On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
?BillinGlendaleCA
A week after my journey to the Santa Ynez Valley to shoot the Milky Way and the capturing the smoky sunsets, I ventured to Long Beach to shoot the sunset. The Sun was setting between the two towers of the newly completed Gerald Desmond replacement bridge that opened late last year. This cable stay bridge replaced the Gerald Desmond bridge that was built in the 1960’s and was not up to seismic standards, too low to the water for modern container ships to navigate and was a traffic bottleneck. The sky was a bit more smoky than it had been the previous week and there was some really nice cloud cover. They light the area around the harbor at night including the bridges(the Queensway Bridge as well as the new replacement bridge which as of yet has not been named).
The Sun shines though a break in the clouds and smoke between the two towers of the replacement bridge and over the Queensway bridge in the foreground.
The Sun is just above the two bridges spans with glassy water in the foreground. This exposure was created via exposure bracketing with the longer exposure used for the water, the shortest for the sky, the second longest used to lighten the shadows and a base shot.
The Sun setting below the roadway of the replacement bridge, you can see the arch of the Gerald Desmond Bridge to the left.
Sunset view of the Queen Mary.
The Sun has set and the lights are visible on the replacement bridge, the Queensway Bridge and the lighthouse on the hill. The lighthouse is lit with changing colors.
Closeup of the Queensway Bridge and the replacement bridge in the background.
The lighthouse lit in blue.
On the walk back to my car, I passed by oil wells set on an artificial island in the harbor that has some great lighting that is reflected in the water of the marina.
Baud
Beautiful as always, Bill.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Baud: Thanks much.
Mary G
Great sunset shots and more old stomping grounds.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Mary G: As you know, I made it to the new bridge this past weekend. Thanks.
The Dangerman
Ah, memories; not much of LA I miss (short list, Little Tokyo, old Pauley,, running Janss Steps, but if I ran Janss Steps now, there had better be a waiting ambulance at the top), but fine Summer Sunsets over the ocean there were more consistent (it’s too often June Gloomy in August in my neighborhood). The Summer sunsets on the Redondo Riviera were often amazing. Nice pics.
Damn, in my insomnia, I’d love to do UCLA again. Maybe it was the density of Heather Locklear wannabes that I miss (HL was in Sproul, though we never crossed paths; Julie Hayek I crossed paths with a couple times, but I was in love with a Pauley baller beauty named Suzy) but that is a longer story and sleep is coming back, I think).
raven
Love the San Pedro Fish Market!
JAFD
Was looking at maps, trying to figure out where you were standing to take these pictures ? Curious, I am.
LiminalOwl
What Baud said. Thank you, Bill.
Geminid
Great pictures! I forwarded them to a couple of friends. My friend Debbie likes pictures of boats, so I told her there was a really big boat in this set.
Steeplejack (phone)
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
Bill, do you have a way to accept one-time donations on your website? I was showing your photographs to an arts-connected friend the other day, and she suggested that (in addition to your Patreon link). She said many people want to support artists but don’t necessarily want to buy the art. (Don’t have space for it, not their particular thing, etc.) Maybe you should have links (as Cole does) for Venmo, Zelle (my favorite) and PayPal. Also maybe Ko-Fi, although I don’t know much about that one.
Laura Too
Such beauty! Thank you, makes me home sick for not my home. Maybe I will get there this year.
randy khan
I am a sucker for sunset shots. Lovely.
cope
I like these pictures a lot, especially the Queen Mary. It looks like it’s about to pull anchor and set sail.
P Thomas
LGB! My hood…well, close to it. I’ve been on the bike paths near here many times. The “oil islands” in the harbor are the called “THUMS” islands, and you can read the Wiki here for the wonderfully convoluted history. The main story, though, is who the islands are named for:
“Since 1967, they have been known as the Astronaut Islands, having been renamed in honor of four American astronauts who lost their lives in the service of NASA. Island Freeman (Theodore C. “Ted” Freeman) is named for the first astronaut to perish in active duty (piloting a T-38 Talon jet trainer).[7][8] Island Grissom (Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom), Island White (Ed White), and Island Chaffee (Roger B. Chaffee) are named after the Apollo 1 astronauts (launch pad accident).”
I believe that is Island Grissom pictured, close by the shoreline.
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/THUMS_Islands
And, for a more interesting story, one from LA Curbed
https://la.curbed.com/2018/9/28/17858248/history-long-beach-oil-islands-thums
Betsy
Gorgeous. Oh, the colors.
stinger
How lovely! Especially the sky over the Queen Mary.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@The Dangerman: Glad to bring back the fond memories of LA, and UCLA in partiular(GoBruins!). Yup, HL was in Sproul and I don’t remember seeing her either, though they did use our dining hall(Dykstra) on weekends. I didn’t realize this until a couple of years ago, but HL also went to my junior high school and was a year behind me. Don’t remember her there, but I do remember her sister(my age).
@raven: Yup, other side of Terminal Island.
@JAFD: Right about here: https://goo.gl/maps/zxmHrbQrupZcD5eT6
Almost Retired
Wonderful photos — by happenstance, I drove from Palos Verdes to Long Beach yesterday across that very same bridge (and the vertigo-inducing Vincent Thomas Bridge). Your photos capture the offbeat beauty of the port area. The other thing I noticed was the dozens of container ships lined up in the Harbor because of – I guess – staffing shortages. It looked like D-Day, if the allies had decided to obliterate San Pedro.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@LiminalOwl: Thanks.
@Geminid: There are two in that shot, the Queen and the Carnival ship. Bonus!
@Steeplejack (phone): Yeah, prints are nice, but don’t work for everyone. That’s one of the reasons I set up the Patreon(h/t to commenter Another Scott). I have both Paypal and Zelle(I’m not sure if I have Venmo and never heard of Ko-Fi) and will put a link to both. Thanks.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Laura Too: Thanks, we have so many great vistas here in LA.
@randy khan: I like sunsets too, though I think sunrises were better for the starburst effect. I shot quite a few sunsets a couple of years ago at the coast.
@cope: The Carnival ship is ready to set sail. The last time I shot there was with the group and you could hear the pa on the Carnival ship and was driving our then group leader nuts. The Queen has a breakwater around it.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Betsy: Thanks, I have some secrets to bring out some more color.
@stinger: Thanks.
@Almost Retired: I was down there Sunday night, trying to get some closer photos of the new bridge and drove back over that and the Vincient Thomas Bridge to heat north on the 110. The drive over the new bridge was nice at night.
cope
@?BillinGlendaleCA: I thought the QM was more stringently confined. Once I enlarged the pic, I could see the breakwater.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@cope: Since they’re using it as a floating hotel, you don’t want any movement. We stayed there many, many years ago, it’s very nice.
cope
@?BillinGlendaleCA: I still can’t get the story line of a bunch of old salts taking the ship over to fire it up and take it out to sea for a final joyride out of my head. Any of you BJ writers who want to use that plot feel free. I’ll wait for the movie starring Tommy Lee Jones as the grizzled seaman helped by his dubious but loving son played by Ryan Reynolds.
Paul T
LGB! Been on that bike path near the Lighthouse many, many times.
The oil island in the picture is one of the 4 islands named for the astronauts, particularly Grissom/White/Chaffee, who died in the Apollo fire:
“Since 1967, they have been known as the Astronaut Islands, having been renamed in honor of four American astronauts who lost their lives in the service of NASA. Island Freeman (Theodore C. “Ted” Freeman) is named for the first astronaut to perish in active duty (piloting a T-38 Talon jet trainer).[7][8] Island Grissom (Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom), Island White (Ed White), and Island Chaffee (Roger B. Chaffee) are named after the Apollo 1 astronauts (launch pad accident)” (Wikipedia).
The “Thums” islands have an interesting backstory all their own:
https://la.curbed.com/2018/9/28/17858248/history-long-beach-oil-islands-thums
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Paul T: I’ve seen the names(at least Grissom and White) but didn’t know the connection, thanks.
dp
Those oil wells are operated by an outfit called THUMS after its original owners: Texaco, Humble, Unocal, Mobil, and Shell. The interesting background of this is found here:
https://la.curbed.com/2018/9/28/17858248/history-long-beach-oil-islands-thums
Great pics, as always.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@dp: Thanks much.