The Starlight Returns...To Daily Service. On May 27th I was looking for an excuse to get out and shoot something, and low-and-beyond, was rewarded with a surprisingly late Amtrak 14, the northbound Coast Starlight, which has recently returned to daily service. Looking to get a couple quality shots, I first set up in Carpinteria where after a rather lengthy wait, the Starlight finally appeared under a gloomy sky. Heading north ahead of the train as it slowed for its Santa Barbara station stop, the morning overcast began to break north of town and by Goleta, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. By the time I paid the $10 to park at Gaviota State Park to get onto the beach, I was well ahead of the train and had some time to scope out the beach and consider a couple different angles. Unfortunately for photographers like us and the general public alike, the pier at Gaviota has been closed for some years now after a winter storm severely damaged it. Well...if you can't go on the pier, why not go under? I kicked off the shoes and socks and walked under the pier and found a good angle. While the waves were coming in, they certainly weren't anything to write home about and at their worst there was the occasional one up to my waist. Nothing a little time in the sun wont dry out. Leave it the Mother Nature to prove me wrong. As the train finally made an appearance on the 811-foot long trestle, a few honks of the horn got nearly everyone on the beach to look up and start waving. With my face buried in the back of the camera to get the shot, little did I know the largest wave was approaching at my back. Next thing I know my entire back, including the back of my head, was getting soaked.
The resulting shot was one that caught the wave as the deflecting sea water began to fill the right side of the image. Had that thing come just a few seconds earlier, I can guarantee I would have missed the shot! The old Canon 6D did get a little wet, but thankfully it survived.
Basically an album for me for recreational purposes, if I will be able to visit the SoCal area once for trainspotting only. Otherwise, I believe there is no time to do so...
