These Bridges Span My Life

Bridges are structures that inspire awe and admiration in me as an adult

You can’t grow up in Western New York and not have an affinity for bridges. Bridges in this area of the country formed the earliest connections with lands further afield to the wild west and with our neighbors to the north, in Canada.

A Scary Bridge

During my childhood in a suburb of Rochester New York, a trip to my grandparents in the city took us over the Driving Park Avenue Bridge.

This bridge was perched high above the Genesee River gorge and was notoriously icy and lonely in winter.

I remember peering through the car window to try and glimpse the river far below. I was always somewhat afraid of crossing that bridge for fear it would send us down into the river (irrational fear of a child).

Low bridge, everybody down. Low bridge, we’re a-comin’ to a town

Some of the bridges of my childhood that amazed me were the lift bridges across the Erie Canal.

When a boat on the canal came through the many towns along the canal, a bridge had to be lifted to let the boats through. This was essentially to allow the transport of goods to pass.

With the Erie Canal bridges I’ve known, one end of the bridge lifts the road high in the air like a vertical gate to allow boats to pass. It was always a thrill to see this as a child, as it didn’t happen that often. You had to be in the right place at the right time.

Naturally, traffic stopped on both sides of the bridge as it was operated by a person in a little hut to the side of the waterway who oversaw the canal traffic.

When I was older, college-age, and moved to Buffalo, New York, the bridges that crossed over to Canada were favorites — it meant an adventure was in store. The Rainbow Bridge, the Peace Bridge, and the Lewiston Bridge all crossed from the Buffalo area to Niagara Falls.

We crossed these bridges many times going easily from one country to the other, well before passports or vaccine checks were needed. There were, however, stern customs agents ready to question the reason for your visit.

Just don’t say you’re from “America” — you’ll get a lecture. When asked where you were from, the correct thing to stay was the United States. Then, they’d let you over the bridge without too much trouble.

Crossing Over

Bridges signify a crossing over or a coming of age to me, and perhaps to many other people. You cross to get to the other side which may contain a new adventure, a new city, or another country.

The first major bridge I walked across was the Brooklyn Bridge — with a hoard of teens on a trip to NYC in 2013. I’m not sure I noticed much because I was chaperoning and trying to keep track of 8 band students.

The ride under the bridge on a ferry in NY Harbor was much more satisfying. Bridges offer so much to look at whether you are on them, under them, or standing next to them.

Bridges can and do inspire awe in me. They are engineering feats and can be very beautiful in form. One that is especially awe-inspiring for me is the Golden Gate Bridge in San Franciso.

We lucked out on the day last June when we visited. The sky was blue and there was no fog! The iconic red color was plain to see and the contrast with the green hills and deep blue water was stunning.

Our visit was fortuitous because we visited on a Federal Holiday and while parking was tight, there was no charge to park in the lot. After a short hike, we were at one of the viewpoints for the bridge. While you can walk across, we did not. But we stayed for a while to enjoy the views.

And then we drove over it!

Working Bridges

A few weeks later, we did walk across a bridge, the famous lift bridge in Duluth Minnesota. It was fun but not very exciting. They do not let pedestrians on the bridge when it “lifts” to allow the big ships to pass under. Still, it was fascinating to see it work. Again — such a feat of engineering.

To see a big ship — one of the huge iron ore transport ships — go under the lift bridge demands that one is in the right place at the right time. We weren’t and did not get to see that — although the lift does rise for smaller vessels as well.

Bridges, it seems have always been part of my life. I do see them as symbolic — of promise, adventure, and maturity, as well as a necessary part of our past, and our future. They are awe-inspiring to me. And they are beautiful.

Three of the most beautiful bridges I’ve ever seen were in Budapest this fall. I wrote about them already! These bridges are all filled with history as well!

Today’s story is in response to February’s prompt on bridges by the administration team at Globetrotters. Thanks to all of them for the extraordinary work they put into this popular publication on travel!

I like Adrienne Beaumont’s description of the tallest bridge in the world and her ability to brave freezing temperatures to view it! She lets us read her thoughts from her journal, too!

And this one by Joel R. Dennstedt is humourous as well as inspiring.

What do bridges mean to you? Is there one that is especially meaningful?