A Surprise From the Sierra Navada

Fishing on the Rock again.

Ducking the main sail in low quarters!

Even since the Osprey flew the nest at the end of summer, I set out to find a new action web cam. There has been a previous post about this. Yes, one was found and it was mentioned "in part" in that same post.

Watching the daily dose of 2-mile-lone freight trains being pulled through town several times a day by Union Pacific locomotion has been a trill for a big kid. Me! On the other hand,  Amtrak is also amazing as their  daily consist has gone from the normal of 12-cars down to 11 after the holiday. Plus, three or four times, the old private cars are pulled from west to east or east back to the west. Either way, the freight trains are general freight and always one of straight containers. There has been some freights with as many as 8 engines. Some pulling. Some pushing. Yesterday, there was one that was made up of 10 locomotives. That is the most that I have ever seen in any trains consist. Ever! And I have watched trains ever since I was a kid walking home from school.

At the same while,  I have watched the weather systems move over the Sierra Nevada range and dip down arriving in North Texas a couple of days later, On Monday, it was raining with freezing rain on the web cam. The nights have been in the low 20s--even dipping to the upper teens a couple of time.

When I clicked on the cam this morning.....I gasp from the beauty of snow capped mountains that came over the night.  The gold of the Aspen trees leaves below the snow caps just sent chills of excitement and joy through my soul. I remember the old Lutheran and Methodist hymn: "For the Beauty of the Earth" by Conrad Kocher in 1838, and I give thanks.