More on Commuting to and from Work

How about some positive remarks about my drive home? . . . .

Regardless of how my workday went or how bad the commute home might be, there are two points along the way home that I really like. I'm only going to bore you with my favorite one today. It's on the Slauson Ave. bridge that spans the San Gabriel River. As I reach the top of this bridge the view is great! The bridge is fairly high because a railroad track is directly below the road and spanning the river at the same point. If you looked at this "intersection" on a map, you would see that it looks like the road and the tracks form an X over the river.

Back to the view. . . On some days, especially when it's clear, I can see the Whittier foothills eastward all the way to the horizon. To the north I can see the San Gabriel Mountains including Mount Baldy. Now this view looks best in the Spring after a period of rain when the Whittier foothills are green. The northward view of the San Gabriels looks best in the Winter after snow has fallen. The view doesn't look very good when it's smoggy or hazy, which is typical during the summer.

The San Gabriel River usually has some water in it. Most of the time it's barely flowing, but following a rain, it's full from bank to bank. The various flood control barriers hold back the water into large areas within the banks that look like stairs made of water. Sometimes one of the barriers is partially lowered allowing the water to flow resulting in a waterfall in the middle of the river.

Now mind you, I'm driving by and depending on traffic flow, I could see all of these sights in a matter of seconds. The fact that I've driven over this bridge more than a thousand times is why it's engraved into my memory.

I don't have a picture of this view to share. But even if I was able to take a picture from the top of the bridge, it wouldn't look as good on film as it does in my mind. Here's why: I can't block out the 605 Freeway that's right in line with my view of the foothills. There are also high tension power lines that obscure the view in both directions. I can "look" right through or beyond these "eyesores" when I'm driving by admiring my view, but I can't edit them out of a picture.

One more thing that I think is kind of cool. Occasionally I'll reach the bridge at the same time a train does. I can see one side of the train out of my driver's side window when I'm at the bottom of the bridge, then I drive up and over the bridge to see the other side of the train out of my passanger's window. In the winter when it's dark out and the interior of the train is illuminated, I can see the people on the train. Sometimes they're looking out of their windows at the cars on the bridge.

I'll share another favorite point on a future post. Until then, Drive Safely!