Drive by Thunder
California's Central Valley with just what it needs most - heavy rain.
We did a recent road trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco and without time on our side for taking either
the scenic route up the Pacific Coast or the route through the Mojave, Death Valley, we had to take what
most websites label as the boring, straight up the middle route . . .
All shots taken drive by.
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nice set of drive by shots !
like the one with just a hint of a rainbow ….
Thank you Pat, it was such spectacular weather for that dry part of the world and so good to see!
Very cool. The fifth one looks like captured lightning. I’ll take “boring” any day with skies and fields like this at the hands of your lens…and Cowboy Dodge.
Marks on the window come in handy sometimes! Thank you Pierr for your lovely comment!
Fine series; that strange, green rhythm in the first shot is hypnotizing.
Thank you Harrie, it is certainly a fascinating part of the world what with the intensive farming and agriculture.
This beautiful sky!
It rains too much in your area! good week
Thank you Pat, some might say it doesn’t rain enough in this part of the world!
I like the heavy clouds.
These clouds meant business, thank you Rabirius!
Looks very American, the big wide open skies.
And this is the built-up area, relatively speaking!
Ahh…..you’ve struck a chord in my heart here! My old stomping grounds, and would you believe I miss it? Great shots, Patti.
Yes Angeline, I understand how you could miss it!
Storm clouds in California…what a rare sight! Love that vintage Dodge truck!
Not the time to complain about this weather in California that’s for sure! Hasn’t that Dodge had a lot of love!
Nothing is boring through the eyes of an artist…..you proved that!
Thank you so much Burgess, truly thrilled!
WHOA!!!! Amazing sky shots Patti. Love them all!
Isn’t weather wonderful, except of course when it gets really mad . . . Thank you Margie!
Love these.
Thank you so much Julia!
Stormchaser Patti. 🙂
I wish! We did pull over to take some shots of what looked like a “twister” behind us, kicking myself that we hadn’t stopped sooner.
Dramatic landscapes, Patti. This is far from boring. Not a drought breaking rain I assume, but a good start.
Thank you Lignum, so hope it’s the start of a better winter for this part of the world.
Dramatic weather, and very American pictures. As I imagine this continent (parts of it) from afar.
Maybe one day soon you might get to explore some of this continent’s vastness! Thank you Bente!
To see your work in colours, wide angels, free on road – it is a treat, Patti!
That’s so sweet of you to say, thank you so much Paula!
🙂 I meant it, Patti, and I am sorry if my visits are not very regular.
Paula, please know how touched I was by your comment. You tapped a chord with the colour and freedom, it did indeed feel good to be out on the road with all that surrounding drama. I have been all over the place lately and any stop time has turned into flop time . . . Always lovely to see you any time you get here Paula, and absolutely no need to apologise – we all get there eventually! Hope you are enjoying a relaxing week-end and once again thank you for so much! 🙂
Gorgeous shots, Patti. I especially love the green Dodge pick-up automobile, trucking, trucking down the highway. ~Theadora (I also love the hat!)
A man with style, you could go a long way in that pick-up!
Wow! They’re all so brooding, but I absolutely love the shot with the telegraph pole.
Thank you Richard! It was such a sight I almost missed taking the shot.
A neat improvement to the term “drive-by-shooting”… Some very moody atmoshperes – lovely.
The language of photography is not exactly the most gentle is it . . . . Thank you Alessandro and so pleased you enjoy the moodiness!
Tasty rural images. I love the third one up from the bottom! Nice series Patti.
Thank you so much John, it’s thirsty ground out there!
I almost missed the rainbow in your 4th image! Happy to hear that California is finally getting some rain.
https://edgeofchic.wordpress.com/
It was all happening out there, thank you Arianna!
Those thunder clouds are amazing. Fun to be able to photograph while you drive. A great series.
Thank you so much Otto and thoroughly agree with you about the fun factor! For all the shots that are OK there are oodles of duds but the scenery passes by so quickly, even in the slow lane, and if you don’t try . . . .
Love how you transformed boring into art!! 🙂 Beautiful Patti.
I have the clouds to thank for that transformation Madhu but I love any suggestion of “art!” Wow!
nice, you had your focus on cloudscapes…
The muscle in these clouds was difficult to ignore! And thank you Frizz for this spectacular view above the clouds!
Good stuff Patti!! Thanks for taking us along on the ride; always nice to see other places.
Thank you Derrick, always a pleasure exploring your part of the world with you. Ever think of venturing over this way? Perhaps you have already!
To California, or New York? LOL!
Either, or both! Get on you bike at one and ride all the way to the other!
I love those skies.
Thank you Cardinal, they put on a great show!
And it wasn’t all boring, was it? Great photos – they do have the feel of west, and wide, and open!
Thank you Lyn and no, not boring at all! I only looked up the different routes for the time factor and was surprised (why am I always surprised??) at the confidence of opinion in declaring this route to be boring, as though everything has to be always stimulating, or we have the constant need to be guided towards the exciting. We can’t go and discover for ourselves. Visitors arrive in NYC, or anywhere really, with lists as long as their arms and wonder why they leave exhausted. Sorry Lyn, I didn’t mean to go down this track, I simply don’t know what came over me. . . .
Lovely Cloudscapes Patti 🙂
Thank you so much Martin!
The best kind of drive bys! Fabulous clouds!
It was fun, thank you Elena!
Great cloud shots. At least you had them to look at. Last time we drove to San Francisco we took the route through the desert. On the way back we came via the PCH. I’ve never taken the boring route, yet! I imagine it’s faster. And you certainly proved nothing is ever really boring!
The “boring” route is supposed to be the quickest which is why we did but happy enough to do it again if only to spend more time exploring . . . Bakersfield! The PCH and desert routes are adventures in themselves don’t you think?
Bakersfield doe not sound too exciting but you never know. I’ve found great shots in the weirdest of places. PCH is now my favorite route. I’ve seen way too much desert for a lifetime. Although I would love to see some dunes!
I think we hear more about people wanting to get of Bakersfield than getting in but we walked in to one bar thinking we might get some lunch there but I think we crashed the local bikers’ convention . . . Hope you get to enjoy some sand dunes soon Emilio!
Very nice. Reminded me of a tornado back then in Alabama. All of the sudden the sky went dark, dark, dark, at 3PM. Time to dive into a shelter!
Take care and keep shooting!
🙂
“all of A sudden”. 😦 pardon my French! 🙂
A big country with big weather, thank you eq21, good to know you survived to tell the tale and yes, your French is excused!
Thank you for excusing. I feel much better already!
🙂
Take care Patti
Brian
The photos are anything but boring, though! You can hear the thunder loud and clear right through the photos. Ominous! Brooding! It’s nice to know that the land needs the rain, however scary the method of delivery.
They need the rain so badly don’t they . . . and what a show it finally comes. Thank you Judith!
Not boring at all, Patti. What a dramatic sky! Can turn any not quite so scenic route into a spectacular surrounding. 🙂 Enjoy your Sunday.
Dina Xx
It felt so strange driving through “rain” in that part of the world, thank you so much Dina!
Now there’s a heaped up sky Patti ! Love the big vista and atmosphere … I don’t think boring comes into it 😉
Thank you Poppy! Not expecting anything too exciting made it even more exciting!
Nice clouds, Patti.
It’s my understanding that the record prolonged drought that California has been enduring has resulted in farmers drilling into subterranean water tables in order to irrigate their crops. The USGS believes that the draw from the natural aquifers is so substantial that the state has begun sinking at a rate of one inch per year.
Let it rain!
You are correct with your understanding of the situation Allan and the subterranean water is not renewable. On the plus side Los Angeles has gone to so much trouble in saving and recycling water which is showing benefits but out in the farmland they grow some mighty thirsty crops i.e. almonds etc which leaves me wondering just how much plenty we need to squeeze from the land.
so dramatic and beautiful 🙂
Thank you Joshi!
such dramatic skies. how wonderful to see rain there at last. and is that a rainbow in the 4th image?
Absolutely impossible to complain about the rain in this part of the world and, yes Kris, that is a rainbow!
Great pictures!
I enjoyed your road trip.
Kind regards,
looks like a menacing storm… very dramatic. Hope you had a great trip!
How wonderful that you had the time to get past the boring… or the expectations… and see the glorious. It is truly a pleasure to visit your blog.
Hey it’s raining again here in LA!
Yay, very happy for you! Or are you sick of it by now . . . ?
No. We need the rain badly. Snow especially.
Fingers crossed you get what you need, and some extra for good luck!