Bridges

 I have crossed many bridges in my life both literally and figuratively. Today I am going to write about actual bridges I have traveled across and the memories that they invoke.  Five days a week as I travel to and from work I cross Lake Belton on a sizable four lane bridge. This bridge was completed the year my father passed away which was 2006. It was built to replace a bridge that was built to be above the spillway height of the dam downstream and the bridge it replaced was built when I was 13 when the dam was altered and the lake level raised up above the existing bridge's height. The original bridge was built only to cross a river, not a lake.  So in my lifetime I have traveled across three different bridges at that location. When I lived in Austin and we traveled to my grandparents house in Levita ( about 15 miles from Gatesville) we would cross the Leon River four times. The first in Belton, next was on hwy. 36 past Temple, then we crossed it as we came into Gatesville then again just before we turned off for Levita just past downtown Gatesville. Each crossing put us just a bit closer to my grandparents. I often think back to those days as I cross the bridge each day. On the day that the new bridge was completely opened to traffic I was taking my father to the Doctor in Temple. On our way there it hadn't opened up both directions yet, but on the return it was. It is not nearly as scary to drive as the old narrow one was. A year later brought record rainfall and flooding. The water made it up to the bridge, but never flowed over it. In 2022 -2023 we had record drought and by Autumn of 2023 there wasn't any water flowing at all under the bridge. This Spring though has brought flooding rains once again and the river is back at flood stage. How is it that so much of the timeline of my life is linked to that bridge and the water beneath it?

In the area around Levita in that part of Coryell County, there used to be quite a few of the old iron bridges crossing the creeks. They were one lane wide with wooden planks laid down the width of car chassis. The photo below shows one in Gatesville that crosses the Leon River. This was taken on Easter Sunday 20212, with Abate, Fantu and Caleb. There is one of these bridges by the Ater Cemetery where several generations of my family are buried. I will often walk down to it when I visit Ater. 

My other Grandparents lived in Dallas. When driving there we had to cross the Trinity River just as you approached downtown Dallas. It was much narrower then and not nearly as congested. But I knew that we were nearly to their house once we crossed that bridge. They lived just off Lower Greenville Ave, in a small home that was probably originally a carriage house. It was small with a garage and living room on the ground floor and upstairs was a bedroom, bathroom and eat-in kitchen. My grandparents rarely used the living room and instead had two recliners and their TV in the bedroom. It was cozy when we all came to stay. I usually slept on a cot in the kitchen. My grandparents had tried letting me sleep in their bedroom, but I talked in my sleep and kept my grandmother awake. She was a light sleeper.

I try to remember other memorable bridges I have crossed in my travels. The first time crossing the Mississippi river, the IH 10 Atchafalaya Basin bridge that is 18 miles long. In New York it is a must to see the Brooklyn Bridge and in San Francisco the Golden Gate Bridge and in London The Tower Bridge... I can remember seeing them, but not sure if I crossed them. In my years living in Ireland I crossed many bridges. I often crossed the O'Connell St Bridge that spanned the Liffey River, or the Ha'Penny foot bridge just upstream. I loved driving the narrow country lanes in Ireland and crossed many centuries old stone bridges that were barely wide enough for one car. 

When I am hiking I love crossing mountain streams on a wooden foot bridge. I always have to stop and just take in the sounds , smells and sight. sometimes I wish I could just stop there and stay. 

This is me in Grand Teton National Park in 2021.

Do you have a favorite bridge or one that holds great memories?