The desert, the railroad, and the mountain. Photographs can hardly do justice to the incredible majesty of northern California's Mount Shasta, rising 10,000 feet above the surrounding terrain. Every time I look up towards its icy summit, I am reminded of how incredible God's creation is. Late on a mid-June evening, with a healthy winter snowpack still clinging onto the mountain's northern slopes, a long northbound Z train climbs the 1.4% grade through the S-curves near the north end of Andesite siding, as Mount Shasta stands eternal watch over the expansive desert below.