Back to the Abandoned Bridge

[Travis Butler]

Last year, on one of my periodic drives back from Wichita, I found an abandoned bridge/causeway that was a pretty cool spot to take pictures; unfortunately, the light was pretty harsh. Finally had a chance to re-visit a couple of weeks ago. Lighting was somewhat better; still harsh, but any later and the shadows might have gotten too deep.

20240929-SDIM2779 by Travis Butler, on Flickr
(Sigma fp, Konica Hexanon 40/1.8 on all pics)

20240929-SDIM2780 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

20240929-SDIM2789 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

20240929-SDIM2790 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

(This is just a secondary bridge over a shore road... further on down, there was a bridge that actually went over a branch of the lake, but that's gone now.)

20240929-SDIM2796 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

The bridge structure's mostly intact, but there are spots...

20240929-SDIM2797 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

20240929-SDIM2807 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

20240929-SDIM2808 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

Another bit of structural damage.

20240929-SDIM2813 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

20240929-SDIM2814 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

Take a look at the posts to the left of the remaining roadbed; those were the guardrail supports and mark where the edge of the road used to be.

20240929-SDIM2830 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

20240929-SDIM2834 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

Here's where it's really obvious this was a causeway!

20240929-SDIM2839 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

This was about as far as I could get without clambering around some very uncertain-looking footing. The tree's hiding the area where the main bridge ended, but you can see the water on either side. Time to turn back around!

20240929-SDIM2842 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

Not a spectacular picture, but very notable compared to what it was like last year:

20231102-SDIM7866 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

20240929-SDIM2844 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

20240929-SDIM2847 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

20240929-SDIM2851 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

The Colorado flag intrigues me; why would someone put it on an abandoned bridge out in the middle of nowhere?

20240929-SDIM2853 by Travis Butler, on Flickr

Last stretch back to where I parked.

 

[CharlesH]

The Colorado flag intrigues me; why would someone put it on an abandoned bridge out in the middle of nowhere?

We Colorado people are everywhere.

Travis, I really like that set of pictures. The only hint of civilization is the trail and the remains of that old bridge, with nature regaining its territory. David Attenborough would be proud.