* * * * *
Neon trails along the Florida Turnpike
[Neon Trails along the Florida Turnpike] [1] [2] [Neon Trails along the
Florida Turnpike II] [3] [4] [Neon Trails along the Florida Turnpike III] [5]
[6] [Neon Trails along the Flroida Turnpike IV] [7] [8] Years ago I worked as
a stage hand at FAU (Florida Atlantic University) [9] and when working the
spot lights I would be working on a platform about fifty feet above the
audiences' heads. As long as I was busy, I was fine. But during the times I
had to sit up there waiting my cue, my thoughts would wander, inevitably to
the fact that I was fifty feet above the audience on a thin metal platform
and the only thing holding the platform and cat-walk system were a series of
poles bolted into the ceiling some fifteen feet above my head and what would
happen if that bolt, right there, would suddenly slip?
My grip about the metal railing would tighten at such times, waiting for my
cue (or the show to end so I could climb back down to earth). But as long as
I was busy, I was fine. Such thoughts entered my mind tonight as I snapped
pictures of the Florida Turnpike [10] from an overpass, mainly when a fast
moving vehicle or a large semi-truck passed by and the overpass would
vibrate.
The sidewalk was covered with a chain link fence (as this false colored image
[11] shows) but even so, my attention was drawn to the concrete walls along
each side of the walkway. The one separating me from the road was about three
three and a half feet high while the one separating me from a fall of about
thirty-fourty feet was only six inches high (as you can see in this enhanced
false-colored image [12]). I suppose that since the entire walkway was
covered with chain link fencing and that a car along the overpass is more
likely to slam into a person than a car flying up from the Turnpike below to
slam into a person, that only devoting 6″ of concrete is more cost effective
than putting 3′ of concrete on both sides.
I still found it rather disconcerting.
And it doesn't help that I'm rather susceptible to vertigo.
To take the pictures, I (again) set the camera to night scenes, artificial
light, no flash and ASA (American Standards Association) 100, and while the
camera was on the tripod, leaning it against the fencing so that the lense
had a clear shot through a link. Then it was waiting for a suitable number of
vehicles to pass and hitting the button at the right time. For the vehicles
coming towards me the trick was to find the right time to hit the button—too
soon and I wouldn't get a good streak of light. Too late and I'd miss them
entirely. It was easier to time the vehicles going away from me—as soon as I
saw the headlights appear from below the overpass, hit the button.
What I really find interesting in these shots is that you can't even see the
vehicles—they're just not visible, which I find fascinating.
[1]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2002/12/12/turnpike.1.t.jpg
[2]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2002/12/12/turnpike.1.jpg
[3]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2002/12/12/turnpike.2.t.jpg
[4]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2002/12/12/turnpike.2.jpg
[5]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2002/12/12/turnpike.3.t.jpg
[6]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2002/12/12/turnpike.3.jpg
[7]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2002/12/12/turnpike.4.t.jpg
[8]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2002/12/12/turnpike.4.jpg
[9]
http://www.fau.edu/
[10]
http://www11.myflorida.com/turnpikepio/
[11]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2002/12/12/tunnel.jpg
[12]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2002/12/12/tunnel.commentary.jpg
Email author at
[email protected]
