On The Road Again | Gordon Creek, Utah | Utah Landscape Photography
Willie Nelson once sang, or I guess continues to sing at the tender age of 91, "On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again!" After a rather dull and uneventful six month snow plowing season compared to 2023, I eagerly awaited May the first, when once again I'd be hitting the open road. No stranger to the highways that criss cross the United States, my plan was to spend a week in Sedona, Arizona, after a quick overnighter in Carbon County, Utah.
A blog post I had written up in January of 2024 entitled Livingston to Bozeman by Train, delves a little deeper into my recent venture into train photography. I mention that, because my overnighter in Utah involved an abandoned train trestle which had caught fire in August of 2005. A news article posted on August the 6th, 2005, read "on Sunday, a Utah Railway train approached the Gordon Creek Bridge, located nine miles southwest of Helper, Carbon County, at approximately 8:30 a.m. and stopped when employees saw smoke down the tracks." Officials said had a train run over the tracks, the trestle may have collapsed, and believe it may have been an act of sabotage due to the fire being started with an accelerate. No claims were ever made.
As for the history of the trestle, the bridge was built between 1912 and 1914 as part of the Utah Railway Company's main line that connected the towns of Hiawatha and Mohrland to Martin, Utah. It spans 634 feet, standing 135 feet tall above Gordon creek. It remains one of the longest steel girder bridges in Utah. I had originally planned on arriving for sunset to capture some photos of the bridge, but as luck would have it, a late season snowfall in Montana (shocker) delayed my departure time by a few short hours. Having arrived well after dark, the dog and I found a campsite just up the road from the trestle. Had we arrived earlier, we could've spent the night underneath the train trestle, as when morning broke, we were able to see the surrounding landscape.
Just a short drive down a rocky dirt road, the bridge made its appearance as dusk began to show. A magnificence structure set against a rocky desert landscape, the train trestle gives off all kinds of chilling vibes. The four photos below, are the ones I thought came out the best. I used my fish eye lens to capture the entirety of the bridge, as daylight begin to appear on the horizon. A slow shutter speed gives Gordon Creek a velvety appearance as it winds its way under the trestle. I really love the vintage look to it! A short climb up a footpath gives you unofficial access to the bridge. From there, you can see the burnt out section of the trestle, as well as the warped rails. The last photo looks south west, as the rail line lays dormant, Nature now reclaiming what once was hers.
Afterwards, we made our way towards Gordon Creek Falls which flowed just upstream from the bridge. Always a sucker to capture a waterfall, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. We made the mile trek down a 4x4 road till we reached the falls. While I tried to find access for a closer capture, (I'm sure had I tried harder I would've found a way), it was only the second day of my spring break roadtrip, and I didn't want to risk getting hurt. The dog and I enjoyed the early morning splashdown from above.
If you missed my last blog post, I cycled 20 miles through Yellowstone National Park on an early April morning. You can find the post by clicking the link: HERE.
For more inspirational tales, thoughts and photography visit me on instagram: @ryan.j.drewes
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