Train passing, October 18, 2014

A train passes through Dawes County, Nebraska, October 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Exploring a new area for me, south of Crawford, I found a place where the road twists around to cross the tracks, which are cut into the hill. I climbed the hill and found the arrangement with the foreground yucca and background trees to be a good fit around the track. It wasn't a long wait for the train; in fact, I might have had to scramble to grab it. I forget exactly how it went. I may have rescued someone from a mustache-twirling villain, too.

Snowfall Along Needles Highway, October 12, 2014

Grace Coolidge Creek in Custer State Park, October 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Snowfall along the Needles Highway in Custer State Park, October 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Snowfall along the Needles Highway in Custer State Park, October 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Snowfall along the Needles Highway in Custer State Park, October 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Normally, I wouldn't put four photos up, but these serve to illustrate the varied weather that can be found in Custer State Park as fall in the mountains gets cold. A day that started with light drizzle turned to snow, which adds a fun layer of texture to the mountain scenes. It's another kind of day that I need to repeat, especially as a means of capturing the aspen and birch trees of the area. But is it an aspen or a birch?

Clouds over Box Butte Reservoir, October 11, 2014

Road along the dam at Box Butte Reservoir, October 2014. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Box Butte Reservoir and the state recreation area it's part of is a fun place to visit, particularly during the warm months. Writing this, I'm thinking I should head out there this afternoon, since it's fall, and the trees along the water take a great set of colors. This mid-day shot featuring the dam road, dam posts, and (ahem) damn fluffy clouds, is straightforward, but with a few details I enjoy. The repeated receding line of the road is repeated in the shadows from the clouds crossing the sky. There is a hint of fall colors to liven up what is an almost monochromatic warm-cold foreground and sky. This scene is really about the geometry of the lines and cloud shapes.