New Kid on the Block

After my little pocket digital camera literally went to pieces, I decided to get a new small camera. Too many choices out there, but since I'm partial to Pentax, I looked at and ended up getting a new Pentax MX-1. For a pretty good price. It's a little too big for 'pocket' status, but takes considerably better pictures than the old camera. Bigger, better sensor, more modes and features, vastly better movie mode, etc.

It's also better than my old Canon Powershot G6, which its technically similar to in many ways. But since its many years newer, it definitely outclasses the old G6 thanks to improved technology. No big surprise. I considered a new G16 Powershot which is also a great camera, but it was a little more than $200 more than the MX-1. So that settled that. Shall we get on to a handful of photos all taken with the new camera?

Some purple flowers, shot pretty close and with a short depth of field. This camera has a pretty good macro capability, I need to work some more with that.

A wooden Blacksmith sign. Sun was just over the edge of the sign.

This camera has a couple modes of built-in HDR capture also. The lower level settings aren't dramatically different than normal, but the 'Strong 2' setting is just that - STRONG! Yowza! All the HDR shots are as they look out of the camera other than cropping/straightening and misc cleanup of the image.

True Love will never fade. Well, this one shouldn't - its ceramic tile. Just don't break it! This is HDR, but maybe not quite as obvious. How about this -

A roof overhang, definitely showing some of the HDR effect. It was a bit shadowy in here when I took the picture. Really popped out the shadowy areas. Finally, this next image of an ordinary sunny day shot shows the strong HDR effect best.

Those are some bright clouds. This is definitely a use it only once in a while for dramatic effect setting. I need to experiment more with the lower HDR settings to see where I could use them.

That's all for the new gadget now. More interesting images as they appear!

Caution, Big Boy!

After a couple year hiatus from Depot Days, I decided to go back this year. Only because we have a new attraction in town - a second Union Pacific Big Boy Locomotive - the largest steam locomotive ever built.

Photo of the locomotive as it was pulled into town. Taken by the local newspaper - not my photo.

 A park in town near the railyard has Big Boy 4004 on display, where its been sitting since the early 60's. Just a little over a week ago, the UP brought Big Boy 4014 into town from a where it had been on display in California.

Diesel 4014 pulling Big Boy 4014 on the approach to town. Taken by the local newspaper - not my photo.

Why is it here? Because the UP wants to get it back into operating condition, and add it to it's 'Heritage Fleet' of operating steam engines. There are currently two old steam locomotives maintained here, #844 'Living Legend' and #3985 'Challenger'. They hope to have this Big Boy ready to roll within 5 years. I hope they pull it off. It would be quite a sight to see this beast moving under its own power.

There were 25 Big Boys built, 8 are still in existence. The 4014 from California was considered the best overall condition for a restoration, that's why it was used, instead of the 4004 here in town.

So, on to the Depot Days and my photos. Having skipped Depot Days for the past couple years, they have changed several things. And none of them am I a fan of! More on that later.

A closeup of the front end of 4014, inside the Steam shop. No work has begun on it yet, but I suspect it'll begin soon after the open house.

4014 on the left, 844 on the right. 844 is currently having some maintenance work done. Really hard to capture the size of this locomotive all tucked away inside the building. Inside it was between the 844 and the other side of it was roped off, so you really couldn't see a whole lot of it. Plus there was a pretty good sized crowd, and there were always people in the way. Shot with my fisheye lens.

Outside of the Steam Shop. There was enough clearance for me!

All aboard the 401! Next stop.......Oblivion. This engine won't ever travel the rails again. But maybe parts of it will - there are a couple other restored engines in the yard just like this one.

Caution! This old locomotive has always been sitting in the Roundhouse, never moved. It looks to be in decent condition, but since it never moves and nothing is ever done with it, maybe its in worse shape than it looks.

Now the changes I mentioned. All the times I attended this event previously, going to the trainyard was free. Not anymore. Ten bucks a person. Grumble!

Displays were all look - don't touch! In the past you could climb into the engines, the couple really neat restored passenger cars, etc. Now - nada. Everything closed up. The limited view of the 4014 I don't understand - that should really have been outside in my opinion at least for the weekend so you could walk around it up close. Cause once they start tearing it apart its not gonna move again for YEARS. Even the 3985 Challenger - it was stored in the Roundhouse, but as far away from the viewing area as possible. Is this a train show or what? Gripe!!

My biggest complaint - all the damn yellow Caution tape EVERYWHERE. Inside the Roundhouse and Steam shop, severely limiting where you could go. Outside - nightmare! My favorite part of this whole event BY FAR has been wandering the scrapyard area outside the Roundhouse, with old cabooses, passenger cars, engines, boxcars, snowplow and other railroad bits and pieces. ALL OFF LIMITS with the tape. I loved wandering through that, finding interesting things to photograph, seeing the insides of the old worn out trains. No more. I know its a 'liability' issue now apparently. But I still really really don't like it. Complain!!!

So the Big Boy train adventure ends for now. Considering all the restrictions, I doubt I'll be going back anytime soon. Just nothing interesting left to see. Maybe when the Big Boy is ready to roll again...

Incoming

Went to the park today with the DSLR. Haven't used it much lately, dusting it off for a photo shoot coming tomorrow!

Weather trying to be warm, then clouding up, raining, a little small hail, etc. Ahh springtime.

Took an assortment of random shots. This one happened by chance-

  

The park is right in the path of the airport runway, and a Guard C130 was coming in for a landing. Pretty loud when it flies right over your head!

Tomorrow - TRAINS!

Can't Touch This!

It was a nice saturday. Partly cloudy, a bit breezy, temp in low 70s. No chance of rain.

So I got the bike out, got ready and took off. Did a fairly long ride - almost 23 miles in total. Wasn't even that sore which is good, considering I've only done a few rides.

Very few people out on the Greenway today, surprising since it was such a nice day. Though one of the parks was completely full of people and kids all doing junior soccer. Guess that was todays activity for the crowd.

Anyway, once I got home, I looked through the data on my cycle computer. And noticed something odd.

Check out my Max speed - 76.2mph! Can't touch that! Yow!

I know the fastest I went on a downhill area was 27.1 mph. And I reset the computer before I started. 76.2 - I wish I could go that fast! I think the cycle computer went a little wonky.

Or my leg muscles are REALLY strong!

Spinnin'

Just a quick photo, with just a little 'tweaking'.

Significance? None, other than its the first time I've been out on the bike since last fall! Been a long time. Took a relatively short but good ride. Need to be riding a little more, but I'm not much of a fan of cycling in cold or windy weather. And that seems to be all we have around here!