Ryder Road - Visual Tribute
Ryder Road is a secondary connector road between State Route 82 and County Road 254 (Pioneer Trail) in Hiram, Ohio. Less than a mile long, it traverses open farmland for most of its length. It rises several hundred feet from its base alongside Hiram’s Fairview Cemetery to the top of the ridge at Pioneer Trail. The road forms the western leg of the Village Loop walking trail. It is often populated with joggers and dog walkers that share the corridor with vehicular traffic and farm implements.
Ryder road has just a few structures which really adds to the feeling of rural space. There’s a single residence across from the cemetery, and the former township garage just south of the cemetery. The bean field sits south of that. About halfway uphill from there is the Ryder Road pump station. The only thing after that is the farm complex and residence at the crest of the hill. Most of my photos are taken from the span running just beneath the crest down to the bean field. The distance is less than half a mile, but you’d never guess that looking at the wide array of photos taken along this stretch.
I visit here often, attracted by the expanse of openness, the wide sky vistas, and the road’s close proximity to crop fields and wildlife. Years ago I began to appreciate the positive energy that seems to exude from crop fields. One of many things I can’t explain; it just makes me feel good. That and the ability to see the sky for miles off into the distance makes this the place to be for anything weather related. Much of my photography centers on the weather, and I’ve found no better place to experience it than by walking along this narrow road. I come here on broiling summer days and the frozen tundra of winter. Dense fog, pouring rain, hail, storms, extreme winds, and jaw-dropping sunsets. And of course, the sheer adrenaline kick of thunderstorms. All of that and much more. Rich life experiences and a legacy of photos. Here are some of my favorites from the past several years.
Written and photographed by Dave Dreimiller
Intense summer thunderstorm squeezes the last daylight out of the eastern sky on a summer evening. This view is looking south on Ryder Road from Pioneer Trail.
Low clouds push out ahead of a cold front near the bean field in late summer.
Ryder Road simply vanishes into thick fog on a chilly March morning. Fog is sometimes so thick here that I can see only a few yards into the distance. The fog dampens sound as well as visibility, and plays tricks on the ears.
Summer thunderstorms churn over Ryder near sunset. I love when the storms approach the eastern horizon, leaving only a thin layer of light between the sky and ground. Here the trees created a perfect silhouette within the light.
Uproarious color emerges during a summer sunset looking west from the Ryder Road pump station.
Wispy weeds along Ryder on a foggy summer morning. There is only a very narrow berm along much of the road giving the sense that you’re on some sort of nature trail.
Last glow of sunset reflects off of a puddle of rain water near the pump station.
Morning sun burns through the fog over the bean field near the old township maintenance facility on the north end of Ryder.
Cold front sweeps down over Ryder just before sunset on a late spring evening.
The grand prize for thunderstorm photography is the elusive cumulo mammatus cloud formation. I’ve seen them only a handful of times in all the years I’ve been shooting storm photos. Most often they materialize just as storms recede. I encountered them here drifting over the underground petroleum pipeline that bisects Ryder Road.
Snow blasts over the massive drifts that form near the top of Ryder Road in winter. Walking directly into this jet stream of snow and ice was breathtaking. I found it difficult to breath and actually quite disorienting. I walked downhill a few yards, turned and captured this photo.
The setting sun is filtered through hay casting delicate shadows across Ryder in early summer.
Amazing sunset color in the moments after sunset looking west toward the distant treeline. The terrain in Hiram provides a “valley” sunset when the sun dips below the visible horizon, but is still above the actual horizon that’s formed by the ridge just west of the Cuyahoga River. The most intense sunset colors occur when the sun drops into the zone. It lasts only a few minutes at best.
Looking uphill through a very long lens as a car trundles down from the ridge. Cars and pedestrians have a very uneasy relationship on Ryder Road. The berm ranges from narrow to nonexistent, so there’s really no safe place for a pedestrian to be when cars approach. Fortunately the volume of traffic here tends to be low. I wear bright colors, and cross to the side opposite oncoming vehicles.
Fireflies light the night sky along Ryder Road on a July evening.
Low winter sun casts long tree shadows across a snow-covered Ryder Road across from Fairview Cemetery.
Otherworldly view through morning fog over the bean field. The light refraction makes the sun appear absurdly oversized.
Comet NEOWISE floats just over the horizon in this night view from July, 2020. Photo taken looking west toward the Ryder Road pump station.
A sliver of sunlight illuminates the meadows flanking Ryder on a foggy morning in early autumn. I love capturing the effect of narrow rays of sunlight when the sun breaks from heavy cloud cover.
Yet another July thunderstorm blackens the sky over Ryder just south of the pump station.
Dark skies contrast the softness of tall weeds and hay somewhere along Ryder on a summer evening.
Gritty late season view looking south on Ryder as a cold front approaches. This forlorn power line was determined to be redundant and was removed in December, 2021.
Layers of fog fill the valley on the downhill end of Ryder following a summer thunderstorm.
Ominous wall cloud approaches from the west on a stormy July evening. The open sky offers dramatic, unobstructed views of storms that are a photographer’s delight. Back down in the nearby village, tree cover is so extensive that I cannot see storms until they are directly overhead.
An intense thunderstorm that was centered over Freedom Township darkens the sky near a crop of field corn. The storm remained nearly stationary for the better part of an hour during which time I remained completely dry.
Absurdly deep snow drifts undulate their way across open farmland along Ryder on a freezing day in January. Prevailing winds really pile up snow along the west side of Ryder, especially after successive storms. It’s always breezy along Ryder due to the expanses of open farmland and the height of the ridge.
A passing car creates a streak of light in this night view of the Ryder pump station on a summer evening. The pinpoints of light in the background are the flashes of millions of fireflies that thrive amid the tall weeds and grasses.
Quaint uphill view of the old barn at the crest of the hill in early summer. Cornrows are just starting to develop in the distance.
Angry clouds presage yet another summer thunderstorm over Ryder. No two storms are alike which is one reason I keep returning.
Ryder Road appears to disappear off the end of the earth in this foggy morning view looking south towards Pioneer Trail. There’s simply no trace of the hill or even the pump station. I love the visual and spatial disorientation created by fog. I make a point to walk in it whenever possible. Like most weather phenomenon, it’s totally different experiencing it firsthand versus watching it through a window.
The pure definition of soft summer rain embodied in this view looking north along Ryder Road.
Infrared view of the farm at the crest of the hill on the south end of Ryder. This was shot in the glorious light that arises when the sky clears and the sun returns after a summer thunderstorm.
I live for shots such as this when the sky appears darker than the landscape. Here the sky provides a wonderful contrast between cool and warm colors.
Standing in the depth of winter along Ryder with a chest-deep snow drift to my left and virtually bare ground to my right. The cold air sweeping across that drift is quite unbearable. I can remain here only for a few minutes at a time no matter how many layers I’m wearing.
Funnel clouds attempting to form over Hiram looking east across the bean field at sunset on a summer evening. The sound of tornado warning sirens filled the air along with booming thunder.
About as bleak as it gets: a raw November day at Ryder pump station.
Wild Timothy grass about to get blasted by an advancing thunderstorm. This storm was particularly nasty. The darkness near the horizon is rain. An eerie hissing sound erupts as the rain approaches, the sound created by millions of falling droplets as they race across the open meadows. You can actually see the rain falling from some distance before it arrives.
Midwinter sun creates only a feeble reflection on snowmelt along Ryder on a grim February day.
Spooky and rare mammatus clouds make a surprise appearance over Ryder in the wake of a late summer thunderstorm. At this point I can still hear thunder rattling the sky to the east while Im bathed in the rays of the sun as it reemerges behind me.
Another dramatic summer sunset along Ryder framed here by stalks of wild Timothy growing alongside the road.
I love standing near crop fields and watching them develop from seed. I love the visual effect of the rows as they undulate and curve to follow the terrain.
Mammatus clouds illuminated by the setting sun in the wake of yet another powerful thunderstorm on a June evening.
Sunset skies looking through the perimeter fence surrounding the Ryder Road pump station on a cold evening in April.
Angry scud clouds prowl the horizon in the wake of a summer cold front on a Labor Day weekend. This is looking north on Ryder, back down to the cemetery. I live for skies like this. And the harsh, gritty black and white look is one of my signature styles.
Eerie roll cloud pushes out ahead of an intense summer thunderstorm on a July evening. Timing is everything on shots like this. The best cloud structure appears moments ahead of the rain. If I depart too soon, I miss the shot. If I remain too long, I get soaked. This time I got soaked.
Spectacular sunset as the sun breaks free from stormy skies in spring. Times like this I cannot believe what I am seeing. Fortunately I had the good sense to raise the camera and capture the moment.