15_the_circle | Saturday: riches on The Hill

[OT from cottage renovations]

the Southern Pacific's crossing of the Sierra Nevadas has always been referred to simply as The Hill. anything with that much of a presence and impact on the railroad -- and more importantly its people -- doesn't need much in the way of elaboration.

(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)

Clipper Gap, CA

setting off with friends old and new we headed up into the hills to Clipper Gap. things seem to have quieted down there since the completion of the transcontinental railroad, for the construction of which it had served as a support area. the coming of Interstate 80 brought the convenience of the motor age but at the cost of the town itself: most of its structures were removed during the highway's construction.

today there's scant visible evidence of the tiny town's presence but the stories go on: in 1888 it was the site of the Gorton Brothers' daring holdup of the Overland Express during a torrential rainstorm on Christmas Eve.

Eschscholzia californica

there's still treasure to be found here. the tracks are strewn with gold of a different kind: bright clusters of California poppies line the right of way.

Eschscholzia californica

having hiked along the right of way for about a mile and a half, we were alongside the brief gap between tunnels no. 23 and 24 when Amtrak no. 6 came burbling up the grade. it had nothing to fear from our group; none of us harboured even the slightest of larcenous inclinations.