This afternoon, while I was working in the garden, a sudden storm came up, thunder and lightening, pelting rain and a strong wind. And it reminded me.
This article has been in my drafts file for a long time. I mean a really long time. On a warm, clear afternoon, without much warning a storm churned the sky, tree's swayed, then bent, that was July 21, 2003. And the walkway across the sky that I had walked over 100 times, was gone. In the days afterward an, and months fallowing amazing and wonderful thing happened, it became more famous, more cared for than it had ever been.
Kinzua Bridge State Park: A Place for All Seasons
Kinzua Bridge is a breathtaking place to visit in any time of the year. Seeing man's attempt to create the infrastructure to cross this abrupt valley is really something else. The weather in this area is often as intense as the crossing of the bridge itself. There is only one time that I have gone when the weather was not windy and intense
Often when I visit, it is either very windy with some slight rain, or very windy with snowy weather. It is easy to see how the weather got volatile enough to take a portion of the bridge down. It is windy days that make the bridge feel as if it is alive, with a hint of sway and sounds.
An autumn view after the leaves had fallen
A summer view
A winter view
A spring view
The wooden boards on the bridge deck glisten on wet days and certain perspectives make the bridge look endless. It is always a treat to be able to stop and check out this bridge.
I could stay here all day and watch this perspective
Often with impressive bridges, such as the Tunkhannock Viaduct, Starrucca Viaduct, Rockville Bridge, Ben Franklin Bridge, and the many bridges of Pittsburgh, the bridges are cool and have some observation areas, but are often just an afterthought. Driven or ridden over, or driven past without much of a thought. This bridge these days is solely for observation and you can even walk on it. In a state with more bridges than pretty much anyone else, with a ton of impressive bridges within that lot, it is great to have a place where you can appreciate the engineering and beauty of a bridge structure. More of these types of places should be made.
In addition to the engineering, you can see an industrially ravaged valley grow back. Even in the last ten years or so that we have gone to this place, we have seen the grow back progress in action. It is really pretty dramatic
At the end of the bridge, there is a glass surface that you can look straight down 300 feet. The rail tie section is more impressive to me though because you can see that same distance but unobstructed.
A view from the end of the remnants of the bridge, looking down at the mangled sections from when a tornado took out the far end of the bridge. It is pretty dramatic and neat to see, especially with the contrasts of the rusty iron with early spring leaves.
Looking back from the end back towards the remnants of the standing portion of the bridge.
