Dusk

Dusk, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Shot while on a bike ride, on a path through a corn field. Only in the Midwest, I guess.

Sunset With Traffic Lights

Sunset With Traffic Lights, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Shot from the car at a stop light. It just looks hot out, don't it?

Congress Hotel

Congress Hotel, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

A moody, sunset shot of the Congress Hotel in Chicago. Opened in 1893 for the World's Columbian Exposition, the Congress has undergone two major expansions through the years, the second one by Holabird and Roche in 1907. Originally designed as an annex for the Auditorium Theater across LaSalle Street, the hotel was connected to the theater for many years by a marble-lined tunnel called "Peacock Alley".

Both buildings still stand today.

Illinois River

Illinois River, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

This is a former Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad bridge over the Illinois River, in the town of Ottawa. It's a fairly rare lift-type bridge-the center part raises up to let river traffic go through. The first bridge at this location dates to 1868, but I believe this one was built in the 1930's, when the lift span was installed.

I've seen this bridge several times on my travels to and around Ottawa, but had never managed to get a good shot of it. It's a good looking example of an older iron rail bridge, and the Illinois River valley in this area is pretty picturesque. But I got lucky this weekend, as I was passing through on my way home, a little later than usual, with the winter sun low in the sky.

Staring at the Sun

Flare, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Open Road

Open Road, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Old interesting car? Check. Sunset? Check. Clouds? Check. Grassy field? Check. Country road? Check. It's almost like a recipe for a cool photo, or just a really awesome moment.

Go West

Sunset, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

Well, west-ish. This road doesn't go exactly west, and winds around a bit on it's way to DeKalb.

This would have been a cooler shot if I had a more interesting car, something like a Kaiser Manhattan or a Ford Model A.

Painted On The Sky

Country Road, originally uploaded by William 74.

Yeah, I went there. But this isn't West Virginia-this particular country road is in Illinois and winds between fields and farms rather than over the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Sunset

Sunset, originally uploaded by William 74.

Fun with silhouettes! I guess that's one nice thing about winter and spring-the trees are still bare and stand out really well against the sky. Particularly a sunset like this one.

Excellent cloud day too.