(765/365)

This morning as I crossed over the temporary bridge, I realized the crew was setting the girders on the south side of the new bridge. I passed on by, thinking "wow that would make a great photo". I made it about a mile away before turning around. I pulled right up and set up the tripod only to see them finish. I put all the gear back and noticed that there was one girder left, so I pulled it all out and set it back up. While I was shooting, this guy came over to check on me and make sure I wasn't with the newspaper. We wound up talking for quite some time, he filled me in on the finer points of bridge building. For instance, they drive these girders into the ground until they seat. They know that they have seated when, after seven consecutive whacks with this big hammer thing, the girder doesn't move an inch. The concrete that goes into the the sides of the bridge will technically be supported by the girders that are ultimately resting on rock below. He told me a lot more, but that's enough for now. The last thing he said was "Stop by anytime". I will probably do just that.