by Gregg Obst on April 12, 2009
in Photos
A.K.A. “Cocalico #2 Bridge”, this Covered Bridge spans the Cocalico Creek and is located on Cacalico Creek Road (T-955), near Reamstown, East Cacalico Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. A marker etching on the inside of the bridge lists the span length at 64 feet but the Lancaster County Government Web Site lists the length at 54 feet and the national registry of historic places lists the span at 73 feet.
It was erected in 1892 by builder Elias McMellen, and one year later, the flood of 1893, washed it away. The bridge was rebuilt again later that same year, by the original builder. Single span, wooden, double Burr arch trusses design with the addition of steel hanger rods. The deck is made from oak planks. It is painted red, the traditional color of Lancaster County covered bridges. It is open to regular vehicular traffic.
I took this on Saturday afternoon 4-11-2009. Processed as a HDR with Photomatic Pro from five RAW bracketed frames and touched up a bit with Topz Adjust Plugin for Photoshop CS4 to bring out some of the weathered tones in the wood. This was the second of two Lancaster County covered bridges I photographed on this date.
Tagged as:
Covered-Bridges,
Photos
by Gregg Obst on April 11, 2009
in Photos
I was out photographing covered bridges in Lancaster County on Saturday afternoon and I found this area along Route 30 next to the American Music Theater, a local concert hall just west of the city of Lancaster, featuring a covered bridge and large collection of sheep, donkeys and even a pony. While taking photos of the covered bridge, this Mallard Drake flew up to the waterfall area and posed for me for a few minutes in the magic hour sun.
The afternoon truly made up for the crappy weather we had all morning long.
Tagged as:
Photos,
Waterfowl,
Wildlife
by Gregg Obst on April 11, 2009
in Photos
Scorched earth and smoking coal cover the landscape on a hill side in Centralia, PA.
In 1962, a group of volunteer fireman in Centralia were hired to burn some municipal trash in an open landfill in one of the town’s cemeteries. What they didn’t know is that the landfill had a coal seem that met the surface and the fire ignited the coal, starting an underground fire that eventually over the years, caused the abandonment of the town. The fire burns to this day and has enough coal fueling it underground for several hundred years to come.
There are several excellent books on Centralia that really give a detailed account of the fire, the lives of the people of Centralia before and during the fire and the snail’s pace that government bureaucracy operates at. I, personally like “The Day The Earth Caved In” by Joan Quigley. She really paints a thorough picture of the lives of all involved in this tragic story.
There are several good videos on Centralia and the underground mine fire on You Tube including this one. Check it out for a good overview of the town and the fire. NOTE: They have the 1962 population wrong in this video but it’s still pretty good none the less.
I took this on Saturday afternoon 3-14-2009.
Tagged as:
Black-And-White,
Centralia,
Photos
by Gregg Obst on April 10, 2009
in Photos
Nickel Plate Road class S-2 “Berkshire”-type steam locomotive. Gift 12/1966 of Norfolk & Western Railroad. This was the first locomotive donated to Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg, PA and can be found in the outdoor train yard, where trains await restoration. The locomotive weights 440,800 pounds and was built in 1944. Only five of the original thirty S-2 series that were built still survive, the rest were sold for scrap.
For more information on the museum, visit their web site at www.rrmuseumpa.org.
For more information on the nickel plate road class S-2 “Berkshire” Locomotives, visit this page
Processed from five bracketed frames using Photomatix Pro to create an HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo.
Tagged as:
HDR,
Photos,
Trains
by Gregg Obst on April 10, 2009
in Photos
Canada Goose taking off from the surface of Fleetwood Park Pond on Thursday afternoon 4-9-2009. He seemed to be driven off by another Goose protecting his mate. This time of the year, three’s a crowd.
For more information on this species, visit the Cornell Lab Of Ornithology.
Tagged as:
Fleetwood-Park,
Photos,
Waterfowl,
Wildlife
by Gregg Obst on April 9, 2009
in Photos
by Gregg Obst on April 8, 2009
in Photos
This is the Bogert’s Covered Bridge which crosses 145 feet over the Little Lehigh river in Allentown Pennsylvania. The bridge was built in 1841 and is closed to vehicular traffic and located in a public park setting.
I took this on Saturday afternoon 4-4-2009. Processed as a HDR with Photomatic Pro from five RAW bracketed frames and touched up a bit with Topz Adjust Plugin for Photoshop CS4 to bring out some of the weathered tones in the wood. This was the third of three Lehigh County covered bridges I photographed on Saturday 4-4-2009.
One of the challenges with HDR from multiple shots is making sure everything lines up when the frames are combined. On a really windy day like Saturday this poses a big problem with branches blowing around in the wind. You can see an example of this on the right side of this image where the evergreen branch is. :–/
Tagged as:
Covered-Bridges,
HDR,
Photos
by Gregg Obst on April 7, 2009
in Photos
Canada Goose in flight. It’s primary feathers tattered most likely from repeatedly taking off on the ground or rocks instead of from water. This happens most of the time when they are startled by people or dogs or people with dogs and they make a hasty take off.
Taken near the Arrowhead Industrial Park Retention Pond in Kutztown, PA on Sunday morning 4-5-2009.
For more information on this species, visit the Cornell Lab Of Ornithology.
Tagged as:
Photos,
Waterfowl,
Weather
by Gregg Obst on April 5, 2009
in Photos
This is my very first nest building photo. I coveted the incredible Osprey shots that Flickr friend Shootpics (Bill Wilson) was getting at the Manasquan Reservoir in Howell, New Jersey so I made a trip over there on Sunday 4-5-2009 and checked it out myself.
I love this place. What a wonderful lakeside to spend the day. I saw Osprey, Bald Eagles, Red Winged Black Birds, Mute Swans, Double Crested Cormorants, Canada Geese and a multitude of smaller birds. They have a great perimeter trail system too with parking and bathroom facilities and an environmental center that I hear is pretty neat although I didn’t have time to check it out myself.
For more information on the Manasquan Reservoir, visit their web site at this web site.
For more information on Osprey, visit the Cornell Lab Of Ornithology.
Tagged as:
Manasquan-Reservoir,
Osprey,
Photos
by Gregg Obst on April 5, 2009
in Photos
I spent part of Saturday at the Eastern PA Spring Horse Expo held at Ag Hall in the Allentown Fairgrounds. They had a handful of horses outside with demonstrations in a paddock area. Most of the show was indoors and featured vendors selling anything and everything having to do with Equestrian pursuits.
I had never photographed a horse before so I figured I’d give it a shot. I think, if I heard correctly, the horse on the right is a Gypsy Horse and she was “with child”. She had a beautiful mane of hair and with all the wind we had on Saturday, it would blow back and forth like a super model throwing her hair side to side. I think I’ve been around horses less than an hour in my entire life so this was a cool experience for me. The horses they had there were each unique in their own way and all very friendly.
I wish I had the chance to photograph a horse like this out in the open field. With the Sigma 10-20mm super wide angle, a shot like this needs a nice open pasture behind the subject to really shine.
Tagged as:
Horses,
Photos
by Gregg Obst on April 4, 2009
in Photos
This is the Manassas Guth Bridge which crosses 108 feet over the Jordan creek in Lehigh County Pennsylvania. It is one of several covered bridges that span that creek and one of two located in “Covered Bridge Park”. The bridge was built in 1968 and is currently open to vehicular traffic.
I took this on Saturday afternoon 4-4-2009. Processed as a HDR with Photomatic Pro from five RAW bracketed frames and touched up a bit with Topaz Adjust Plugin for Photoshop CS4 to bring out some of the weathered tones in the wood. This was the second of three Lehigh County covered bridges I was fortunate to photograph on Saturday.
Tagged as:
Covered-Bridges,
Photos
by Gregg Obst on April 3, 2009
in Photos
Bald Eagle sits on a branch over looking the Susquehanna River in Maryland eating a freshly caught fish on 11-26-2008.
I felt the need to try and create a unique textured piece of art with one of my Eagle shots so I dug up a shot I had not posted yet and blended two layered textures to give this shot a unique, dark and foreboding feel.
Tagged as:
Eagles,
Photos,
Wildlife
by Gregg Obst on April 2, 2009
in Photos
A horse drawn mail delivery coach on display in front of a mail railroad car at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg, PA. This particular mail delivery coach was used in the Quaryville area which is located in the southern section of Lancaster County. I can’t imagine there was too much mail to be delivered or picked up on a daily basis back then based upon the small size of the coach.
For more information on the museum, visit their web site at www.rrmuseumpa.org.
Processed from five bracketed frames using Photomatix Pro to create an HDR (High Dynamic Range) photo.
Tagged as:
HDR,
Museums,
Photos
