The weather is all over the news. I guess it’s bound to be with the every little change being linked to global warming. For those of us who don’t do the science we must take the word of others. Hopefully your “others” are experts in the field of climatology and the study of greenhouse gases.

Here in Southern California my local weatherman on KABC, Dallas Raines assures us viewers the recent blizzard is not the consequence of climate change. It is due to regular atmospheric conditions. This storm pattern that brought snow to as low as 500 feet in some places is an occasional but regular event. The last time it happened was 1989.

Any big weather event is a good excuse to go take some photos. I can tell myself I do it to document the event but the truth is I just want an excuse to take some photos. It worked! I took my gear to the Cajon Pass along I-15. At forty miles it wasn’t exactly close by but by LA traffic standards it wasn’t far either. The area known as Mormon Rocks has several things going for it. First, it is right off the freeway. Second, there are several very busy train tracks that transport material from the greater LA area including merchandise from the twin ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach to all points east. The climb up the hill to the high desert requires multiple engines to push and pull the long trains up the incline. Third, the area is mostly devoid of the trappings of suburban life. The rocks, the trains, and the empty or clouded sky are wide open.

From a photographic standpoint, light and shadow are my friend when it comes time to show off the rocks and trains. The golden hours of the day are always ideal to get the warm tones of the red rocks. The contrast of the yellow train engines against the speckled desert landscape and the moonscape red boulders can make for some beautiful pictures. However, snow can level the playing field of light and expand the time of the day for contrasty photos. The starkness of the white snow creates a contrast with everything else in the frame. In addition, the contrast can save the otherwise flat lighting. These photos were taken at midday, a time I usually avoid.

I like the train. If I had my druthers it would have been a steam train with a high plume coming from the boiler.

I’m currently reading about Custer’s Last Stand by Nathaniel Philbrook. Custer’s troops had to camp in their pup tents without any heating beyond uniforms and blankets they had taken with them. In the run up to the battle at Little Big Horn, they ran into some spring snow. It was cold. Relying on black and white, I took this photo that reminds me of images I have seen of the badlands in the Dakotas.