroads tracks and dreams of escape or going somewhere, somewhere just around that bend. These tracks are for an old narrow gage train that runs through Roaring Camp and on into to the Redwood forest. I had spotted a very old looking box car near the repair facility for the trains and had walked over to inquire about it. One of the engineers explained that it was, indeed, very old and had been built in the 1880's. I'll share a photo of it with you tomorrow. But then I spotted the railroad tracks and decided to walk along the rails, stepping on each tie and smelling the wonderful creosote-infused wood. It was one of those timeless moments.

Roaring Camp, was featured in a famous story by Bret Harte, entitled "The Luck of Roaring Camp" written in 1868 and was required reading when I was a girl in school. Roaring Camp was founded in 1830 as a saw mill and later, after the gold rush, as a mining camp. It still retains that turn-of-the-century feel.

Along the railroad tracks leading to the Henry Coswell Redwood State Park - Notice the deer along the road. They give you a sense of perspective of trees in the distance that are 28 stories high.

The covered bridge entrance to Roaring Camp





My favorite tree - the Sycamore growing along the covered bridge





I thought Autumn had passed me by. What a treat to find Autumn leaves!

[dvetter]

Linda, what a great rendition! How fortunate for you to be able to visit the exact location that you read about as a child. Your posts are always such a joy to read and view and this is no exception. Love all the shots Linda, it is a pleasure to see some places are still in the fall mode. Thank you for sharing them. Duane

[SoxAddict]

What a beautiful set! Open railroad tracks like this are fabulous, I love this kind of scenery! The yellows and greens in the first photo are wonderful together. The sycamore shot is fabulous! Such a cool location for it to be in, and I love the blue sky & the patterned top on the bridge. Lovely autumn leaves and beautiful autumn bokeh too!

[Bernzfotos]

Great set Linda - love that 1st shot the best. Cheers, Bernz

[Hayward Taylor]

Hi Linda - I'm mezmerized by the first photo .. I'm trying to imagined standing under a 28ft pine tree .. wow .. the view from where you took this image is breathtaking .. the covered bridge and the sycamore tree are as just as gorgeous ... and the fourth one is brilliant .. two leaves with the larger one shading the smaller one - creating a half silhouette accentuating by the sun's glare ... that my friend is perfect composition ... bravo

[Preacherman]

Just been viewing these ove ron Flickr Linda, but I wish I hadn't, and read your entry here first. Oh well, I always enjoy learning from you. You will love my garden cos I have a massive sycamore, amongst others. Great set as usual. PAUL

[ukglyn]

Hi Linda
What a lovely set, I love the covered bridge in the 2nd one, what a beautiful place to be.
Thanks for posting.
Glyn

[harrypalmer044]

Hello Linda,
Your images are simply beautiful and reflect some truly wonderful scenery and architecture only to be found in the US. You have captured moments in time beautifully and I love the image of the leaf with the sun glinting of your lens. Thank you for sharing these lovely images with us.
God Bless.
David.

[Chewys Dad]

Another interesting and informative Post Lindyanna! 4 wonderful captures, each one is unique and well presented, I love covered bridges and the last one is very nice, even a little Bokeh to boot!
Thanks for sharing these
Michael.

[PrimeTime]

The first two, are just awesome shots lindy. Thanks for sharing.