Golden
Today, the third and final day of our trip aboard Amtrak’s California Zephyr, I saw a California I had never seen before. We crossed into the Golden State shortly after our Reno stop, and soon after, we were climbing through the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The deep greens and browns of the forest were sandwiched between the bright white snowpack and the cool blue and gray sky. Our train was running a few hours late, and trying to capture the scenery often meant snapping right into the sun. What I didn’t realize until later was how the sun flares, combined with the Classic Negative Fujifilm film recipe, created a golden glow, perfect for our last day on this leg of the trip.
Shortly after Truckee, our conductor alerted us that as we emerged from the upcoming tunnel, we’d see Donner Lake to our right. We had staked out seats on the right side of the observation car, and wow—the lake was beautiful. Later, back in our room, I read up a bit on the Donner party and their ill-fated journey West. I had only known the basics; reading more of the details and seeing the formidable landscape up close, reinforced the both-and of nature: she can be both beautiful and brutal, both majestic and malevolent.
