Photo of the Day - Black & White Gull

Checking me out in Florida.



See more at http://www.genebowker.com/natflorida

Chance to be an Engineer!



Courtesy: Norfolk Southern Corporation



The Norfolk Southern Exhibit Car provides a look behind the scenes of the railroad allowing visitors to experience the world of the engineer and dispatcher.

Learn more about the exhibit car here.

See inside the car



Should I shoot Black and White?

There are a lot of image makers who do not shoot in Black & White, color is the normal for the "point-and-shoot" photographer and the average tourist on the street.

Today's photographers are given choices which were not available in the past.

BW Landscape - Gene Bowker


Film photographers were limited to choosing between black-and-white and color fim in their cameras, so the easiest way to shoot both was to carry two bodies, one loaded with each.

In the digital world, most dSLRs and even consumer point-and-shoots give the user an easy way to take either black-and-white and color photographs in the field or studio.

Learn more here



Be sure to check out the rest of my photography at http://genebowker.com/

Fabulous Fall in Pennsylvania

The forest will soon be alive in the Allegheny National Forest Region with colors right from Mother Nature's palette.

Route 6 - Allegheny National Forest Region

The Allegheny National Forest Region, the site of the only national forest in Pennsylvania, is located 90 miles south of Buffalo, N.Y. Fall is bigger in this neck of the woods with thousands of acres of northern hardwood forest. With the diverse species of trees within the forest, in the fall leaf colors will be sunshine yellow, brilliant orange, butterscotch and deep apple red.

There's no wrong turn to be made during this time of the year here where the roads meander through some of the most scenic area in the Northeast. Plan your trip from late September to mid-October for peak leaf peeping.

One of the premier places to view the leaves is the brand new Kinzua Sky Walk, located at the Kinzua Bridge State Park on Route 3011 in Mount Jewett. The 329-acre Kinzua Bridge State Park was listed by the state as one of the 20 must-see parks in the state.

You'll be sure to fall in love with the view of the Kinzua Gorge from this platform with a partial glass floor built on the remains of the historic Kinzua Viaduct, which was once the longest and tallest railroad bridge in the world. Visitors are once again able to walk the "Tracks Across the Sky" - something that heightens a person's adrenaline as well as his or her senses.

Another must-see attraction is the Longhouse National Scenic Byway - listed by USA Today as one of the most scenic drives in the country. This 29-mile loop circles the Kinzua Creek arm of the Allegheny Reservoir and includes some of the best scenery in the area by combining the colorful forest canopy with water vistas. Jakes Rocks and Rimrock overlooks offer you an opportunity to view the forest shoreline from rocky overlooks, plus take advantage of the family-friendly picnic areas and hiking trails nearby.

This scenic byway is also close to the Kane, which is the perfect place to pick up something to eat and drink.

Be sure to stop at Jack's Meat $ Poultry on North Fraley Street to purchase some of the local fall harvest of apples, squash and pumpkins. Jack's family recipes are used to make more than 17 varieties of sausage, including Swedish korv, apple, and Greek. This is a delightful stop and taste for "foodies."

Call ahead at 814-837-7321 to order Jack's invention, a one-of-a-kind "griller" - chicken or pork stuffed with sausage and cheese and topped with bacon. You will never forgive yourself if you pass through without picking up one of these amazing, one-of-a-kind concoctions.

Flickerwood Wine Cellars & Lounge at 309 Flickerwood Road is the home of award-winning wines that are available for tasting in the wine lounge. Flickerwood's gift shop features a wide assortment of varieties for purchase. This family-owned winery brings the best of what grapes have to offer to the visitor.

Flickerwood is located just off of Route 6, the major west-east corridor in northern Pennsylvania. National Geographic Traveler named this roadway as "One of America's Most Scenic Drives."

Meander through the rolling forestlands of small Americana towns as the terrain turns into increasingly rugged hills. Stop in the Victorian town of Smethport where the homes of lumber barons from times gone by are part of the Smethport Mansion District Walking Tour.

Enjoy a bit of nostalgia - as well as a "Hubber Burger" and milkshake - at the Route 6 Diner, also located along Route 6 in Smethport.

For additional leaf-peeping suggestions, please visit http://www.visitanf.com/ which offers driving tour suggestions as well as downloadable maps and guides. Or call the Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau at 800-473-9370 for a free brochure that features seven scenic driving tours with driving directions and mapping.

Be sure to check out the rest of my photography at http://genebowker.com/

Waiting for the train that never comes

Too many stations are left without train service.

The old equipment preserved there as reminders of how life used to be.

Be sure to check out the rest of my photography at http://genebowker.com/

Lady Antebellum releases Own the Night

Lady Antebellum released their third album "Own the Night" yesterday. My wife picked it up yesterday for us and I had a chance to listen to it on my iPod this morning.


Lady Antebellum continues to improve with each new album in my opinion. The new album has a love theme and includes several new love ballads which I am sure will become fan favorites quickly.

Augusta, GA considers Lady Antebellum their own as two of the members of the group hail from nearby Evans, Georgia.

Lady Antebellum will be in town on October 28th for the dedication of the new Lady Antebellum Pavillion at Evans Town Center Paker.

The album is available for download from Amazon for $7.99 and is available in stores now.

Find out about tour dates


Check out some of the new music below and let me know what you think!

Security, photography, and railfanning in Post 9/11 America

The major impact of Sept 11th on the American Railfan has been the increased security designed to prevent terror attacks in the future. This security has led to an increased awareness by law enforcement to persons spending time around transportation infrastructure, places such as railroads, airports, ports, etc...


Many a photographer has bemoaned the new security measures closing off past favorite railfanning locations, rules against photography at train stations, and even questioning by law enforcement. Many of these railfans are quick to blame authorities and shout LOUDLY at times about their rights and the coming police state.

However, railfans are not immune to breaking laws in pursuit of their hobby. Many (but not all) railfans have been known to tresspass in order to get "the shot" that they want. This might be crossing the tracks to get to the right angle for the sun, driving past "no tresspassing" signs into railyards, etc...

The railroads including Amtrak are taking 9/11 seriously!

So who is right in the post 9/11 world?

Do some law enforcement "professionals" or railroad employees overstep their bounds when dealing with photographers? Of course.

Do some photographers get "overworked" about their rights when Law Enforcement asks what they are doing? Yep.

BUT, If, or when, an attack occurs against America's railroads more people are going to say, "Why didn't we do more to protect the tracks and trains?" These were the same questions that were asked about airport security after 9/11 and led to the creation of the TSA and all the hassles we go through to fly now.

Just my thoughts. I'd love to hear your opinions.

Be sure to check out the rest of my photography at http://genebowker.com/

Boeing pushing fuel economy with 737 MAX family

Boeing recently announced a new 737 MAX family of aircraft which will build on the tradition of the 737 series which is the most popular airliner in their portfolio.




Delta's 737 fleet will be upgraded to 737-MAX family


According to reports..

The 737 MAX will deliver big fuel savings that airlines will need to successfully compete in the future. Airlines will benefit from a 7 percent advantage in operating costs over future competing airplanes as a result of optimized CFM International LEAP-1B engines, more efficient structural design and lower maintenance requirements

Read more about the entire new family of aircraft 

The commitment to reducing fuel usage is key to the continued success of the airline industry. Fuel costs are one of the most unpredictable factors for airlines, as well as most transportation forms. Higher fuel costs mean either less profits, or higher prices being passed onto consumers in the form of "fuel surcharges"

Bye Bye Borders and hello Kindle?

If you didn't know, Borders Bookstores are closing. Well, most Borders books stores are closing, a few of them are being bought out by the Books-a-million chain which is good news I guess for patrons there.

The local Borders in Augusta is having a "Going out of Business" sale which has almost everything marked down 50-70% (at least this week) and surprising has a pretty good selection of stock still on the shelves. The Rosetta Stone software marked down 50% is tempting as well as the travel section of course. Borders never had much of a Railroad section to begin with...

From buying 90% of my books in physical stores a couple of years ago, I've gone full circle and now purchase at least 80% of my books on-line either from Amazon or at auctions on eBay.  A lot of those books from Amazon are for my kindle, which I really find myself reading on more each day it seems.


The electronic reader has been pegged as one of the reasons that brick and mortar stores such as Borders are failing. Many consumers are happy to save a few bucks (and maybe a few trees) and have their books to go electronically.

I still enjoy visiting bookstores, even chain stores such as Barnes & Noble, but even more used bookstores like the Book Tavern in Augusta or Ed's Editions here in Columbia. I still love to find an old book looking for a new home which I probably would of never bought on-line.

And I still enjoy reading physical books. Some books are just not the same on a kindle or PC or iPad. In particular books which include a lot of images (such as many railroad books) just are "better" in my opinion in print. Plus lots of older books are not available for e-readers (at least yet)

So for now, I find myself halfway into the digital bookcase and with way too may "analog" books according to my wife at least :)

Be sure to check out the rest of my photography at http://genebowker.com/

Cotton Boll slot machines

Cotton Boll slot machines, originally uploaded by Gene Bowker.

Abandoned cotton gins in rural South Carolina

Abandoned Cabin - Augusta, Georgia

An abandoned share cropper cabin near the levee outside Augusta, Georgia slowly succumbs to the elements and vegetation.

Be sure to check out the rest of my photography at http://genebowker.com

Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life. Mark Twain

Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life. Mark Twain

The wisdom of Will Rogers

On account of being a democracy and run by the people, we are the only nation in the world that has to keep a government four years, no matter what it does. - Will Rogers





Be sure to check out the rest of my photography at http://genebowker.com/

Who is the smarter one here?

Saw a great quote this morning that made me smile.

It is of interest to note that while some dolphins are reported to have learned English -- up to fifty words used in correct context -- no human being has been reported to have learned dolphinese.

-- Carl Sagan

Be sure to check out my photography at http://genebowker.com/

Sunset without the colors

Instead of thinking of sunsets just in color, we can look at them as shades of grey.
Here is an example from my recent trip to Manasota Key, Florida.

I like the way that the storm clouds look like a battleship on the horizon.

Be sure to check out the rest of my photography at http://genebowker.com/

Storm over Gulf

Storm over the Gulf of Mexico on July 17th, 2011

How many riders COULD Amtrak have?

Amtrak announced yesterday that it projects to have 30 million riders in FY2011 which ends on September 30th. This will be Amtrak's biggest year and follows a FY2010 which had over 28 million riders.

My question is how many riders COULD Amtrak have if it was properly funded and had been given the money it needs to purchase equipment to keep up with demand?

Most of the long-distance trains such as the California Zephyr or Empire Builder sell out of sleeper space (which has high margins, if low capacity) months in advance for peak travel seasons. If Amtrak had additional cars, then it would be able to add sleepers to increase availability much like the railroads did in the day of Pullman.

Pullman keep a fleet of extra sleepers which they were able to move meet demand. In the fall, they were used to ship snowbirds to Florida. In the Summer, they worked the cross-country trains to the National Parks such as the Empire Builder, etc...

Amtrak on the other hand has to scratch to put together full sets of passenger equipment. There are cars waiting for repairs at their Beech Grove facility, but they do not have the money to repair them all. Every wreck or derailment causes more cars to be sidelined nd more passengers to be turned away.

With increased funding, Amtrak could purchase needed additional equipment (creating American jobs) and expand their services. More services would mean increased demand and increased ridership.

Then what would the Amtrak annual ridership numbers be?

Be sure to tell your Congressman and Senators to keep the funding for Amtrak during the current budget negotations in Washington, DC.

Congrats on 30 million Amtrak. Happy 40th Birthday.

Here's to 50 million riders by your 50th birthday in 2021.

Train Wreck on the New Haven RR

This crash lead to the introduction of the all-steel passenger rail car.

"A Bad Day on the Railroad"

"A Bad Day on the Railroad"

Win a free trip to the Grand Canyon from Amtrak Vacations

If you have never been to the Grand Canyon National Park you really do not know what you are missing.

Yes, there are a thousand shows on TV touting its beauty and you have probably seen a million photographs on the internet showing the canyon from every angle but that still doesn't do the same thing as visiting.

I visited the canyon with my Mom in 1988. I missed getting to ride the Grand Canyon Railway by a year, but had the benefit of missing some of the commercialization which has impacted the South Rim since then.

The Grand Canyon and the Grand Canyon Railway have been high on my list to revisit for years so I'm hoping you WILL NOT enter this contest from Amtrak Vacations so I can win! (Just kidding...)

Amtrak Vacations is giving away a great trip to the Grand Canyon via Amtrak's Southwest Chief from Chicago. It also includes a ride on the Grand Canyon Railway and a Jeep Trip in Sedona. Sounds like a dream trip to me.

Click here to read how to enter the drawing for your chance to win!

Learn More About the Grand Canyon: