Silo Storm

The storm clouds gather over the abandoned silos at the Phinizy Swamp Park in Augusta, Georgia.

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

African Violets

My wife Cindy loves African Violets.

She always has them in little pots in our kitchen window.

This year we've been lucky and all of them have bloomed at the same timer.

They remind me to take the time to look for photo subjects close to home as well as on the road.

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

RC Cola

Another shot from Norway, SC. This one is a classic Royal Crown (RC) Cola sign.

I enjoy an RC once in awhile with a Moonpie but sometimes I'm amazed that they have survived in the Coke vs. Pepsi world.

Summer and Coca Cola in South Carolina

Happy Summer.

It has been a hot spring here in South Carolina. Nothing like an ice cold Coke to make it a little better.

The photograph was taken at an abandoned Coca-Cola bottling company in Hampton, SC.

Civil War Memorial - Columbia, South Carolina

The Civil War Memorial on the steps of the South Carolina Capital in Columbia, South Carolina

Shadows on the depot wall

The shadow of a crossbuck hits the wall of the depot in the dawn light of a Folkston, Georgia morning.

Dog Yoga. Have you signed up Fido yet?

Source: worthpix.com via Gene on Pinterest

Commuting, slowing down, and the pleasures of summer.

I'm not one to talk about public transportation or riding a bike to work day... you see I drive 50 (fifty) miles EACH WAY to work. Yes, that's 500 miles or so a week just in commuting.

Here in S. Carolina unleaded has "dropped" down to around $3.30 a gallon from it's high of around $3.75 a few weeks ago. I tend to spend lots of quality time with gas pumps.

Shy Sunflowers along the highway

I've been driving my 2002 Escort ZX since it gets about 10 miles a gallon more (30 or so) than the truck. The car is nice in that it has a CD player (missing from the 1995 Ranger) and my iPod cassette adapter actually works in the stereo. However, the size of the car makes me feel a lot like the clowns getting out of the car at a circus. It gets uncomfortable even in the hour it takes to get back and forth to work each way.

Oh.. I-20 how I hate you!

I've also gotten to the point that I hate driving on Interstate 20. Not only are they doing road work which has traffic slowed down.. but just the effort makes me tense.

Luckily, I've found that there are a few back roads that I can take to get back and forth to work. Of course, it means longer in the car; but I do get the benefit of getting to watch stuff grow.

Now, I'm not being funny when I say watch stuff grow. Along the way, I pass fields of cotton, corn, soybeans, and even an odd field of sunflowers like the ones above. Even though I cannot really see the growth day-to-day, before I know it the tractors are out to harvest another crop.

Summer's coming also means lots of roadside stands selling produce. Watermelons are coming in and of course the peaches are always good.

I'm also quite a fan of boiled peanuts. It is always interesting to try new stands and try to find the perfect peanut. Never tried a boiled peanut? I'll describe them for you next time.

Lightning.. why does Thunder steal all the glory?

Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does the work.
Mark Twain

The sound of the rain on a tin roof, the flash of lightning across the sky, and the rumble of the thunder.


Of course, there is a scientific explanation for how lightning forms and explains away its magic with negative and positive charges.

I'm more about the way the streaks dance across the sky on a warm summer night, but that's just me.I enjoy thunderstorms.

Shots fired at Fort Sumter this morning.. WAR

The 150th Anniversary of the Civil War is here with a bang as the first shots of the war were reenacted this morning in Charleston Harbor.

Here is a great article from Reuters about the festivities!

Discovering StumbleUpon

There are those times when I feel like I'm "out of it".  I recently was introduced to StumbleUpon which is a search engine which gives you recommended sites based on your interests.

For example, I can put in Trains/Railroads and get a selection of websites which usually have something to do with Railroads. If a site doesn't have anything to do with Trains, such as programming language RAIL sites, you can easily let them know so they can reclassify the site.

I've enjoyed StumbleUpon as it has shown me a number of photography and railroad sites which I would of never known about without it.

Check out my profile at http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/genebowker/ and see what I've seen.

Improving locomotive safety through ban on personal electronic devices

Following the Metrolink collision in Los Angeles and similar accidents resulting from the use of electronic devices in the cab or along the tracks, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a new rule which bans the use of personal electronic devices on locomotives.




Do you think this will be effective? Read the rest of the report here!

New Tech: Bladerunner

The Bladerunner is a concept which would allow for dual-mode (rail/road) for both passengers and freight within a self-contained unit.

Read more about it on the Washington.edu site.

Looks cool to me... practical?

Rails Across Canada

Rails Across Canada by Tom Murray gives a great recap of the history and operations of Canada's two biggest railroads Canadian Pacific and Canadian National. I learned a lot about the history of the lines. Being an American, I think at times I forget about how hard it was to connect Canada.



Read more of the review here

Union Pacific's Big Plans in New Mexico

The Union Pacific Railroad has gotten a special tax break on locomotive fuel from the state of New Mexico. What is that worth to New Mexico?


Probably $500 Million long-term, 3000 short-term construction jobs, and 600 long-term jobs at the new yard which UP will build in Santa Teresa, NM.

The loser? El Paso, Texas where the yard will be "downsized" and most of the business moved to the new facility when it is completed.

Read more here

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You can now see Fostoria, OH live thanks to Greatlakeslive.com

greatlakeslive on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

One of my favorite all-time railfan locations, Fostoria OH is now live. Be sure to visit greatlakeslive.com and check out the new feed.


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Does Biggest Mean Best?

A couple of my posts today discussed the TOP in a transportation category...

Top 5 (well 6) US Ports for containers
Top 5 North American Railroads

This poses the question about the biggest being the best?

Is the Port of Los Angeles the best, just because it is bigger than Long Beach? Is the west coast a better cargo destination because the top two ports are there?

Is the BNSF a better railroad because it beat the UP in revenue?



Of course, with all statistics the biggest vs. best discussion is a personal decision. The largest port and railroad will tout their status while the others will say, "it is just a matter of geographics".

Of course, to me the best thing is the debate which will never be settled

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Planes, Trains, and Trucks?

I've been asked if I realized that there are other ways to travel or move freight besides a train.

The answer is OF COURSE.  Better yet, I'll be sharing some of my knowledge of all forms of transportation on my new Examiner Column - National Transportation Examiner.



With the same kind of information you've come to expect from the Railroad Columns.. Transportation101.com will expand our exploration to the other modes of transportation.

Hope you'll hop on-board today.

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Newly found travel author - Thomas Swick

I enjoy finding good travel writing, and if you want to have a good read, check out the daily blog and website from Thomas Swick.

Swick used to be the travel editor for the Sun-Sentinel but since 2008 has been a full-time freelance writer/author.

My favorite article of his is "A Walk Through Old Japan" that was published in the Smithsonian Magazine.

Swick has a great way of combining humor and description to make a location come alive. He has a book out (which I'm planning on getting soon) called A Way to See the World: From Texas to Transylvania With a Maverick Traveler (2005) which looks like a good travel read.




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Railroad 101

Want to learn about Railroads?

Railroad101 (http://rr101.com/) is your new source for everything Railroad.