Somewhere along Interstate 5 (I5), or was it I205, on a road trip to Disneyland, in the middle of last summer, we stopped at this gas station to fill up. The central valley of California is an interesting place. For most like myself, the big valley, is a completly different world from the coastal regions of the state. It's a changing place as home prices along the coast push buyers further, and further away, to the east, to the valley. In the valley, some of the most fertile farmlands in the world are giving way to the seemingly endless crop of housing developments.
Most of the time, I rush through the valley on road trips south to the Los Angeles area. Those trips really are like bum-rushes, where I, like most others, make our way to I5, point the car south, exceed the speed limit, and endure the long, long ride. I5 runs north and south, in a straight line the length of the entire valley. There is seemingly very little to look at photographically speaking, but on this last trip, made with the kids, and stopping at practically every exit for restroom breaks, I was able to appreciate just what a beautiful place it is. There wasn't much time to roam around composing shots, the bum-rush was on, Disneyland or Bust! But the long ride gave me time to see its photographic potential.
Anyway, the image here intrigued me, the scale seemed off, compressed. I shot this as I pumped gas.I liked the result, the tones on the hills.
