In my last post on the 2016 Pacific Bird Migration we visited Staten Island, California. While I was there, I couldn't resist taking photos of all the interesting sights along the way. It was a gorgeous afternoon sky, slightly foggy and cloudy in spots, that morphed into a gorgeous sunset which was perfect for a relaxing drive.
And for awesome photo opportunities. 💚
We'll start on Staten Island Road. There were interesting things to see besides birds. As I mentioned in the previous post, these fields belong to active farms. One of which had the cutest little sheep and a sweet cow sharing a pasture.
Most of the fields had some level of water in them. I believe that some of them are flooded/irrigated for both rice and then the sandhill cranes. But we've also had the wettest October and November in 30 years, so it could just be that!
But however the water got there, it looked really cool and made for awesome photos. It all makes me feel quite poetic, really.
"Back to it's nethermost caves retreated the bellowing ocean.
Dragging adown the beach the rattling pebbles,
and leaving inland and far up the shore,
the stranded boats of the sailors."
~~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Evangeline)
"Roads go ever on and on,
Under cloud and under star.
Yet feet that wandering have gone,
Turn at last to home afar."
~~ J.R.R. Tolkien
I love these trees.
I love this horse.
And I LOVED the sunset!
In this next photo, if you look to the left in the distance, you can just see Mt. Diablo peeking through the clouds. The colors were very fitting for Devil Mountain.
I just could not get enough of the amazing sunset!
Or of this horse, really.
But then it was time to leave Staten Island. The sight of a steel bridge at sunset was enough to make me turn away from the freeway and head for the River Road.
I absolutely adore driving the River Road, in spite of it's deadly history. I used to do it all the time for relaxation but haven't been down here for awhile.
And this is the Courtland bridge which lets me know I'm almost back to Sacramento.
And then I was.
Suddenly I was beside the huge water tower at the side of I-5 and the River Road, which runs beneath I-5 just before the first suburb exit of Sacramento.
It was almost full dark by this time, which is why these photos are tinted with my favorite color, purple!
"Still 'round the corner there may wait,
A new road or secret gate;
And though I oft have passed them by,
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun."
~~ J.R.R. Tolkien (Roads Go Ever On)
xoxo
