"To the horizon," Wyoming, May 2006

To the horizon

"If you've never stared off in the distance, then your life is a shame," Counting Crows, "Mrs. Potter's Lullaby"

Day 349 of 365

Streaks in the night

On my way into the city for the company Christmas party, I paused on the overpass while waiting for the train to get some tail lights on the road below, with a house decorated for the holidays in the background, of course.

Day 326 of 365

Light and shadow

Yeah, I've used it before, but this scene today driving west on Route 36 had me singing Springsteen in my head:

Mama always told me not to look into the sights of the sun
Oh but mama that's where the fun is

-- "Blinded by the Light"

Day 312 of 365

Giants game

Giants Stadium during the Chargers game. As I drove by, the game on the radio, it was in the final two minutes of the first half. I got to work in time to watch the fourth quarter and the Chargers' amazing game-winning drive -- or the Giants' amazing flop on defense. Depends on your allegiances.

Day 296 of 365

Parkway autumn

I often forget how pretty the trees along the Garden State Parkway can be in autumn. Luckily I found myself down that way this week and could see the turning leaves again.

"Madison Valley rainbow," Montana, May 2006

Madison Valley rainbow

Pick any road in Big Sky Country and turn your gaze to either side and you can't help but marvel at the roadside scenery.

I wondered what native young men thought of their Montana, what they'd thought in 1870, what the old men felt in it, and all the lovely women hidden. -- Jack Kerouac, Esquire magazine, published March 1970

Day 136 of 365

Barrely, the construction mascot

Casey was driving and the traffic was slow enough to get this shot.

Day 120 of 365

Parked

I love taking pictures in the car mirror. This one came as I was waiting to pick up Casey at the train station.

Day 104 of 365

OUT

Standing in the out lane.

Day 102 of 365

That's not right

I guess that can happen after 137,000 miles. I managed to hold it in place with a bungee cord secured through the door and drive it only once -- to get it to the dealership for repair.

"Sunset is closer than it appears," Pennsylvania, November 2004

Sunset is closer than it appears

This extreme closeup appears farther than it is, but it's not, if you notice the words on the bottom.

"Ridin' on a wet night," New Jersey, January 2009

'Neath the refinery's glow

New Jersey Turnpike ridin' on a wet night 'neath the refinery's glow, out where the great black rivers flow

-- Bruce Springsteen, "State Trooper"

The road on a wet night, Secaucus, New Jersey.

Day 18 of 365

Into the tunnel

I drove into work for the first time since mid-November and it was a breeze. Thirty minutes, door to desk, on account of a clear path into the Lincoln Tunnel, no traffic in the city and a parking space one block from my office.

I figured I'd have more time to snap a photo or two at the tunnel, but I only managed three, and none came out quite like I wanted. This one was the closest, though, and it reminds me of a long exposure I took on New Year's Eve 1999, when I secured my SLR and tripod to the passenger seat of my '86 Volvo and held the cable release in my hand as I approached a Garden State Parkway toll plaza. The multi-second exposure produced some cool effects.

And this look back has produced more remorse that I haven't scanned more film frames into my computer. Must get back to that.

"Rest stop," Colorado, May 2006

Rest stop

Just before taking this picture, I eagerly looked at the long open road ahead of me. The flat Colorado plateau provided no places to hide -- no speed traps. I checked the mirror, and the route from whence we came was likewise devoid of witnesses.

And with that, I gunned the Sebring up to 100 mph, just for a moment. Truth be told, I panicked a moment when I looked in the rear-view mirror and thought I saw the flashing lights of a patrol car back in the distance. As I slowed, I realized that it was merely the sun glinting off a car. It also occurred to me that the car was so far behind us that there's no way a patrolman behind the wheel could accurately determine our speed (or at least have it hold up in traffic court).

But then the setting sun heightened the golden light and shadows on the landscape and I had to pull over for a brief rest. I walked out to the middle of the road for a few pictures, including this one, before we continued our trip across the lonely landscape toward the sun.

Day 7 of 365

Truckin'

My plan was to get some shots in Penn Station as I switched from the train to the subway on my way to work, but with some minutes to kill while switching trains in Secaucus, I pulled out the camera and turned it on the on/off ramp for the New Jersey Turnpike and the platform while I waited for the 5:25 to pull into the station.

I actually had a hard time choosing which of the nine photos to use as The One For Today, but I settled on this one because I couldn't tell it was a keeper on the LCD display after I took it. It wasn't until I got it on the computer and cropped out some dead space (and the vertical dividing line of a lamp post) on the left that I saw its potential. So I tagged it with the honor of Day 7.

"Trucks at dusk," Montana, May 2006

Trucks at dusk

As dusk fell over I-90 on a late-spring day in 2006, my college roommate and I drove east from Bozeman, on our way to Billings for the night. The road was open beneath the big sky, a few trucks speeding in each direction. As we passed them, their radio frequencies would momentarily interrupt the signal from my iPod to the radio, and our song would cut out and a word or two of truck lingo might creep in.

"Backseat driver," Pennsylvania, December 2007

Backseat driver

Night driving pics, with the longer exposure for the effect of motion, are difficult shots to take. I've tried a couple of times (some of which are on film and not yet linkable), with mixed results. I kind of like this one, because it gives a little more perspective taken from the back seat. It also helped that it was Christmastime, so there are more lights as people decorate their homes for the holidays.

I know I'm not the first to use this type of photo for this challenge, but I'm not sure how many difficult shots I have digitally (even out of 4,000). I have several other difficult shots that I haven't yet pulled off -- star trails, a bone-jarring home-plate collision, lightning -- but I'll keep trying.

"The Nebraska road," May 2006

The Nebraska road

Nebraska Route 71 seems infinite, a straight line to the horizon, disappearing over the slightest bulge in the landscape, no doubt continuing straight on the other side.