This day was a sunny ride through farmland. I rode Hwy’s 4, 14 and 136 from Beatrice to Alma, which is about half way across Nebraska, then a short ride south on Hwy 183 across the state line to Phillipsburg, Kansas. It was a joy to cruise along at my preferred speed of about 50 mph, taking in the sights and thinking about things. The only issue was finding 91 octane gasoline. There were long stretches of road where the towns either didn’t have a service station, of if there was a station, it only had 87 octane gas. Fortunately, the red two gallon spare gas can you see in so many pictures was enough to get us through. Barely.
A Gage County building, Sunday morning in Beatrice, Nebraska
Back in the land of the center-pivot…these things make me happy. It’s almost like they are alive, with personality.
I’ve learned that grain transport and storage is its own industry. Here are Farmers Cooperative and Cargill storage facilities. There is so much grain right now that it is common to see it stored outdoors on the ground.
More Nebraska…
It was interesting to see that the Lawrence-Nelson High School shares the same mascot and logo as the Oakland football team.
I like to take pictures of decrepit and abandoned buildings, not because they have failed, but because they depict the passage of time and add perspective to our lives.
I was lucky when I arrived at Phillipsburg to come upon a junk yard of discarded railroad, farming and other industrial equipment. It kept me occupied for a while.
I’m a fan of boxcar art. I saw a program once about the artists, who frequently have never met one another but recognize each others work. They will sit and watch trains hoping to see artists they recognize, or to learn of new artists.
My evening walk…
Comment here is also the way I feel, Mike couldn’t have said it any better:
“I like to take pictures of decrepit and abandoned buildings, not because they have failed, but because they depict the passage of time and add perspective to our lives.”
Looking forward to library access to see today’s photos I can’t view at work. Colorado forecast still showing rain today, S/W forecast better. Colorado mountain scenery must be beautiful, could be a cold but scenic ride. Have enjoyed your photos: crossroads-plains-farming-small towns-middle of America. Thanks.
I have to wonder which football team is the older, Lawrence-Nelson or Oakland Raiders. You sure have become adept at sniffing out the best examples of small-town Americana, and then going to the trouble of capturing them beautifully on film…I mean silicon. Just epic.
You must have worked to make those two photos of the irrigation piping look like (1) an insect and (2) a quail. You should submit these to your camera club. Shows a different side of photography – taking imagination & creativity.
Also like those photos of the harvest storage: the silos, grain piles, machinery. It’s what the heartland does for a living, and we reap the benefits of their hard work.
I LOVE this quote:
“…they depict the passage of time and add perspective to our lives.”
That is exactly why I photograph them too.