Narrows Bridge

If you've come to see us, then you know that there is a huge bridge we have to cross to get from Gig Harbor to Tacoma.  It's the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and it runs one mile across.  Despite being an engineering feat and a beautiful backdrop for pictures, the bridge has a pretty interesting history.

Originally built in 1940, the bridge, at the time, was the world's 3rd longest suspension bridge.  But even during construction, the workers noted that the bridge had a tendency to move vertically in high winds.  After opening, it took less than 3 months for the bridge to completely collapse in the Narrows of Puget Sound when some 40 mph winds whipped through the straits!

My dad told me that he studied the Narrows Bridge collapse in engineering classes he took while still in England.  The unfortunate incident became a textbook example of how not to build a suspension bridge.

The bridge took ten years to rebuild (mainly because of WWII) and then in 2007 a second, parralelling bridge was opened.

So why the history lesson on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge?  Well, I observe every time I cross this bridge people walking, riding or jogging along a path on the outer edge of the new bridge and I've had this idea that it would be fun to walk the bridge some day.  Of course I knew that Stevie would never join me (the bridge is 187 feet over the water), but with my mom being here, I thought I might have a willing partner!

So Wednesday we headed out across the bridge with Grammie, Cannon, London, Emmy, and Mick, of course. 

I have to say I didn't enjoy it that much, but not for the reasons you might think.  First, I didn't think about the noise that the traffic would make.  Of course we were walking along side the highway so the noise would be loud, but somehow that didn't cross our minds before hand.  Second, I was nervous that Mick was going to spook at some noise and go plunging off the side of the bridge, like some ill fated parachute attempt except he would only have a rip chord and no parachute...  Finally, what mom wouldn't be nervous about the experience of having her three kids walking on a path with a highway on one side of them and a 187 foot drop on the other?  Especially since Emmy kept refusing to be "tethered" to Grammie.

I don't think London enjoyed it very much.  This is his attempt at smiling.

Is it "Pathway Narrows" or "Narrows Pathway"?

So as my mom said at the end, "Well, that was interesting, but I think I can tick that off my to-do list and not have to repeat it."