Remember the Rock Slide...

Last November, I blogged about the major rock slide that occurred very close to my home.

Here's that clip again:




They finally cleared it. What was originally thought to take about 3 weeks, took more then 5 months!

I went over there recently to check it out and was rather awe struck by the scar left on the mountain.



I couldn't help but gasp a little when I first saw it.





The DOT guys were still there working. Thankfully, though, it's at least open to traffic now.





They say that the road couldn't withstand the weight of the boulders and it was crushed and swept into the river along with trees and rocks.





As I was walking and exploring, I came upon this suspension bridge. For those of you that have whitewater rafted this river, you'll recognize this area as the drop in. No, you don't go over this ferocious dam!! There's a gentle ramp beside it.

Anyway, it beckoned me. While the entrance was gated and looked like it should have a "Do Not Enter" sign posted, there was none (I looked closely) and the door, rather then being locked, was swung wide open. I took that as an invitation.

As I stepped off the platform and onto the bridge, it was swaying in the breeze and bounced beneath me with each step I took. It was a little unnerving. Nevertheless, I went all the way to the middle.





I stood there for a few minutes, pondering this angle of the mountain and the river as the water rushed over the dam below me. I took a few shots, then looking back toward the entrance I noticed a man standing there waving me back. Uh oh, I thought.

As I got closer I just shrugged and said, "I guess that's a no-no." He grinned and nodded to confirm the obvious. I told him I looked for the warning signs and he said that just the night before it had been vandalized. "I've been posted here to make sure no one enters. I guess I'm not doing my job very well!" We both laughed and wished each other a good day.





It's hard to tell how massive it is from back here, until you realize that driving on the road below it is a black dump truck and blue semi truck. See them? They almost look like they're driving on the suspension bridge I was just on. Now, that's perspective!