Signs in Echo Park, Los Angeles, Cal., July 2009

Poppies in Franklin Canyon, Cal. (near Martinez), April 2010

Visit the new photo gallery of Union Pacific steam in Cajon Pass and the Mojave desert: http://66rails.com/844weekend/photos/

If you live near Monterey County, you’re invited to a local artists’ reception in Salinas on Friday, April 1 from 4 to 7 p.m. I’ll have a selection of prints on display and available for sale. Subjects include Route 66, railroading, roadside America, and Monterey County landscapes. My last two copies of Route 66 Railway will also be available for signing & sale. Food and drinks will be served.

The reception will take place at Russ Wilcox’s cool new State Farm Insurance office at Creekbridge Village (in the Safeway Center) at 1532 Constitution Blvd. in Salinas; thanks to Russ and Alice for hosting the event. For more information, call 831-443-1001 or e-mail me. Hope to see you there!

(Click photos to view full images)

Close Encounters, Cajon Pass Tunnel, 2008

Taken from Lone Pine, Calif., October 2010.

The Magic Lamp Restaurant on Route 66; Upland, Calif., December 2010.

BNSF 7486 East makes a dazzling sight framed by the San Gabriel Mountains (click headline).

While most people spent the wee hours of  November 26, 2010 — “Black Friday” — in stores and malls, I met a friend in Cajon Pass to seek out photos of the old tunnels area. We encountered this intermodal train near Highway 138 and beat him to the new signal bridge near Hill 582. (click photo to enlarge) Elrond Lawrence photo

While visiting Flagstaff last September for the city’s annual “Route 66 Days” weekend, we stumbled upon this jewel of a sign along Route 66. As friend Ken Rattenne waited patiently, I snapped a series of time exposures, slowing the shutter speed until the motel tiles became visible in the cool neon glow. When finished, I turned around to see three photographers waiting for their turn! The Saga Motel was the photographic highlight of a fun evening in one of my favorite cities. September 11, 2009. (click photo to enlarge)

Santa Fe 4-8-4 no. 3751 rolls over a timeworn wooden trestle at San Elijo Lagoon, leading a northbound excursion from San Diego in June 2008. The 1927-built engine just completed her third trip to San Diego on May 1-2, and will be heading to San Bernardino, Cal., on May 8-9 for the city’s bicentennial “Railroad Days” event. I’ll be signing copies of Route 66 Railway on Saturday. Hope to see you there! For more photos, visit the “Outside is America” blog by clicking HERE.  To learn more about 3751, visit www.sbrhs.org.

A funnel cloud appears to touch down in the Mojave Desert above Adelanto, Cal., in the last light of day. The Outside is America blog was recently updated with a series of photos from a drive to Southern California via Highway 99, the Tehachapi mountains, and U.S. 395. Storms plagued the first half of the February 6 drive but then the clouds parted to reveal some striking views. Click HERE to view the entire post.